EPA-OLEM-OBLR-25-05.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Applications Due: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

FY26 GUIDELINES FOR

BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT

GRANTS (ASSESSMENT

COALITION GRANTS)

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-25-05 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 B. Threshold Criteria

(1) Eligibility of Lead and Non-Lead Coalition Members

(2) Target Areas

(3) Non-lead Member(s) that Never Received an EPA MARC Grant

(4) Legal Authority to Expend Grant Funds on Behalf of Non-Lead Coalition Members

(5) Coalition Agreement

(6) Community Involvement

(7) Expenditure of Existing Grant Funds

(8) Contractors and Named Subrecipients

C. Cost Sharing

3. Program Description

A. Purpose, Priorities, and Activities

(1) Purpose

(2) Eligible Uses of Grant Funds

(3) Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

(4) Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

(5) Leveraging

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

4. Application Contents and Format

A. Application Forms (Submission Checklist) B. Application Information Sheet C. Narrative Criteria

(1) PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION AND PLANS FOR REVITALIZATION

(2) COMMUNITY NEED AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

(3) TASK DESCRIPTIONS, COST ESTIMATES, AND MEASURING PROGRESS

(4) PROGRAMMATIC CAPABILITY AND PAST PERFORMANCE

D. Applicants Using Contractors and/or Subrecipients

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

A. Submission Dates and Times ii

B. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) C. Submission Instructions D. Technical Issues with Submission E. Requirements to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures F. Intergovernmental Review

6. Application Review Information

A. Responsiveness Review B. Review Criteria 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 D. Brownfield Programmatic Requirements E. Build America, Buy America

9. Other Information

A. Additional Provisions for Applicants

1. Basic Information U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR)

FY26 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANTS (ASSESSMENT COALITION

GRANTS)

Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources

A. Executive Summary Assessment Grants provide funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments,1 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 $1,500,000 to address sites contaminated by hazardous substances2 (i.e., sites with potential contamination of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants) and/or petroleum3 (i.e., sites with potential petroleum contamination). 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) 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 assessment activities carried out at each approved, eligible site may not exceed $200,000 per site.4 EPA will determine site eligibility

1 Environmental site assessments must be performed in accordance with EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries Final Rule (40 CFR Part 312).

2 Hazardous substance sites eligible for funding are those sites with the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, sites that are contaminated with controlled substances, or that are mine-scarred lands. For more information, please refer to the FY26 Brownfields Frequently Asked Questions.

3 Petroleum sites eligible for funding are those sites that meet the definition set forth in CERCLA § 101(39)(D)(ii)(II), as further described in Section 1.3.2. in the Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k).

4 As provided in CERCLA § 104(k)(5)(A)(i)(II), EPA may approve a waiver that allows recipients to use up to $350,000 per site based on the anticipated level of contamination, size, or status of ownership of the site.

B. Key Information Opportunity Number:

EPA-OLEM-OBLR-25-05

Assistance Listing:

66.818

Announcement Type:

Initial

Funding Available:

$58,700,000

Number of Awards:

Approximately 39 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/marc-grant-application-resources https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/part-312 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k 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.

If selected, the lead member will be the point of contact for coalition members and will receive and administer the grant. The lead member is accountable to EPA for effectively carrying out the scope of work and for financial management of the grant. After the application deadline, neither the lead entity nor the non-lead coalition members can be substituted or changed. If selected for funding, the lead member must partner with the coalition members named in the application.

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’s goal. The purpose of the MOA is for coalition members to agree on the distribution of funds and the mechanisms for implementing the assessment work.

Please see Section 2.A. for the list of eligible entities. Applications must meet all Threshold Criteria in Section 2.B. to be considered eligible to receive an Assessment Coalition Grant.

Please carefully review Section 4.D. of these guidelines, Section IV of EPA NOFO Clauses, and Section D.

in the FY26 Brownfields Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to ensure that contractors (including individual consultants) are procured in compliance with the fair and open competition requirements.

A checklist of required application forms and documents is in Section 4.A.

For the purposes of these guidelines, the term “grant” refers to the cooperative agreement that EPA will award to a successful applicant.

