• Assessment Grants: Assessment grants provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfields sites.
• Revolving Loan Fund Grants: The purpose of revolving loan fund grants is to enable states, political subdivisions, and Indian tribes to make low interest loans to carryout cleanup activities at brownfields properties.
• Cleanup Grants: Cleanup grants provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites.
• Area-Wide Planning Grants (AWP): Grant funding to communities to research, plan and develop implementation strategies for an area affected by one or more brownfields. Developing an area-wide plan will inform the assessment, cleanup and reuse of brownfields properties and promote area-wide revitalization.
• Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants (EWDJT): Environmental workforce development and job training grants are designed to provide funding to eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to recruit, train, and place predominantly low-income and minority, unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field and in the assessment and cleanup work taking place in their communities.
• Multi-Purpose Pilot Grants: In FY2010, EPA piloted a new grant program that will provide a single grant to an eligible entity for both assessment and cleanup work at a specific brownfields site owned by the applicant. The assessment/cleanup multi-purpose grant pilots are currently being evaluated before the program offers them again.
• Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grants: Training, research, and technical assistance grants provide funding to eligible organizations to provide training, research, and technical assistance to facilitate brownfields revitalization.

Assessment Grants

Assessment grants provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfields sites. An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000 to assess a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum) and up to $200,000 to address a site contaminated by petroleum. Applicants may seek a waiver of the $200,000 limit and request up to $350,000 for a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and up to $350,000 to assess a site contaminated by petroleum. Such waivers must be based on the anticipated level of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum) at a single site. A coalition of three or more eligible applicants can submit one grant proposal under the name of one of the coalition members for up to $ 1,000,000. The performance period for these grants is three years.

Interested in Applying for Funding?

• Apply for Funding (Most Recent Proposal Guidelines)
• EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheets for Brownfields Grant Awardees
• Fact Sheet on Assessment Coalitions

Guidelines and Resources

• Most Recent Grant Proposal Guidelines
• All Appropriate Inquiry
• Assessment Coalitions Memorandum of Agreement
• Assessment Grantee Success Stories

Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants

Revolving loan fund (RLF) grants provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites. Through these grants, EPA seeks to strengthen the marketplace and encourage stakeholders to leverage the resources needed to clean up and redevelop brownfields. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community.

Interested in Applying for Funding?

• Apply for Funding (Most Recent Proposal Guidelines)​
• EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants 

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheets for Brownfields Grant Awardees

Unlocking Brownfields Redevelopment: Establishing a Local Revolving Loan Fund Program RLF Webinar Series 
This Brownfields solutions series factsheet provides an overview to those interested in applying for an RLF grant, and information to new RLF grantees on how to establish an RLF program. 

RLF Webinar Series

• RLF Webinar I: National RLF Policies and Terms & Conditions Overview(34 pp, 141 K)
• Download audio
• RLF Webinar II: RLF Site & Applicant Eligibility(25 pp, 3 MB)
• RLF Webinar III: Davis-Bacon(25 pp, 4 MB)
• RLF Webinar IV: Acing an Audit: How to Manage Your RLF Grant Files(25 pp, 1 MB)
• Download audio
• RLF Webinar V: Getting Your RLF Moving: Tips & Tricks from the Experts
• RLF Webinar VI: The RLF Fine Print: Understanding Unique RLF Requirements(25 pp, 7 MB)
• Download audio
• RLF Loan/Subgrant Review Checklist(6 pp, 34 K)

• Discounted Loans Policy
  With the signing of the Brownfields Law, new RLF grants, awarded under 104(k) from FY2003 forward, were left with no provision for the use of discounted loans. This policy meets this need, giving RLF grantees additional options to achieve cleanup goals, in keeping with prudent lending practices.
  Federal Register Notice (PDF) (2 pp, 145K)
  October 28, 2005

Cleanup Grants

Cleanup grants provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites. An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000 per site. Due to budget limitations, no entity can apply for funding cleanup activities at more than three sites. These funds may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum). Cleanup grants require a 20 percent cost share, which may be in the form of a contribution of money, labor, material, or services, and must be for eligible and allowable costs (the match must equal 20 percent of the amount of funding provided by EPA and cannot include administrative costs). A cleanup grant applicant may request a waiver of the 20 percent cost share requirement based on hardship. An applicant must own the site for which it is requesting funding at time of application. The performance period for these grants is three years.

Interested in Applying for Funding?

