(Lenexa, Kan., Oct. 28, 2016) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applicants interested in using brownfields assessment and cleanup grants to revitalize abandoned industrial sites within their communities into reusable properties.

As part of EPA’s Brownfields Program, these grants support revitalization efforts in rural and urban communities by funding environmental assessment and cleanup activities for properties with the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

Funding opportunities for these assessment and cleanup grants range from up to $200,000 to $600,000, based on the type of grant and number of brownfield sites included in a proposal. In 2016, EPA Region 7 awarded $1.8 million in grants for assessment and cleanup projects in Missouri and Iowa. 

Applicants eligible for these grants include public and quasi-public organizations. Nonprofit organizations are also eligible for the cleanup grants. Applicants must submit proposals through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m., Dec. 20, 2016.

It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land; and both improves and protects the environment.

Webinars to Assist in Preparing Assessment and Cleanup Proposals