C. Key Dates National Outreach Webinar

Application Submission Deadline

Anticipated Notification of Selection

Anticipated Award Notification

December 3, 2025 12:00 pm ET

January 28, 2026 11:59 pm ET

June 2026

September 2026

D. Funding Details

It is anticipated that up to 39 awards will be made under this announcement. The amount of funding is expected to be $58,700,000, 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 a 4-year project period. Applicants may apply for up to $1,500,000 of EPA funds. (Note, applicants may also request an amount that is less than $1,500,000.)

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.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/marc-grant-application-resources

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions 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: Elyse Salinas, 202-564-2858, brownfields@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 (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) Meena Mortazavi, Mortazavi.Meena@epa.gov, (617) 918-1488 EPA Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, VI) Esmeralda Vargas, Vargas.Esmeralda@epa.gov, (212) 637-4391 EPA Region 3 (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV) Anthony Geiger, Geiger.Anthony@epa.gov, (215) 814-3367 EPA Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) Aditi Chakravarty, Chakravarty.Aditi@epa.gov, (404) 562-9515 EPA Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) Riley Jenkins, Jenkins.Riley@epa.gov, (312) 886-7178 EPA Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) Marsha Lay, Lay.Marsha@epa.gov, (214) 665-7562 EPA Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE) Tarah Vaughn, R7_Brownfields@epa.gov, (913) 551-7059 EPA Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) Melisa Devincenzi, Devincenzi.Melisa@epa.gov, (303) 312-6377 EPA Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, Pacific Island Territories) Jennifer Tung, Tung.Jennifer@epa.gov, (415) 972-3698 EPA Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA) Meredith Lightbody, Lightbody.Meredith@epa.gov, (206) 553-6910

2. Eligibility A. Eligible Applicants Only these types of organizations may apply as a lead or non-lead member of an Assessment Coalition Grant. Organization types are consistent with definitions at Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) § 104(k)(1) and 2 CFR § 200.1:

• General Purpose Unit of Local Government. Local government means a county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, parish, local public authority (including any public housing mailto:brownfields@epa.gov mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:Mortazavi.Meena@epa.gov mailto:Vargas.Esmeralda@epa.gov mailto:Geiger.Anthony@epa.gov mailto:Chakravarty.Aditi@epa.gov mailto:Jenkins.Riley@epa.gov mailto:Lay.Marsha@epa.gov mailto:R7_Brownfields@epa.gov mailto:devincenzi.melisa@epa.gov mailto:Tung.Jennifer@epa.gov mailto:Lightbody.Meredith@epa.gov https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 agency under the United States Housing Act of 1937), school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments (whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), and any other agency or instrumentality of a multi-, regional, or intra-State or local government.

• Land Clearance Authority or another 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 established under governmental authority or group of General Purpose Units of

Local Government established under Federal, State, or local law (e.g., councils of governments) to function as a single legal entity with authority to enter into binding agreements with the Federal Government.

• Redevelopment Agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a State.

• State.5

• Federally recognized Indian Tribe6 other than in Alaska. (The exclusion of Tribes from Alaska, with the exception of the Metlakatla Indian Community as noted below, from Brownfields Grant eligibility is statutory at CERCLA § 104(k)(1). Intertribal Consortia, comprised of eligible Indian Tribes, 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 Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Section 1.E.)

• Alaska 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) and the Metlakatla Indian Community. For more information, please refer to the FY26 FAQs.

• Nonprofit organization described in section 501(c)(3) of title 26 (the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)) and exempt from taxation under 501(a) of that title.

• Limited liability corporation in which all managing members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under 501(a) of the IRC or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under 501(a) of the IRC.

• Limited partnership in which all general partners are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under 501(a) of the IRC or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under 501(a) of the IRC.

• Qualified community development entity as defined in section 45D(c)(1) of the IRC.

Note, individuals, for-profit organizations, and nonprofit organizations that are not tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) are ineligible to receive Brownfields Assessment Grants. Organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the IRC may be eligible for a Brownfields Assessment Grant if they

5 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.”