• Apply for Funding (Most Recent Proposal Guidelines)​
• EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants 

Fact Sheets

Fact Sheets for Brownfields Grant Awardees Guidelines and Resources

Guidelines and Resources

Our climate is changing and we need to adapt to make sure our cleanups are still protective of human health and the environment now and into the future. To ensure that cleanups remain effective as the climate changes, EPA has added a new term and condition in the cleanup and revolving loan fund grants requiring recipients to consider changing climate conditions when evaluating cleanup alternatives. EPA created a checklist to help cleanup and revolving loan fund recipients address changing climate concerns in an analysis of brownfields cleanup alternatives (ABA).

Climate Adaptation and Brownfields

Most Recent Grant Proposal Guidelines

All Appropriate Inquiry

Cleanup Success Stories

Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Program

Brownfields area-wide planning (BF AWP) is a grant program which provides funding to conduct activities that will enable the recipient to develop an area-wide plan (including plan implementation strategies) for assessing, cleaning up and reusing catalyst/high priority brownfields sites. Funding is directed to a specific project area, such as a neighborhood, downtown district, local commercial corridor, old industrial corridor, community waterfront or city block, affected by a single large or multiple brownfields sites.

• Brownfields Area-Wide Planning (BF AWP) Program Fact Sheet

EPA currently offers the BF AWP grant funding opportunity every other year, as funding is available. We anticipate the next available funding opportunity will open in summer 2018.

EPA’s BF AWP grant program was inspired in part by the area-wide, community revitalization approaches used by communities in the New York State Brownfields Opportunity Areas (BOA) program. Check out the June 2016 report, Evaluation of the New York State Brownfields Opportunity Areas Program – prepared by New Partners for Community Revitalization and NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Stakeholder Feedback on the BF AWP grant program

EPA is interested in receiving stakeholder feedback on the BF AWP grant program!

• If you wish to share comments on the program please email Aimee Storm, EPA's lead for the BF AWP grant program.
• Review the archive of the stakeholder feedback webinar held on January 20, 2016. Webinar participants included current and past BF AWP grantees, technical assistance providers and other Brownfields stakeholders most familiar with the BF AWP grant program.

BF AWP Projects are part of the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

The BF AWP Program is consistent with the principles under the partnership for sustainable communities (PSC) among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and EPA. The partnership was conceived to advance coordinated infrastructure investment to improve economic prosperity and build healthy, environmentally sustainable, and opportunity-rich communities for all Americans, regardless of race or income.

Recognizing the fundamental role that public investment plays in achieving these outcomes, the Administration charged three agencies whose programs impact the physical form of communities—HUD, DOT, and EPA—to coordinate and incorporate the livability principles into their policies and funding programs to the maximum degree possible. The livability principles can be found at www.sustainablecommunities.gov and include: (1) providing more transportation choices, (2) promoting equitable, affordable housing, (3) increasing economic competitiveness, (4) supporting existing communities, (5) leveraging federal investment, and (6) valuing communities and neighborhoods.

Reaching out to and coordinating with HUD, DOT, EPA programs and other federal and non-federal partners is highly encouraged throughout the BF AWP process. More information on the PSC, including information on key resources, economic development and Brownfields redevelopment.

BF AWP Tools & Webinars

• BF AWP Climate Adaptation Checklist 

This checklist is intended to help BF AWP grant recipients meet the grant term and condition for considering changing climate conditions throughout the course of their project.

• BF AWP Federal Resources Matrix (updated for FY15)(1 pg, 231 K)

EPA developed a matrix of various federal resources that are most likely to be of interest to our BF AWP grantees. This matrix is intended to help grantees have a better working knowledge of different federal programs and associated resources that might be available to help implement their brownfields area revitalization plans. This matrix is based on publicly available information sources, and most recently updated with FY15 funding levels. 

• Ideas and Lessons Learned from the BF AWP Pilot Communities
  EPA has compiled ideas and key lessons learned based on the experiences 23 pilot communities who started their BF AWP projects in 2010. Included in this report are ideas, advice and examples on project approaches that the pilot communities found particularly useful, constructive and effective for helping them successfully manage their process and develop a plan implementation strategy. EPA thanks the BF AWP pilot communities for sharing their experiences, ideas, lessons learned and project pictures.

