FY27 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-Wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes)

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 for Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes include:

• States (i.e., State agencies that are subject to the direct control of the governor or other elected executive officials such as environmental agencies, transportation agencies, health departments, parks and recreation departments, and departments of commerce);

• Tribes (i.e., federally recognized Indian Tribes other than in Alaska; Intertribal Consortia comprised of eligible Indian Tribes); and

• Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations as those terms are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following) and the Metlakatla Indian Community.

Note, State and Tribal universities and colleges are not eligible for Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes but may apply for other types of Assessment Grants if they are otherwise eligible (e.g., are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)).

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. Applicants 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 award of the grant throughout the project period. Recipients will be required to assess sites (a minimum of 10) throughout their geographic boundary(ies).