6 There are currently 574 federally recognized Tribes, and there are many names that these sovereign nations use to describe their culture, history, and geography, including Tribe, Village, Nation, Band, and Pueblo. For the purpose of these guidelines, the EPA Brownfields Program uses “Tribe” and “Tribal Nation” as all-encompassing terms.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants also qualify as an eligible entity type listed above and demonstrate that they do not lobby the Federal government.7

B. Threshold Criteria Applications must meet the following threshold criteria to be considered eligible to receive a Community-wide Assessment Grant. Threshold criteria are pass/fail and are based on certain requests for information identified below. The information you submit will be used by EPA solely to make eligibility determinations for Brownfield Grants and is not legally binding for other purposes, including federal, State, or Tribal enforcement actions. Only those applications that pass all the threshold criteria will be evaluated against the review criteria in Section 6.B. of this announcement.

Applicants can only apply for one Assessment Coalition Grant. Entities that are applying for, or are a non-lead member of, an FY26 Assessment Coalition Grant may not be members of another FY26 Assessment Coalition, nor apply for an FY26 Community-wide Assessment Grant, an FY26 Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes, or an FY26 Multipurpose Grant. Additionally, non-lead members of an FY26 Assessment Coalition Grant may not submit an application for an FY26 Multipurpose Grant or an FY26 Cleanup Grant.

Entities with an open award (or pending an award for) a Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes are not eligible to apply for Assessment Grant funding under this funding opportunity or be a non-lead member of an FY26 coalition.

Applicants may not submit multiple applications (i.e., submit applications for different projects) under this funding opportunity. EPA considers departments, agencies, or instrumentalities of the same State, Tribal, or city governments to be the same applicant if they are directly supervised or controlled by the same elected/appointed executive (even if they have different unique entity identifier numbers). For example, a corporation formed under State or local law to perform redevelopment activities on behalf of or in support of a local government that is primarily staffed by employees of that local government will be considered an agency or instrumentality of that local government. These eligibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis since State and local laws vary.

Applicants that exceed the number and type of applications allowable will be contacted, prior to review of any of the applications by EPA, to determine which application(s) the applicant will withdraw from the competition.

If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

EPA staff will respond to questions regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the application, and requests for clarification about this announcement. For purposes of the threshold eligibility review, an EPA Brownfields Program representative, if necessary, may seek clarification of applicant information that is included in the application and/or consider information from other sources, including EPA files. Such communications shall not be used to correct application

7 The Lobbying Disclosure Act (2 U.S.C. 1601 et. seq.) provides requirements for the disclosure of lobbying activities to influence the Federal Government.

deficiencies or material omissions, materially alter the application or project proposed, or discuss changes to the applicant’s responses to any review or selection criteria.

To maintain the integrity of the competition process, EPA staff cannot meet with individual applicants to discuss draft applications, provide informal comments on draft applications, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to narrative criteria. EPA’s limitations on staff involvement with grant applicants are described in EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements.

Applications must substantially comply with the submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section 4 of this announcement or they will be rejected.

Responses to each item below are required and must be included as an attachment to the Narrative that is included in the application submitted to EPA. See Section 4.A. for a complete list of required documents that must be submitted.

(1) Eligibility of Lead and Non-Lead Coalition Members The applicant must have at least two, but not more than four, non-lead coalition members.

Applications that include fewer than two eligible non-lead coalition members will be deemed ineligible for an FY26 Assessment Coalition Grant.

a. From the list of eligible entities in Section 2.A. Eligible Applicants, indicate the applicant type for the lead member and each non-lead member. Provide information that demonstrates how the lead member and each non-lead member are eligible entities for an Assessment 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 Intertribal consortia, attach documentation that meets the requirements in 40 CFR §

35.504(a) and (c). All members of the Intertribal consortium must authorize the submission of an application.

• 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 IRC.

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

b. All applicants: indicate if the lead member’s organization or any of the non-lead members’ organizations are exempt from Federal taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the IRC.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57005a1-epas-policy-competition-assistance-agreements https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-35/subpart-B/subject-group-ECFR7560dab1b022383/section-35.504 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-35/subpart-B/subject-group-ECFR7560dab1b022383/section-35.504

• If yes, indicate if the organization(s) lobbies the Federal government. Note, if the organization lobbies the Federal government, the organization is ineligible for an EPA Brownfields Grant.