• Summary of BF AWP Pilot Ideas and Lessons Learned
• Full Report of BF AWP Pilot Ideas and Lessons Learned

• Groundwork USA technical assistance & webinars

Drawing from expertise of Groundwork Trust practitioners across the nation who have successfully implemented brownfields cleanup and reuse projects, Groundwork USA (http://groundworkusa.org/) is providing technical assistance support to the FY10 and FY13 BF AWP grant recipients through informational webinars and project networking, and also offers targeted direct technical assistance to a handful of grantee projects. Groundwork practitioners work with BF AWP communities to help build capacity around core project themes, including sustaining community engagement and how to make the transition from project planning to project implementation. Archived recordings of webinars held in 2014:

• November 19: Youth and Brownfields: Engaging the Next Generation Meaningfully in Planning and Implementation 
• September 24: Active Mobility in BF AWP Communities 
• July 23: Beyond Economic Development: How 'Outside the Box' Programming for Former Brownfields Can Derive Multiple Community Benefits and Help Attract Financing 
• May 28: Innovative community engagement approaches and sustaining long-term involvement throughout the BF AWP process, and into plan implementation 
• March 26:  Introduction of the technical assistance program and background on Groundwork USA 

• Federal Agency Coordination Webinars

These webinars highlight programs from federal agencies that can help communities implement their community revitalization and redevelopment projects. The sessions were designed to enable brownfields communities to become more familiar with how federal agencies operate locally and how their resources may be accessed/used.

Link to CLU-IN webinar archives: http://www.clu-in.org/live/archive/. ExitThe 5 webinars that are archived are:

• March 7, 2011: Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Webinar 1 (overview presentation of federal resources)
• April 27, 2011: Area-Wide Planning Coordination Opportunities (presentation on DOT/ FTA & FHWA programs and resources)
• May 5, 2011: Area-Wide Planning Coordination Opportunities: Economic Development Administration and US Department of Agriculture
• June 29, 2011: Area-Wide Planning: Coordination Opportunities with HUD
• February 8, 2012: Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Federal Resources - 2012 Update

Current and Past BF AWP Grantees

21 communities selected for FY15 BF AWP Grants
In March 2015, EPA selected 21 communities across the country to receive BF AWP grants in FY15. EPA awarded up to $200,000 per recipient so they can engage the community and conduct brownfields planning activities to consider brownfields site cleanup and reuses in conjunction with community assets.

• EPA News Release March 9, 2015
• Search here for BF AWP Awardee Fact Sheets
• List of 2015 BF AWP Awardees
• List of 2015 BF AWP grant applicants 

20 communities selected for FY13 BF AWP Grants
In spring 2013, EPA selected 20 communities across the nation to be awarded approximately $4 million in total grant funding. These communities used the grant funds (up to $200,000 per recipient) to develop area-wide plans and specific implementation strategies for integrating the cleanup and reuse of brownfields sites into neighborhood revitalization efforts.

• EPA News Release April 25, 2013
• Search here for BF AWP Awardee Fact Sheets
• List of 2013 BF AWP Awardees
• 2013 BF AWP Project Summaries

23 Communities selected for FY10 BF AWP Pilot Program
In fall 2010, EPA selected 23 communities to facilitate community involvement in developing an area-wide plan for Brownfields assessment, cleanup and subsequent reuse. The pilot program recipients each received up to approximately $175,000 in grant funding and/or direct technical assistance from the Agency. Here is the list of pilot project award recipients by state.

