Taite R. McDonald

Overview

Taite R. McDonald is co-chair of the Energy Transition Industry Sector Group and leader of the firm’s the Clean Technology Funding and Finance Team in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office. Ms. McDonald focuses her practice on government clean technology funding and finance loan guarantees and grant programs, with a proven track record of experience on all stages of the process, from initial profile raising and application to execution and ongoing contract management. She is especially well versed in running complex, cross-government matters with intricate legal, policy and financing components.

Ms. McDonald provides counsel to companies of all sizes, from early stage startups to Fortune 100 companies and large utilities. Most notably, Ms. McDonald's team has helped companies win approximately four dozen awards totaling over $4 billion in nondilutive grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Ms. McDonald's team has also helped nearly a dozen of the previous noted awards successfully navigate the government grant negotiation process. Successful negotiations currently total nearly $1.5 billion. Additionally, due to her deep programmatic experience spanning over a decade, she has successfully represented nearly a dozen clients in navigating the DOE Loan Program to obtain conditional commitments in excess of $9 billion. Ms. McDonald's experience also includes a number of successful advocacy campaigns to fund, improve and create many of the programs from which she has helped clients successfully obtain funding.

In 2019, Ms. McDonald was selected as a Holland & Knight Rising Star. In 2021, Law360 named Ms. McDonald a Rising Star in its annual publication honoring top lawyers under 40 for her bipartisan work with Congress, agencies and applicants between 2016 and 2020 to unlock the $40 billion of previously stranded capital in the DOE Loan Program. In 2021, Ms. McDonald was also named by Business Insider as a top lawyer advising electric vehicle companies.

Representative Experience

Since 2021, helped clients to secure nearly four dozen awards equaling more than $4 billion in DOE grant funding, including but not limited to the following:
- over $1.5 billion of awards from the DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
- nearly $1 billion in awards from the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstration
- over $150 million in awards from the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
- over $100 million in awards from the Grid Deployment Office
- over $50 million in awards from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
Currently leading nearly three dozen applications through the DOE Loan Programs Office for Advanced Fossil Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program
To date, helped nearly a dozen companies obtain conditional commitments from the DOE Loan Program Office in excess of $9 billion. with billions of dollars of projects in the pipeline
Prior to 2021, advised multiple innovative companies in obtaining nearly $150 million in research grants from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Advanced Research Projects Agency, including the second-highest clean tech grant award from the DOE in 2021
Advised approximately one dozen companies in successful DOE grant negotiations totaling over $1 billion, with approximately three dozen more grant negotiations underway
Represented numerous subrecipients in receiving and negotiating awards under the DOE regional Hydrogen Hub program
Represented numerous companies and product providers in DOE regulatory compliance and enforcement

Leading project teams successfully through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 9003 Advanced Biorefinery Assistance Program
Advising multiple innovative companies in obtaining more than $3 million in research grants from various programs, including National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)

Represented numerous companies in receiving funding from the Defense Production Act program totaling more than $200 million in awards
Assisting the U.S. Department of Navy in executing an enhanced use lease (EUL) for the largest energy storage resiliency project to date
Assisting the leading flow battery energy storage technology provider in obtaining numerous procurement awards from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Assisting a leading renewable energy developer in deploying the first long-term solar energy procurement project on a DOD installation
Assisting a renewable energy developer in obtaining $3 million from the Department of Navy and California Energy Commission to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind solar microgrid with energy storage
Assisting an advanced drop-in biofuels company to secure $70 million under the Defense Production Act's Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Program
Advising multiple leading renewable energy project developers and financiers in qualifying for the U.S. Army's $7 billion Multiple Award Task Order Contract
Assisting numerous real estate and mixed-use developers in obtaining and negotiating innovative contracting structures with the Army and U.S. Air Force

Led an ad hoc group of companies, nongovernmental groups and program advocates in successfully saving the DOE Loan Program from proposed cuts from 2016-2018
Led a team in responding to congressional investigations and inquiries surrounding the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI)
Assisted multiple energy and clean technology companies in achieving legislative objectives associated with DOE and USDA grant and financing programs
Led a coalition of companies that ultimately played a key role in the creation of the $6 billion DOE Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program