FY27 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Assessment Coalition Grants)
EPA cooperative agreements fund eligible lead entities to inventory, assess, plan for, and involve communities in the cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites, with a required site-assessment component and no cleanup funding.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV · TRIBAL ENTITIES · NONPROFITS
⚑ Lead applicant must be an eligible coalition lead; universities are not listed as eligible applicants in the notice. · Coalition of one lead plus 2-4 eligible partners; partners are included because they lack capacity to apply/manage their own EPA agreement. · Minimum site activity requirements apply: at least two sites in each coalition member's geographic boundary. · Per-site cap of $200,000 for site-specific activities; total award up to $1,000,000 per coalition application.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
Description
This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to prevent, inventory, assess, and plan for the cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites. Eligible entities include government organizations, Federally recognized Tribes, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Please see Section 2.A. for the complete list of eligible entities. Applications must meet all threshold eligibility criteria in Section 2.B. to be considered eligible to receive an Assessment Coalition Grant.
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. Assessment Coalition Grants are designed for one “lead” eligible entity to partner with two to four eligible entities that do not have the capacity to apply for and manage their own EPA cooperative agreement and otherwise would not have access to Brownfields Grant resources.
The lead entity submits one application on behalf of the coalition members and may request funding up to $1,000,000 to address sites contaminated (or potentially contaminated) by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, including hazardous substances comingled with petroleum, and/or petroleum. To be eligible for Brownfield Grant funding, sites must meet the definition of a brownfield site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) § 101(39) and site eligibility requirements as described in the Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k). For the purposes of this funding opportunity, the cost of site-specific activities carried out at each approved, eligible site may not exceed $200,000 per site. EPA will determine site eligibility after the grant award and prior to expending grant funds at any site. Assessment Coalitions will be required to assess at least two sites in each coalition member’s geographic boundary.
Before expending or drawing down awarded funds, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) must document the coalition’s site selection process. Coalition members should establish relationships and define roles to achieve the project goals. The purpose of the MOA is for coalition members to agree on the distribution of funds and the mechanisms for implementing the assessment work.
Eligibility
See section 2 of the full announcement for eligibility requirements.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Dannell Brown Grants Specialist <brownfields@epa.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.