FY10 BF AWP Pilot Project Fact Sheets and Project Websites

• Atlanta, GA (PDF) (1 pg, 182K) Project focused on numerous brownfields in five redevelopment locations (tax allocation districts) in southwest Atlanta, connected by commercial and industrial corridors. http://www.AtlantaBrownfieldPrograms.com Exit
• Aurora, CO (PDF) (1 pg, 182K) Project targeted Brownfields reuse in the western half of the Montview corridor in northwest Aurora in an area known as Westerly Creek Village. https://www.auroragov.org/DoingBusiness/CityPlanning/PlansandStudies/WesterlyCreekVillage/index.htm Exit
• Cleveland, OH (PDF) (1 pg, 183K) Project area was the Kinsman and Lower Buckeye neighborhoods located in the Cleveland Opportunity Corridor. Historic industrial uses have resulted in the area’s many brownfields sites.
• Communities for a Better Environment, Huntington Park, CA (PDF) (1 pg, 227K) Project area targeted the Huntington Park Brown-to-Green project area, home to heavy manufacturing operations until the 1960s. http://www.cbecal.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/CBE-Huntington-Park-Brown-to-Green-Report1.pdfExit
• Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, WA (PDF) (1 pg, 195K) Project focused around two brownfields sites within approximately one mile of each other in the Nespelem District of the Colville Indian Reservation.
• Denver, CO (PDF) (1 pg, 181K) Project area was the South Platte River Brownfields Area, a quarter-mile buffer along the 11-mile riverfront. Website: www.denvergov.org/southplatte Exit
• Desarrollo Integral del Sur, Inc. (for Municipalities of Peñuelas and Guayanilla, PR) (PDF) (1 pg, 206K) Project area was a 3,500-acre industrial area with former petroleum and chemical manufacturing and distribution sites. Area included nine neighborhoods in the rural Municipalities of Peñuelas and Guayanilla.
  • Spanish Page http://www.disur.org/es/node/271 Exit
  • English Page http://www.disur.org/en/node/285 Exit
• Goshen, IN (PDF) (1 pg, 139K) Project focused on the 9th Street Corridor industrial brownfields area, surrounded by residential areas and several schools. http://www.goshenindiana.org/content/redevelopmentExit
• Ironbound Community Corporation, Newark, NJ (PDF) (1 pg, 196K) Project area was the Ironbound community, in the East Ward of Newark, which includes residential and recreational areas. Many manufacturing operations have closed, leaving behind brownfields and deteriorating infrastructure.
• Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, San Diego, CA (PDF) (1 pg, 197K) Project area was the Village at Market Creek, an area with multiple brownfields sites in the center of the Diamond Neighborhoods of southeastern San Diego. http://www.jacobscenter.org/_pdf/BF_AWP.pdf Exit
• Kalispell, MT (PDF) (1 pg, 200K) Project focused on the Core Revitalization Area (CRA), located in downtown Kalispell. The CRA generally follows historic railroad tracks and contains multiple brownfields http://www.kalispell.com/community_economic_development/ Exit
• Kansas City, MO (PDF) (1 pg, 191K) Project area was the Municipal Farm property in the Eastwood Hills neighborhood. The property encompasses several municipal institutional sites that have either known or perceived environmental risks. http://municipalfarmkc.com/ Exit
• Lowell, MA (PDF) (1 pg, 189K) Project area was the Tanner Street Corridor, which is mostly heavy and light industrial, with some commercial and residential areas on the periphery.
• Monaca, PA (PDF) (1 pg, 204K) Project included four brownfields areas in the communities of Midland, Monaca, Aliquippa, and Coraopolis, which lie along the 45-mile Ohio River Corridor. The four areas include many brownfields sites, which are primarily former steel mill-related and small-scale industrial lands. http://www.ohioriverbrownfields.com/Exit
• San Francisco Parks Alliance (formerly Neighborhood Parks Council), CA (PDF) (1 pg, 199K) Project area was the Blue Greenway, a 13-mile corridor along the city’s southeastern waterfront, where open spaces will be linked together for new recreational opportunities. The area includes brownfields from heavy industrial uses, sewer treatment plants and power generation facilities. http://bluegreenway.org/
• New Bern, NC (PDF) (1 pg, 201K) Project focused on the Five Points neighborhood, an area adjacent to the city’s downtown historic district. The Five Points neighborhood contains multiple brownfields, including abandoned gas stations, former dry cleaners, and many underutilized buildings. www.newbernrenaissance.com Exit
• Ogdensburg, NY (PDF) (1 pg, 212K) Project area included waterfront properties along the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers. The majority of the city’s brownfields and vacant lands lie on this waterfront.
• Phoenix, AZ (PDF) (1 pg, 193K) Project area targeted the Del Rio Area located in the center of Phoenix along Rio Salado. Within the project area are three high priority brownfields sites for the city. http://phoenix.gov/greenphoenix/land/brownfields/delrio/index.html Exit
• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (for Chicopee, MA) (PDF) (1 pg, 200K) Project focused on downtown Chicopee’s West End neighborhood, once home to major manufacturers of textiles, munitions, and shoes. These former uses have left many brownfields sites in the area.
  • http://pvpc.org/brownfields/Chicopee_West_End.html Exit
  • http://www.chicopeema.gov/page.php?id=2099 Exit
• Ranson, WV (PDF) (1 pg, 198K) Project targeted the 1.5-mile Commerce Corridor along the Ranson-Charles Town border. The Commerce Corridor contains numerous brownfields sites. www.ransonrenewed.com Exit
• Roanoke, VA (PDF) (1 pg, 197K) Project focused on the Rail Corridor Planning Area, which includes portions of four neighborhoods. Economic shifts and changes in transportation have left many brownfields and other underused, vacant, or abandoned properties, many of which are located near densely populated residential areas. http://www.roanokeva.gov/85256A8D0062AF37/vwContentByKey/N28DWLVZ122BTFKEN Exit
• Sanford, ME (PDF) (1 pg, 200K) Project area was the Mill Yard located in downtown Sanford. Area was once the economic heart of town and has a history of extensive industrial use which left behind brownfields sites.
• Tulsa, OK (PDF) (1 pg, 201K) Project focused on the Evans/Fintube property and surrounding communities in northern Tulsa. This area includes many brownfields in the form of abandoned structures, vacant lots, and active industrial facilities that are adjacent to residential and recreational areas. http://www.cityoftulsa.org/our-city/economic-development/brownfields.aspx Exit

