Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA) | DE FOA 0002625

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002625

The Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA) funding opportunity (FOA Number DE-FOA-0002625) is an ARPA-E program focused on turning buildings into long-lived carbon storage assets by pushing building materials and whole-building designs to be net carbon negative on a full life cycle basis. Instead of only trying to reduce emissions from construction, HESTIA is aimed at technologies that can store more carbon in the finished building product than is emitted across manufacturing, construction, and use. In practical terms, the program is trying to create a new class of building elements (especially structural and enclosure components) that act like durable carbon sinks while still meeting real-world performance and code requirements.

Technically, HESTIA is interested in approaches that use atmospheric CO2 or methane (CH4) as an input to make building products, with flexibility in where that carbon comes from and how it is incorporated. The FOA describes a wide range of potential feedstocks and pathways, including forestry and purpose-grown biomass products, agricultural residues, marine-derived sources, and direct carbon utilization routes. The central idea is that carbon captured from the atmosphere or near-atmosphere pools is converted into stable chemical forms inside materials that can be deployed at scale in the construction sector, where the sheer volume of material use creates an opportunity for meaningful carbon storage.

ARPA-E frames success in HESTIA using a set of concrete program metrics. First, projects must demonstrate carbon negativity in the finished product by storing more carbon in the product's chemical structure than the total greenhouse gases emitted during manufacturing, construction, and use. Second, the resulting materials or systems must undergo relevant performance testing required by building codes and incumbent product specifications, with examples in the FOA including flammability and strength. Third, the proposed solution is expected to show a market advantage over best-in-class incumbent building elements it aims to replace, such as better performance in at least one meaningful dimension, lower cost, or easier installation. Fourth, projects must address durability of the stored carbon by showing sufficient retention over the service life and working to minimize end-of-life emissions, including designing for reuse, repurposing, and/or recycling to keep the carbon locked up as long as possible.

A major structural feature of the program is its emphasis on transparent, consistent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The FOA notes that LCAs are a required part of evaluation, and ARPA-E planned to support this through a separate solicitation dedicated to developing and performing LCAs in coordination with (and in support of) applicants under the HESTIA FOA. This is meant to prevent cherry-picked accounting and to ensure competing approaches are measured on comparable system boundaries and assumptions, since carbon negativity claims can vary widely depending on how the life cycle is defined.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, HESTIA is run by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which is designed to fund high-risk, high-reward applied R and D that could create fundamentally new cost and performance trajectories rather than incremental improvements. The opportunity was listed as discretionary funding and allowed multiple funding instrument types including cooperative agreements, grants, and other mechanisms. The eligibility was broadly described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the FOA text. The listing indicated an award ceiling of $10,000,000, with an expectation of around 15 awards. The FOA creation date was November 8, 2021, and the original submission deadline was 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on December 20, 2021, with applicants encouraged to submit at least 48 hours early.

Applications had to be submitted through ARPA-E eXCHANGE, which is ARPA-E's required portal for concept papers and application materials. The FOA states that ARPA-E would not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. Support channels were provided for technical issues with eXCHANGE (ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov, with the FOA name and number in the subject line) and for FOA questions (ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov), along with a pointer to ARPA-E's FAQ page.

Overall, HESTIA is best read as an effort to change the construction paradigm by making carbon negativity a design requirement rather than a side benefit. The program is not only about inventing a greener material in isolation; it is about demonstrating building-ready solutions that can compete in the market, satisfy codes, scale into mainstream construction workflows, and keep carbon stored for long periods with thoughtful end-of-life pathways.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the opportunity zone benefits, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 08, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 20, 2021 Submissions to this FOA are due no later than 930 a.m. Eastern Time on December 20, 2021. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit at least 48 hours in advance of the due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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