EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-01 - Final(1).pdf

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Applications Due: September 26, 2025

FY26 BROWNFIELDS JOB

TRAINING (JT) GRANTS

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-01 i

Contents

1. Basic Information

A. Executive Summary B. Key Information:

C. Key Dates D. Funding Details E. Agency Contact Information:

2. Eligibility

A. Eligible Applicants

1. Other Eligibility Requirements

B. Cost Sharing

3. Program Description

A. Purpose, Priorities, and Activities

1. Purpose

2. Use Of Grant Funds

3. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds

4. Eligible Trainings With Brownfields Job Training Grant Funds

5. Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

6. Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

7. Leveraging

B. Program Goals and Objectives C. Statutory Authority D. Funding Type

4. Application Contents and Format

A. Application Forms

1. Narrative Information Sheet

2. Narrative Attachments

3. Narrative

B. Applicants Using Contractors C. Release Copies of Applications

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

A. Submission Dates and Times B. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) C. Submission Instructions D. Technical Issues with Submission E. Intergovernmental Review

6. Application Review Information

A. Responsiveness Review B. Review Criteria ii

1. Community Need (40 points)

2. Training Program Description (25 points)

3. Budget (15 points)

4. Program Structure, Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes (50 points)

5. Partnerships (40 Points)

6. Leveraging (5 points)

7. Programmatic Capability (25 points)

C. Review and Selection Process

1. Other Evaluation Factors

D. Risk Review

7. Award Notices

8. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements B. Reporting C. Subaward and Executive Compensation Reporting

9. Other Information

A. Additional Provisions for Applicants

1. Basic Information U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR)

FY26 BROWNFIELDS JOB TRAINING (JT) GRANTS

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/fy-2026-brownfields-job-training-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-grants-technical-assistance-resources

A. Executive Summary:

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed, and under-employed1 residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field.

Brownfields Job Training Grants fund training programs that provide program graduates with the skills and opportunity to seek and obtain environmental jobs that contractors may otherwise fill from outside the affected community2. Brownfields Job Training Grants help residents take advantage of jobs across a spectrum of brownfield-related activities, including the assessment, cleanup, remediation, and planning/site preparation for the revitalization of brownfields.

This can involve the assessment and cleanup of solid and hazardous waste; chemical risk management; stormwater management relating to site cleanup; planning and site preparation for low-impact development activities; site preparation for green infrastructure installation; and vulnerability assessment and contamination mitigation planning.

B. Key Information:

Opportunity Number:

EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-01

Assistance Listing:

66.815

Announcement Type:

Initial

Funding Available:

$10,000,000 - $14,000,000

Number of Awards:

Up to 20 awards

NOTE: EPA urges applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-brownfields-job-training-jt-grants.

1 Underemployment is the condition in which people in a labor force are employed less than full-time or at jobs inconsistent with respect to their experience, training, or economic needs.

2 Affected communities are those where development, redevelopment, or reuse of real properties is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances or pollutants.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/fy-2026-brownfields-job-training-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-grants-technical-assistance-resources https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-brownfields-job-training-jt-grants

C. Key Dates:

D. Funding Details:

It is anticipated that up to 20 awards will be made under this announcement. The amount of funding is expected to be $10,000,000 - $14,000,000, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. Awards funded under this opportunity are expected to have up to a 5-year project period. Applicants may apply for up to $500,000 of EPA funds. (Note, applicants may also request an amount that is less than $500,000.)

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this competition, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six (6) months from the date of the original selection decision. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this announcement or make fewer awards than anticipated.

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions, types of training, or phases of proposed projects. To maintain the integrity of the competition and selection process, EPA, if it decides to partially fund an application, will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award.

Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

E. Agency Contact Information:

Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPA contact(s) indicated below.

