...Of course, a very large part of the return to life is the government funding for clean power and energy efficiency. That includes loans and grants now starting to reach companies, and also the promise of federal backing, which can ease concerned investors. Investors are certainly trying to take advantage of the new funding opportunities — David Anthony, founding partner of 21Ventures, tasks a fourth of his staff to write DOE grant applications full time. Over 50 companies that we know of have applied for the over $3 billion in funds from the DOE for smart grid technology and projects.