References

FY2015 BF AWP Grant Guidelines

Proposals were due September 22, 2014.

• BF AWP Grant Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Guidelines Outreach Webinars: EPA provides two guidelines outreach webinars. The same information was presented at each webinar.
  • The archived recording of the July 30, 2014 webinar is available at https://epawebconferencing.acms.com/p7yroojhinm/
  • The archived recording of the August 14, 2014 webinar is available at https://epawebconferencing.acms.com/p2mahyz6wmi/
  • Webinar slides only

FY2013 BF AWP Grant Guidelines
Proposals were due November 30, 2012.

• BF AWP Grant Guidelines (PDF) (55 pp, 448K)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Guidelines Outreach Webinar Slides
• Download audio
  (partial audio - started 15 minutes into presentation)

FY2010 BF AWP Grant Guidelines

Proposals were due June 1, 2010.

• BF AWP Pilot Grant Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions — (UPDATED 5-24-10) Request for Proposals (RFP) - Questions and Answers

Grant Information

• Grant Fact Sheets
• Apply for Funding (Most Recent Proposal Guidelines)
• For Current Job Training Grantees, Report Grant Activities in ACRES

Environmental Workforce Development and Training Toolbox

• The Brownfields Toolbox Exitwas created by the Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI). ExitIt gives EPA's Brownfields stakeholders the knowledge and tools necessary to maximize environmental job development, education, and employment opportunities. It offers information on how to conduct a job training program including links to sample curricula, Professional Learning Community (PLC) resources, placement of graduates, and community marketing.
• To subscribe to the HMTRI Brownfields Job Training Program listserv, send an e-mail to HMTRI (ghanne@eicc.edu) with your grant name and contact information.
• Current Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grantees can send an e-mail to HMTRI (ghanne@eicc.edu) with their grant name and contact information to join the HMTRI listserv, which promotes discussion of job training issues among grantees.

Reports & Success Stories

• Transforming Lives and Advancing Economic Opportunities: EPA’s Environmental Workforce and Job Training Program
• EWDJT Success Stories, April 2011 (PDF) (7 pp, 930K, about PDF)
• EWDJT Program Brochure, July 2015 (PDF) (2 pp, 1M, about PDF)
• Job Training Report: "Improving Land and Lives: 10 Years of Investment in EPA's Job Training Program" (PDF) (20 pp, 994K, about PDF)
  This report describes the history of EPA's Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants program, what made individual grantee programs successful, and some of the challenges those grantees faced. It also highlights individuals whose lives were forever changed by their participation in the program.
• Job Training Success Stories

Other Grant & Funding Opportunities

• Grants.gov Exit
• National Institutes for Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration
• U.S. Department of Labor Microenterprise Grants Program

Resources & Information

• The Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center Exit
• American Association of Community Colleges Exit
• American Green Jobs Exit
• Apollo Alliance Exit
• Brownfields Toolbox Exit
• Career Onestop Exit
• Community Training and Response Center Exit
• Green for All Exit
• Home Builders Institute Exit
• Interstate Renewable Energy Council Exit
• National Association of Workforce Boards Exit
• National Council for Work Experience Exit
• National Council for Workforce Education Exit
• National Environmental Health Association Exit
• Online Curricula Database
• Transportation Workforce Development
• The United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council Exit
• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• U.S. Department of Labor, Workforce Investment
• U.S. EPA, Office of Environmental Justice
• U.S. EPA, State and Local Climate and Energy Program