Technical Contact: Matt Wosje, 202-566-1060, Wosje.Matthew@epa.gov

Eligibility Contact: See Regional Contacts below

Electronic Submissions Contact: Grants.gov, 1-800-518-4726, support@grants.gov

Regional Contact(s): EPA Region 1 Will Lariviere, (617) 918-1231, Lariviere.William@epa.gov EPA Region 2 Ricardo Berrios-Perez, (212) 637-5033, BerriosPerez.Ricardo@epa.gov EPA Region 3 Dawn Farver, (215) 814-5179, Farver.Dawn@epa.gov EPA Region 4 Olga Perry, (404) 562-8534, Perry.Olga@epa.gov EPA Region 5 Torre Ippolito, (312) 353-6556, Ippolito.Torre@epa.gov EPA Region 6 Emily Jimenez, (214) 665-2176, Jimenez.Emily@epa.gov

July 2025 National Outreach Webinar

September 26, 2025, 11:59 pm ET Application Submission Deadline

December 2025 Anticipated Notification of Selection

April 2026 Award Notification mailto:Wosje.Matthew@epa.gov mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:lariviere.william@epa.gov mailto:BerriosPerez.Ricardo@epa.gov mailto:Farver.Dawn@epa.gov mailto:perry.olga@epa.gov mailto:Ippolito.Torre@epa.gov mailto:jimenez.emily@epa.gov

2. Eligibility A. Eligible Applicants

EPA Region 7 Idallis Shaffer, Shaffer.Idallis@epa.gov EPA Region 8 Andrew Riddle, (303) 312-6398, Riddle.Andrew@epa.gov EPA Region 9 Daniel Moher, (415) 972-3210, Moher.Daniel@epa.gov Jacqueline Aybar, (415) 972-3774, Aybar.Jacqueline@epa.gov EPA Region 10 Robert Miller, (206) 553-8321, Miller.Robert01@epa.gov Aytaj Gasimova, (206) 533-6326, Gasimova.Aytaj@epa.gov

Only these types of organizations may apply. Organization types are consistent with definitions at Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) § 101 and 2 CFR 200.1:

• General Purpose Unit of Local Government (EPA uses the definition of Local government in 2

CFR § 200.1.)

• Land Clearance Authority or other 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.3

• Federally recognized Indian Tribe other than in Alaska. (The exclusion of Tribes in Alaska, with the exception of the Metlakatla Indian Community as noted below, from grant eligibility is statutory at CERCLA §104(k)(1)(G)). Intertribal Consortia are eligible for funding in accordance with EPA’s policy for funding intertribal consortia published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2002, at 67 Fed. Reg. 67181. (This policy also may be obtained from your EPA Regional Job Training Coordinator listed.)

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

• Nonprofit organizations. EPA uses the definition of Nonprofit organization in 2 CFR § 200.1, which means any organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; is not organized primarily for profit; uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization; and is not an Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Eligible nonprofit organizations under this announcement

3 As defined in CERCLA § 101(27), the definition of State for purposes of the Brownfields Program “include[s] the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and any other territory or possession over which the United States has jurisdiction.”

mailto:Shaffer.Idallis@epa.gov mailto:Riddle.Andrew@epa.gov mailto:Moher.Daniel@epa.gov mailto:aybar.jacqueline@epa.gov mailto:Miller.Robert01@epa.gov mailto:Gasimova.Aytaj@epa.gov https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Local%20government) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(State) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Indian%20Tribe) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Nonprofit%20organization) https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.law.cornell.edu%2Ftopn%2Fracketeer_influenced_and_corrupt_organizations_act_rico&data=05%7C02%7CMinor-Gordon.Jerry%40epa.gov%7C91d3146309804cf7b02308dc74100edb%7C88b378b367484867acf976aacbeca6a7%7C0%7C0%7C638512859512123388%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sDV%2Bym1h7%2BL12%2BCzHWjmKxxMgmsK1BjnHq3pn5RmrD4%3D&reserved=0 may, but are not required to be, exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code. Workforce Investment Boards and organized Labor Unions that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit organizations. Public and nonprofit private institutions of higher education (including community colleges and similar 2-year institutions) are eligible to apply. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.

For-profit or proprietary training organizations or trade schools are not eligible to apply.

1. Other Eligibility Requirements

Applications must meet the following threshold criteria to be considered eligible:

a. Applicant Eligibility

Applicants and non-lead coalition members (if applicable) must be eligible entities as discussed in Section 2.A.

(i) Provide information that demonstrates how you (your organization) and each non-lead coalition member, if applicable, are an eligible entity for this grant.

For entities that are cities, counties, Tribes, or states, affirm that the organization is eligible for funding.

For government entities other than cities, counties, Tribes, or states, attach documentation of your eligibility (e.g., resolutions, statutes, etc.).

For nonprofit organizations, or organizations comprised of nonprofit organizations, provide documentation as an attachment to the Narrative demonstrating tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, another provision of the Internal Revenue Code, or recognition as a nonprofit organization under applicable state or tribal law.

