FY25 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANTS (COMMUNITY-WIDE ASSESSMENT GRANTS FOR STATES AND TRIBES) | EPA I OLEM OBLR 24 09

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA I OLEM OBLR 24 09

The FY25 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-Wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes) is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding opportunity designed to help states and tribal governments take practical, early-stage steps to move neglected or potentially contaminated properties toward cleanup and productive reuse. The program focuses on "brownfield" sites, meaning properties where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of contamination. Through this grant, recipients can build a clearer picture of brownfield conditions across their jurisdictions, engage communities in deciding what matters most, and generate the technical information needed to support future cleanup and redevelopment decisions.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under EPA assistance listing (CFDA) 66.818, which generally means EPA will have an active role in oversight and collaboration during the project period rather than simply issuing funds with minimal involvement. The EPA expects to make about 18 awards, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of up to $2,000,000 per applicant. The original application closing date listed for this opportunity is November 14, 2024, and the funding opportunity number is EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-24-09. The activity category is environmental work with a focus that includes environmental justice considerations, reflected in the emphasis on underserved and/or disadvantaged communities.

The grant supports a broad set of assessment-phase activities that typically come before any actual cleanup work. Eligible uses include developing or improving inventories of brownfield sites, setting priorities among sites (for example, ranking which sites should be assessed first based on risk, community goals, or redevelopment potential), and conducting community involvement activities so residents, local stakeholders, and affected groups can shape the direction of the work. Funding may also be used for planning efforts, conducting environmental site assessments, preparing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans that outline realistic pathways for bringing properties back into beneficial use. In plain terms, the grant is meant to pay for the investigative and planning work that turns a suspected brownfield into a well-understood project with defined options and next steps.

Applicants can request funding to address sites with potential contamination from hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, and/or petroleum contamination, across their jurisdiction. That structure gives applicants flexibility to design a community-wide approach that fits local needs, whether that means focusing on former industrial corridors, underutilized commercial properties, abandoned facilities, or other suspected brownfield locations. A key performance requirement is that recipients must assess at least 10 sites within their geographic boundaries, ensuring the award supports a meaningful pipeline of properties rather than a single isolated assessment.

A particularly important equity-related condition applies to site selection during the period of performance. If the recipient adds sites that were not included in the original workplan, those newly selected sites must be located in an underserved and/or disadvantaged community. This requirement encourages grantees to direct the program's flexible, on-the-ground decision-making toward communities that have historically faced greater environmental burdens or disinvestment. It also signals that EPA expects community-wide assessment programs to be responsive to changing priorities while still keeping benefits focused on communities with the greatest need.

Eligibility is aimed at states and tribes, with the notice indicating that detailed eligibility rules are contained in Section III of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity. In practice, that means interested applicants should rely on the official NOFO language for definitions, applicant qualifications, and any limits or special conditions, since those details determine who can apply and under what circumstances.

Overall, this grant opportunity is about building the information base and community-driven plans needed to unlock brownfield revitalization. By funding inventories, prioritization, community engagement, assessments, and reuse and cleanup planning, EPA is supporting the groundwork that makes later cleanup and redevelopment funding more targeted, defensible, and ready for implementation, while also requiring that new site selections during the project period deliver clear benefits to underserved and/or disadvantaged communities.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment, iij sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANTS (COMMUNITY-WIDE ASSESSMENT GRANTS FOR STATES AND TRIBES)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.818.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 18 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for EPA I OLEM OBLR 24 09

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