• The U.S. government supports projects to convert farm and plant waste into renewable fuel sourcesAerial of Fields image by Jason Yoder from Fotolia.com
  
  Biomass is an energy source derived from recent biological matter, usually plants. The website, "What is Biomass?" explains that the difference between biomass and fossil fuels is time. Fossil fuel develops from ancient biomass, and is geological material. Its energy was trapped long ago, and burning it releases ancient carbon into the atmosphere. Biomass is the cleaner fuel source of the two because its carbon is part of the Earth's current carbon cycle. Burning it adds no new carbon to this cycle.
  
  

Biomass Crop Assistance Program

• The Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gives biomass producers financial assistance through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. These producers must raise and/or harvest eligible biomass, and then deliver the materials to qualified facilities to convert it into heat, energy, biofuel, or other applicable products. This grant is only available to biomass producers, and is designed to defray the costs of harvesting, storing, and transporting biomass to conversion facilities.
  
  

Biomass Research and Development Initiative

• The Biomass Research and Development Initiative is a joint venture between the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This highly competitive grant is intended to encourage researchers to develop and implement new, improved methods of biomass and biofuel production. Interested parties must send in pre-applications with project proposals, which the DOE will review in order to select qualified pre-applicants to submit full applications.
  
  

Energy for Sustainability

• The Energy for Sutainability Grant is a product of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Its goal is the research and development of new sustainable energy sources to supplant fossil fuels. This is not limited to biomass and derived biofuels, but also includes solar, wind, wave, geothermal, and hydrogen power. The NSF is especially interested in funding biomass projects that aim to develop biofuels other than cellulosic ethanol. Energy for Sustainability Grant awardees receive an average of $100,000 annually for three-year terms.
  
  

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• Funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has made various biomass grants available at the state level. The ARRA is a federal program to stimulate the economy and help the nation through the so-called "Great Recession" of the late 2000s. Several states now offer biomass grant programs through ARRA funding. For example, the website MFRTech reports that $10 million of ARRA money was allocated to biomass research in the state of Virginia. Fifteen awards were designated in 2010, supporting $110 million in private investments across the state through Virginia's Biomass Energy Grant Program.