For qualified community development entities, provide documentation as an attachment to the Narrative certifying the organization’s status.

Intertribal consortia must attach documentation that they meet the requirements in 40 CFR § 35.504(a) and (c). All members of the Intertribal consortium must authorize the submission of an application to provide nationwide technical assistance.

(ii) Indicate if your organization (and non-lead coalition members, if applicable) is exempt from Federal taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.

If yes, indicate if your organization lobbies within the meaning of the Lobbying

Disclosure Act 2 U.S.C. 1601 et. seq.

If yes, but your organization does not lobby, attach a legal opinion that states that the organization does not engage in lobbying activities within the meaning of the Lobbying Disclosure Act 2 U.S.C. 1601 et. seq.

b. Coalition Agreement (Only applicable to Job Training Coalition applications)

Each non-lead coalition member must submit a signed letter to the grant applicant (the lead coalition member) in which they agree to be part of the coalition. An active Memorandum of Agreement that includes a description and role of each coalition member may serve in place of the individual coalition members’ letters. Include the document(s), as an attachment, in your application. Documentation that is not included with the application will render that non-lead member ineligible from participating in the coalition, and potentially render the entire application ineligible if there is only one non-lead member.

Alternatively, if this application does not include non-lead coalition members, state ‘n/a’ or ‘not applicable’.

c. Demonstration that Proposed Project Does Not Duplicate Other Federally Funded

Environmental Job Training Programs

Demonstrate that the proposed training project does not duplicate other federally funded programs for environmental job training in your target community, including training provided through EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI). Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed training project does not duplicate National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Hazardous Waste Worker Training programs in their target community or Department of Labor (DOL) grant funds that include brownfields remediation, renewable energy, HVAC, or other energy-related training or wastewater treatment technology operator training. Federal agencies maintain lists of these grant programs at the following websites:

EPA: www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-job-training-initiative, NIEHS: www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/ecwtp/index.cfm DOL: www.dol.gov/general/grants/howto If you are listed on any of these websites as a recipient, you must demonstrate how services under this proposed project will complement, but not duplicate, the existing federal environmental job training activities (i.e., different target audience, such as a different age group, differing types of certification training).

If you are not listed on the above websites but are the recipient of other federally funded environmental job training programs serving your area or community(ies), you must similarly demonstrate how services under this proposed project will complement, but not duplicate, the existing federal environmental job training activities. These other programs may include funding provided by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), and other federal agencies. EPA may also conduct internal screening to ensure non-duplication and will coordinate duplication screening with federal partners.

If your proposed target community is not a recipient of any federally funded environmental job training programs, a statement to this effect must be included in your response to this threshold criterion.

d. Required HAZWOPER Training

Your application must document that OSHA 29 CFR § 1910.120 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training will be included in your training curriculum and be provided to all trainees in the proposed program. Applications that do not include 40-hour HAZWOPER in their training curriculum will be rejected. Indicate on which page of the Narrative this information can be found.

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-job-training-initiative http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/ecwtp/index.cfm http://www.dol.gov/general/grants/howto

e. Federal Funds Requested and Estimated Project Period

Please indicate your requested funding amount and estimated project period. Note, however, that applications with project periods exceeding five (5) years or requesting more than $500,000 in EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant funds for the entire project period will not be reviewed.

f. Substantial Conformity with Instructions and Format Requirements

Applications must substantially conform to the application submission instructions and format requirements set forth in Section 4. of this announcement or they will be rejected. EPA will not review pages in excess of the page limitations stated in Section 4.

g. Training Curriculum Chart Indicating the Cost of Each Course

As part of the application, applicants must submit a detailed training curriculum chart/table with associated costs for each training course as referenced in Section 3.A.1. Applicants must calculate and indicate what percentage of the grant budget will be allocated for each training course within this chart. The training curriculum chart with associated costs for each training course is not considered an attachment and must be included with responses to the ranking criteria as part of the Narrative. When addressing this threshold criterion, indicate on which page of the Narrative your training curriculum chart can be found. Note that applicants may use training curriculum chart formats other than the one EPA provides as a sample to meet this requirement and applicants who use a different training curriculum chart format will not be penalized in the evaluation process.

h. Target Area

Identify one target area you propose to serve (as defined in Section 3.A.1.), such as county(ies), Tribal lands, a number of neighboring towns or cities, a district, a corridor, a shared planning area, or a census tract. Applicants cannot propose to serve multiple target areas. However, EPA will consider applications that propose to serve large areas, especially in rural communities, that may include a number of towns in a county(ies), and/or Tribal lands as well as applications seeking to serve sister-cities (i.e., a partnership between U.S. cities located in different states).

