United States: Brownfields Assessment Grants

Deadline: 1-Dec-21

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the Brownfields Assessment Grants to ensure that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination have an opportunity to benefit from brownfields redevelopment.

EPA’s Brownfields Program has a rich history rooted in environmental justice and is committed to helping communities revitalize brownfield properties, mitigate potential health risks, and restore economic vitality.

Assessment Grants provide funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites. A portion of the Assessment Grant funding must be used to conduct site assessments.

Assessment Grant funds may not be used to conduct cleanup activities.

Options

Applicants may apply for a Community-wide and / or a Site-specific Assessment Grant or apply for Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes.

Community-wide Assessment Grants are appropriate when a specific site is not identified and the applicant plans to spend grant funds on more than one brownfield site in its community.
Site-specific Assessment Grants are appropriate when a specific site is identified and the applicant plans to spend grant funds on this one site only.
Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes are only available to state agencies, tribes, and eligible native corporations in Alaska. An applicant must plan to use grant funds to assess a minimum of 10 brownfield sites in disadvantaged communities throughout its jurisdiction.

Funding Information

The estimated total funding available for Assessment Grants under this solicitation is approximately $ 47 million. EPA anticipates awarding an estimated 69 Assessment Grants, including awarding 9 Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes for approximately $ 17 million, subject to the availability of funds, quality of applications, and other applicable considerations.
The project period for Community-wide and Site-specific Assessment Grants is up to three years and up to five years for Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes.

Eligibility Criteria

The following information indicates which entities are eligible to apply for a Community-wide Assessment Grant and Site-specific Assessment Grant.

General Purpose Unit of Local Government.
Land Clearance Authority or another quasi-governmental entity that operates under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a General Purpose Unit of Local Government.
Government Entity Created by State Legislature.
Regional Council or group of General Purpose Units of Local Government.
Redevelopment Agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a state.
State.
Indian tribe other than in Alaska.
Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, and Metlakatla Indian Community.
Nonprofit organization of the Internal Revenue Code.
Limited liability corporation in which all managing members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
Limited partnership in which all general partners are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or limited corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
Qualified community development entity of the Internal Revenue Code.