FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Assessment Coalition Grants)

Background
The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization is announcing the availability of $58.7 million to award approximately 39 cooperative agreements under the Brownfields Assessment Coalition grant program. The goal of this program is to empower States, Tribal Nations, communities, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites. A critical part of the program is ensuring that residents in historically affected communities benefit from brownfields redevelopment.

Grant Details
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 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. The lead entity submits one application on behalf of the coalition members and may request funding up to $1,500,000 per site contaminated by hazardous substances or petroleum. Each approved site assessment may not exceed $200,000 in costs. Assessment Coalitions will be required to assess at least two sites in each coalition member’s geographic boundary.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include general purpose units of local government, land clearance authorities, government entities created by state legislature, regional councils established under governmental authority, redevelopment agencies chartered by a state, states themselves, federally recognized Indian tribes (excluding those in Alaska), nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRC, limited liability corporations with managing members as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, limited partnerships with general partners as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and qualified community development entities. Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible.

Period of Performance
The anticipated project period for awards funded under this opportunity is four years.

Grant Value
$58.7 million total available funding; individual grant awards may request up to $1.5 million.

Place of Performance
The specific geographic locations will vary based on the coalition members' target areas; however, each target area must be in at least three distinct municipalities or jurisdictions.