An example of an application that proposes to serve multiple target areas in a rural location, which is not allowed, would be if the applicant listed an area in the northeast part of a state and an area in the southwest part of the state.

i. Previous Funding Requirement

Please note that applicants who were awarded an EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant (EPA-I- OLEM-OBLR-24-02) in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) are not eligible to apply under this competition under any circumstance, even if the applicant proposes to serve a different city or target area.

Applicants who received a Brownfields Job Training Grant in, or before, FY24, and who did not receive funding in FY25 as described previously, are eligible to apply for funding under this competition.

Non-lead coalition members may not be members of other FY26 Job Training Coalition Grant applications, nor may non-lead coalition members submit a Brownfields Job Training Grant application as an individual applicant. A non-lead member of a coalition may not have an open4 Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreement with EPA.

List the most recent year you received a Brownfields Job Training Grant from EPA or state that you have not received a grant in the past. If applying as a coalition, state the most recent year you or a non-lead member of the coalition has received a Brownfields Job Training Grant from EPA or state that you and all of your non-lead members of the coalition have never received a grant in the past.

j. Expenditure of Existing Brownfields Job Training Grant Funds

Current EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients must demonstrate that the recipient has received payment from EPA (also known as “drawn down”), and drawn down funds have been disbursed, for at least 50.00% of the funding for each Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreement by August 01, 2025, in order to apply for funding under this solicitation.

To demonstrate this, applicants must attach a copy of a financial record displaying the amount of cooperative agreement funds drawn down (e.g., a report from the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) or general ledger entries). If necessary, applicants may contact the assigned EPA Project Officer for the cooperative agreement or Brownfields@epa.gov to obtain draw down information from EPA’s grant financial database (Compass Data Warehouse).

Disbursements of drawn down funds must comply with the requirements in EPA’s General Terms and Conditions for timely disbursement of EPA funds (i.e., recipients other than states must substantially disburse all of the funds within five (5) business days of draw down).

Alternatively, the applicant must affirm it does not have an open EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant.

Please see Section 6. for additional threshold criteria.

B. Cost Sharing Cost sharing is not a requirement to be eligible to apply to this funding opportunity. Please note only Federal funds should be listed on the SF-424, SF-424A, and Budget Detail. As provided in 2 CFR § 200.1, cost sharing or matching means the portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds or contributions.

Consistent with CERCLA § 104(k)(7), cost sharing and matching funds are not required under this competition. As provided in 2 CFR § 200.1, voluntary committed cost sharing is when an applicant voluntarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project when a cost share is not required. Voluntary cost share will not be accepted under this competition.

There is no cost share requirement under this program as authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act -- Pub. L. 117-58, 135 Stat. 1396-1406.

4 For the purposes of this requirement, the term “open” refers to a grant period of performance that has not ended.

mailto:Brown%EF%AC%81elds@epa.gov

3. Program Description A. Purpose, Priorities, and Activities

1. Purpose

As stated in the Assistance Listing for this program, “The objective of the Brownfields Job Training Program is to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities. This funding is intended to equip individuals with the skills needed to obtain full-time, sustainable employment. This program promotes the facilitation of activities related to assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites, including brownfields, for reuse, while simultaneously building a local workforce with the skills needed to perform remediation work that is supportive of environmental protection and environmental health and safety.” A critical part of EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program is to further sustainable community revitalization by ensuring that all residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and disproportionate and adverse exposures to environmental contamination, which may include low-income, sensitive populations5, Tribal, and Indigenous communities, have an opportunity to reap the benefits of revitalization and environmental cleanup. Brownfields Job Training Grants provide funding to attract, train, and retain a skilled local workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed residents of communities impacted by a variety of waste facilities, blighted properties, and contaminated sites.

Brownfields Job Training Grants fund training programs that provide program graduates with the opportunity to seek and obtain environmental jobs that contractors may otherwise fill from outside the affected community. Brownfields Job Training Grants help residents take advantage of jobs across a spectrum of brownfield-related activities, including the assessment, cleanup, remediation, and planning/site preparation for the revitalization of brownfields. This can involve the assessment and cleanup of solid and hazardous waste; chemical risk management; stormwater management relating to site cleanup; planning and site preparation for low-impact development activities; site preparation for green infrastructure installation; and vulnerability assessment and contamination mitigation planning.

Applications for grants under this funding announcement will be reviewed more favorably under Section 6.B.1.A. Community Description evaluation criterion if the applicant targets high-need individuals in the target area who will benefit from the program. Examples of high-need individuals are: unemployed or severely under-employed individuals, dislocated workers, formerly incarcerated persons, veterans, individuals with little to no advanced education past high school level, opportunity youth6, single custodial parents, Tribal Nations, and residents of communities disproportionately impacted by environmental or human health harms or risks (including disproportionately impacted low-income, sensitive populations, Tribal, and Indigenous communities). Applicants proposing to serve populations facing significant barriers to employment should articulate how they will work with training participants to address those barriers and support their success in both the training program and in achieving and retaining steady employment beyond completion of the training program through strategies such as supportive services to

5 Sensitive populations are discussed in CERCLA § 104(k)(6)(C)(x).

6 Opportunity Youth is defined as young people who are between the ages of 16 to 24 years old and are disconnected from school and work.

address barriers to employment and mentorship, and other proven strategies. Applicants must identify the target area that they intend to serve. A target area can be any area (e.g., county(ies), lands of Federally Recognized Tribes, a number of neighboring towns or cities, a district, a corridor, a shared planning area, or a census tract, etc.) that is impacted by the presence of one or more brownfield sites. EPA will consider applications that propose to serve large geographical areas, especially rural communities that include a number of towns and/or Tribal lands, as well as applicants able to serve sister-cities (i.e., a partnership between U.S. cities located in different states).

Applicants will be evaluated, as described in Section 6.B.5., on the extent to which they partner with and secure hiring commitments from local contractors and other stakeholders in communities where EPA-funded projects are located. Such projects may include brownfields assessment, cleanup and redevelopment activities, solid and hazardous waste management, or the remediation of oil spills located on brownfield or Superfund cleanup sites. Applicants should have clear strategies to connect graduates of Brownfields Job Training programs with environmental employment that involves preventing, assessing, managing, and cleaning up contaminated sites or working in environmental areas in the graduates’ respective communities. Proposed training should be employer-informed, demand-driven, and directly linked to ongoing environmental employment opportunities taking place in the respective community.

To date, EPA has funded 431 job training grants totaling approximately $107.8 million through the Brownfields Job Training Program, previously known as the Environmental Workforce Development Training Program. As of April 22, 2025, excluding pilot program years, approximately 21,700 individuals completed training, and over 16,100 of those graduates obtained employment in the environmental field. This results in a placement rate of 74%, with starting wages of approximately $16.5 per hour. Over the last five (5) years, the average starting wage was approximately $22 per hour.

Brownfields Job Training Coalition Applicants may propose forming a coalition to carry out their Brownfields Job Training Program.

Applying as a Brownfields Job Training Coalition may be beneficial to allow the Brownfields Job Training Provider to recruit, train, and place students in environmental jobs, especially in rural communities where the geographic area is larger. City and county governments may also benefit from forming a coalition, as this approach can expand the jurisdiction of the target area. By doing so, they can create a more integrated strategy for job training and placement, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of their initiatives.

A Job Training Coalition is comprised of one eligible “lead” entity that partners with one or more eligible non-lead entities. The lead entity submits an application on behalf of the coalition members, who may receive subawards. The Job Training Coalition may request up to $500,000 to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities. This funding is intended to equip individuals with the skills needed to obtain full-time, sustainable employment. The non-lead coalition members may not be an agency or instrumentality of, or be affiliated with, the lead member (for example, a county and the redevelopment authority of the same county); except for coalitions in which the state is the lead and one of the members is a regional council or regional commission that is created by a state legislature through a charter or another official action.

A non-lead member of a coalition may not have an open Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreement with EPA. Coalition members may not be members of other FY26 Job Training Coalition Grant applications, nor may coalition members submit a Brownfields Job Training Grant application as an individual applicant. A coalition member wishing to apply as part of a different Brownfields Job Training Coalition or as an individual applicant must withdraw from the coalition.

Also, the coalition members must be separate legal entities. For example, the following groups/organizations may not be members of the same coalition:

1. Different departments within the same unit of government;

2. A unit of government and an affiliated nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that the city controls; or

3. Affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (e.g., nonprofit organizations that have the same board of directors or staff). This does not preclude separately incorporated chapters of a national nonprofit organization from being non-lead members of coalitions in different geographic areas. For example, an organization is a national nonprofit with local chapters that are separately incorporated and have their own board of directors and staff. Local chapter “A” conducts programming in the state of “Y.” Local chapter “B” conducts programming in the state of “Z.” Both chapters may be non-lead members of different FY26 Job Training Grant applications.

If selected, the lead entity will be the point of contact for the other coalition members. The lead entity will be the grant recipient and must administer the grant and be accountable to EPA for effectively carrying out the scope of work and the proper financial management of the grant.7

Please note that once the lead entity submits the application, it becomes the applicant, and the coalition members may not substitute another eligible entity as the lead entity after the deadline for submitting applications has passed. Additionally, the non-lead coalition members may not be substituted after the deadline for submitting applications has passed. If the application is selected for funding, the lead member must partner with the other coalition members that were named in the application unless EPA approves a post-award change to these arrangements pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.308(f).

The terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement will require recipients to have a Memorandum of Agreement documenting the coalition’s process prior to the expenditure and draw down of any funds that are awarded. The coalition members should identify and establish relationships necessary to achieve the project’s goals. A process for the successful execution of the project’s goals, including a description and role of each coalition member, should be established along with the Memorandum of Agreement. The purpose of the Memorandum of Agreement is for coalition members to agree internally on the distribution of funds and the mechanisms for implementing the Brownfields Job Training Program.

7 If the application is successful, the lead applicant is the Recipient, as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, that is accountable to EPA for performance of the assistance agreement. A lead applicant who provides subawards to coalition members is also a Pass-through entity, as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, and must comply with the Subrecipient Monitoring and Management requirements in 2 CFR Part 200 (including 2 CFR § 200.332) EPA’s Subaward Policy, and EPA’s General T&Cs.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients

2. Use Of Grant Funds

Brownfields Job Training Grant funds can be used for brownfields assessment and cleanup training, as well as training in the areas of community involvement and site preparation for sustainability and equitable reuse and development. Applicants may choose to deliver a variety of other brownfields-related environmental training activities as listed in the examples in Section 3.A.4. Applicants should tailor curricula to the labor market needs of their targeted community in line with the eligible uses discussed in Section 3.A.4. The only required training is OSHA 29 CFR § 1910.120 40-hour HAZWOPER which includes an in-person personal protective equipment (PPE) component.

Applicants proposing an online OSHA 29 CFR § 1910.120 40-hour HAZWOPER course are responsible for ensuring their computer-based training course meets all OSHA requirements and is supplemented with the required in-person training. Beyond this, the applicant should design a curriculum of eligible courses that meets the training needs identified by a local labor market assessment and/or employer survey.

Eligible participants for Brownfields Job Training must be 18 years of age or older at the time of graduation to be placed into an environmental-related job, as the Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits youth under the age of 18 from being employed in hazardous occupations. Additionally, a Brownfields Job Training participant must be a U.S. Citizen and/or Green Card holder permanently residing in the United States and/or its territories.

3. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds

Grant funds must be used for direct programmatic costs associated with implementing a Brownfields Job Training program. Examples of eligible uses of grant funds are listed below. Please note that this list is intended to be illustrative. Applicants must indicate the specific types of training they propose to deliver in their training program description.

• Personnel costs, including fringe benefits, for instructors to conduct training and other tasks associated with programmatic training.

• Personnel and data infrastructure costs to support programmatic reporting requirements, performance-management, and program-evaluation.

• Costs for recruiting, screening, and placement of individuals in the training program.

• Personnel costs for caseworkers or other specialists who work with participants to identify barriers they face to employment, connect them to resources, and support their success in the program and in retaining employment, with support provided for up to one year following the completion of the training program.

• Costs for training materials and work gear associated with the training curriculum.

• Development and refinement of existing curricula for training.

• Personnel costs for employer engagement activities, including building new employer relationships, working with employers to inform curriculum, involving employers in the training program, securing hiring commitments for graduates, and supporting trainee success in employment following the program.

• On-the-job training insurance for trainees.

• Mentorship associated with on-the-job training, such as peer mentors where an experienced employee is paired with a new trainee.

• Costs associated with health exams (e.g., pulmonary function tests), drug testing, or licensing fees directly related to the training and/or the placement of graduates in environmental work.

• Costs used to cover rental fees associated with training facilities or minor alteration of existing facilities. (Construction costs are not allowable.)

• Costs associated with eligible participant support costs, including for:

o Transportation for trainees for site visits during training or to transport trainees to and from class in the form of stipends or other allowable direct costs (e.g., transportation vouchers or vehicle rental).

o Reasonable stipends to compensate trainees for participating in training. Note that stipends may only be paid for actual time spent in training classes or on-the-job training activities and must not duplicate training support provided through other Federal, state, tribal, or local programs.

o Reasonable childcare subsidies. Note that childcare subsidies must not duplicate childcare support provided through other Federal, state, tribal, or local programs.

In their training program descriptions, applicants should describe the process they will follow for determining the amounts of allowable stipends, procedures for accounting for participant support cost payments (including receipts), and documenting that the costs are allowable and do not duplicate other support for the trainee. Additional information on participant support costs is available in EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs.

On a limited basis, a Job Training Provider may hire the trainees as W-2 employees. EPA expects that trainees hired as W-2 employees will primarily engage in on-the-job training throughout the majority of their training period. Applicants should include the trainees being hired as employees in the budget personnel and fringe line items. Job Training Grant funds used to hire trainees as employees plus any other type of participant support costs may not exceed 40% of the total amount of the total award. EPA reserves the right to reject any request to pay trainees as employees.

4. Eligible Trainings With Brownfields Job Training Grant Funds

Examples of eligible trainings with Brownfields Job Training grant funds are listed below. Please note that this list is intended to be illustrative. All training must relate to facilitating the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/epa-guidance-on-participant-support-costs.pdf site preparation. Applicants must indicate the specific types of training they propose to deliver in their training program description.

• Training in the assessment, inventory, analysis, and remediation of sites or facilities at which hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum products are located, transported, or disposed, including training for jobs in environmental sampling, demolition, underground storage tank removal, groundwater extraction, site remediation, and equitable development associated with brownfields.

• Training in sustainable deconstruction in preparation of a brownfield site cleanup or redevelopment.

• Training participants in the use of techniques and methods for cleanup of hazardous substances, petroleum, and pollutants, such as asbestos abatement; lead abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting (RRP); mold remediation; and cleaning up sites contaminated by the manufacturing of illegal drugs (e.g., methamphetamine labs), abandoned gas stations, or mine-scarred lands.

• Training in confined space entry.

• Training in first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and how to mitigate safety risks from bloodborne pathogens in a site remediation setting.

• Training in chemistry, toxicology, and geology to the extent necessary to inventory, assess, remediate, and clean up contaminated sites.

• Training in the requirements and implementation of the All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) Final Rule, as required in CERCLA § 101(35)(B), and due diligence.8

• Training in radiation safety and the cleanup of uranium mine tailings.

• Training in Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) commercial driver’s license (CDL) 9, forklift, and machine operations associated with the transportation of hazardous waste.

• Training in freon removal or the removal of hazardous substances from white goods located on a brownfield site.

• Training in the use of compost and soil amendments and associated sampling, testing, and design considerations, and management techniques to support the assessment, cleanup, and preparation of sites for urban agriculture and horticulture.

8 Due diligence is the process for evaluating a property for the potential presence of environmental contamination, and for assessing potential liability for any contamination present at the property.

9 Commercial Driver’s License must be incidental to an overall training course related to hazardous waste transportation. It may not be required or used for any other purpose.

• Training participants in planning and conducting ecological restoration of contaminated land, including general botanical classes or introductory horticultural classes related to land and stream restoration or indigenous species and native plant re-vegetation; landscaping; and soil science related to preparing sites for reuse and redevelopment.

• Awareness training in environmental stewardship and sustainable community revitalization to promote community involvement in assessment, cleanup, and reuse of brownfield sites.

• Training in strategies for environmental mitigation, adaptation, or resiliency as it relates to preparation of brownfield sites for cleanup and subsequent reuse.

• Training in green infrastructure and stormwater management; and erosion and sediment control for site remediation and preparation for reuse and redevelopment.

• Training in building trades related to constructing berms, caps, synthetic barriers, pumping facilities, bioretention systems, and similar structures to remediate contamination and site preparation.

• Training in national historic preservation and tribal historic preservation regulations associated with cleanup projects.

• Training in vapor intrusion testing and mitigation.

• Training in site surveying, mapping, blueprint reading, computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), and geographic information systems (GIS).

• Training in release detection methods, techniques, and practices at underground storage tank (UST) facilities where hazardous substances and/or petroleum products are or were located, in order to assess whether the tanks have leaked or may be leaking. This includes training for jobs that conduct activities such as tank or piping tightness testing; testing of spill prevention equipment and containment sumps; inspections of overfill prevention equipment; testing of release detection equipment; and walkthrough inspections.

• Training in “green remediation” technologies, such as phytoremediation, bioremediation, or soil amendments; advanced sampling instrument operator training; or training in the reuse of biosolids and other industry residuals.

• Training in stormwater management; green infrastructure installation, management, and maintenance; or low impact development (LID) training for the purpose of preparing a brownfield site for sustainable reuse.

• Training in emergency planning, preparedness, and for emergencies leading to contamination on brownfields sites, such as organizing and implementing exercises; outreach to the public;

spill response and cleanup, including industrial and environmental (e.g., oil spills, natural disasters, etc.); first responder, disaster site worker certification, and National Incident Management System (NIMS) training; Disaster Recovery.

• Training in enhanced environmental health and safety related to site remediation, such as promoting chemical (substance, mixture, or article) safety awareness and stewardship; safe work practices (including an overview of the content of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (formerly material safety datasheets (MSDSs)), information on exposure guideline limits (Occupational Exposure Limits and Recommended Exposure Limits), information contained within the NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards, or the OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database);

isolation of work areas; safe storage and handling of chemicals; prevention of spills; and training in an overview of any existing chemical-specific worker training and certification programs, including but not limited to: lead abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting (RRP); asbestos; diisocyanates (auto-refinishing and spray polyurethane foam); pesticide worker protection standards; Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)/ Hexabromocyclododecane(HBCD); and others.

• Training in energy efficiency, and alternative energy technologies, such as training in retrofitting technologies, in order to prepare brownfield sites for renewable energy installation for reusing and redeveloping former brownfield sites.

5. Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

Examples of ineligible uses of grant funds are listed below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

Training that does not directly relate to facilitating the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation are not eligible. Grant funds may not be used for the following activities:

• Training in general construction skills and trades (e.g., carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc.

relating to constructing buildings).

• Training in natural resource extraction or related processes, such as hydraulic fracturing, oil refinery, or mining operations.

• Training that seeks to test a product or is intended to expand a business, including training that seeks to expand construction and demolition debris recycling businesses for example, or training that is intended to only serve staff of an existing business who are already employed with that business.

• Training in equipment repairs.

• Conducting actual site assessments or cleanups, except within the context of on-the-job training.

• Training and monitoring that do not relate to conducting response activities often associated with actual cleanups (e.g., landscaping, demolition, and groundwater extraction), except within the context of on-the-job training. Assessment, cleanup, and associated activity costs must be funded through other means.

• Construction or substantial rehabilitation of buildings or other facilities to house training.

• Costs for training individuals who are not citizens, excluding Green Card holders, of the United States, the territories, U.S. possessions or lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residency are unallowable in the Brownfields Job Training Program.

• General or life skills, education activities, such as remedial classes in math and reading; job readiness training, such as developing resumes and acquiring interview skills; GED costs;

website development; vehicle or medical insurance.

• Scholarship funds to support students’ enrollment in college courses.

• Membership fees, such as fees required to join placement service organizations or environmental organizations.

• Providing food or light refreshments to employees, instructors, and trainees - except at graduation ceremonies.

• Foreign travel.

• A penalty or fine.

• Costs that are unallowable (e.g., lobbying and alcoholic beverages) under the Cost Principles discussed in 2 CFR Parts 200 and 1500, as applicable.

• Grant application preparation costs.

• Matching any other federal funds (unless there is specific statutory authority for the match).

Note, CERCLA § 104(k)(7) does not provide the requisite authority. Grant funds may be used to match state or local funds, if authorized by the relevant state statute or local ordinance.

• A cost of compliance with any federal law, excluding the cost of compliance with laws applicable to environmental cleanup.

• Administrative costs, including all indirect costs and direct costs for grant administration in excess of five (5) percent of the total amount of EPA grant funding, with the exception of financial and performance reporting costs (which are considered allowable programmatic costs and not subject to the 5% limitation).

6. Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

Applicants are required to describe how funding will help EPA achieve outputs and outcomes in their responses to the…