• If yes, but the organization(s) does not lobby the Federal government, attach a legal opinion that states that the organization does not engage in lobbying activities.8 Note, organizations with 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status that do not lobby the Federal government must also qualify as an entity type in Section 2.A. to be eligible as a lead or non-lead member of an Assessment Coalition Grant.

The non-lead coalition members may not be an agency or instrumentality of or 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 may not be an agency or instrumentality of or affiliated with another non-lead member in the same coalition. The non-lead members must be separate legal entities. For example, the following 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 IRC 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 that is a national nonprofit could have 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 Assessment Coalition Grant applications.

(2) Target Areas In the Narrative, the applicant must identify a target area for each coalition member (i.e., the lead and non-lead members). The target areas may not overlap, and the target areas must be in at least three distinct municipalities or jurisdictions (e.g., town, city, or Tribe).

Provide a response to Section 4.B.(5) in the Application Information Sheet to address this threshold criterion. On the Application Information Sheet, identify the lead member’s target area and the target area of each non-lead member.

(3) Non-lead Member(s) that Never Received an EPA MARC Grant

The coalition must have at least one non-lead member that has never been awarded an EPA Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, or Cleanup (MARC) Grant.

8 The Lobbying Disclosure Act (2 U.S.C. 1601 et. seq.) provides requirements for the disclosure of lobbying activities to influence the Federal Government.

Indicate which non-lead coalition member(s) has never been awarded an EPA Brownfields MARC Grant.

(4) Legal Authority to Expend Grant Funds on Behalf of Non-Lead Coalition Members The lead member must have legal authority to expend grant funds on behalf of the non-lead members to conduct the proposed grant activities.

a. Attest that the lead member has legal authority to expend grant funds on behalf of the non-lead members to conduct the proposed grant activities.

b. For an entity (i.e., a city, town, etc.) with a geographic boundary9 that does not encompass the geographic boundaries of the non-lead members, identify the relevant law(s), ordinance(s), or other documentation to demonstrate the lead member has legal authority to expend grant funds outside of their geographic boundary.

(5) Coalition Agreement

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 are fewer than two non-lead members.

(6) Community Involvement

Provide information that demonstrates how you intend to inform and involve the community and other stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and other brownfield assessment activities described in your application.

(7) Expenditure of Existing Grant Funds

Indicate which, if any, of the coalition members (i.e., the lead and non-lead members) have an open10 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant or Multipurpose Grant.

Current EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant recipients and Multipurpose Grant recipients must demonstrate that payment has been received from EPA (also known as “drawn down”), and drawn down funds have been disbursed for at least 70.00% of the funding for each Assessment and Multipurpose cooperative agreement they have with EPA by October 1, 2025, in order to apply for Assessment Grant funding under this funding opportunity.

To demonstrate this, applicants must attach a copy of a financial record displaying the amount of cooperative agreement funds drawn down and corresponding dates (e.g., a report from the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) or general ledger entries documenting receipts for funds drawn down from ASAP or the required State financial system). If necessary, applicants may contact the assigned EPA Project Officer for the cooperative agreement(s) or

9 The geographic boundary may be the jurisdiction of a unit of government.

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

Elyse Salinas (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 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 5 business days of draw down).

(8) Contractors and Named Subrecipients

Applicants using contractors and/or subrecipients should review Section 4.D. to ensure they comply with all applicable competitive procurement and/or subaward requirements.

• Contractors.

All applicants must disclose whether they have already selected a contractor that will be compensated with EPA funds made available under this NOFO and the procurement procedures that were followed to hire the contractor(s). If a contractor(s) has been selected prior to submitting the application to EPA (including when a contractor(s) has been selected under a “dual procurement process” for both grant proposal writing and grant implementation services), applicants (other than State, territory,11 Tribal, or eligible Tribal entity applicants)12 must describe:

- information on where and when the Request for Proposals/Request for

Qualifications was posted;

- the length of time the RFP/RFQ was advertised;

- the number of firms solicited and the number of offers received and considered; and

- the name(s) of the firm(s) the applicant entered into contract(s) with.

Provide a copy of (or link to) the solicitation document(s) and the signed executed contract(s).

Alternatively, state ‘n/a’ or ‘not applicable’ if a contractor has not been procured at the time of application submission.

• Named Subrecipients.

All applicants, describe how the named subrecipient is eligible for a subaward (e.g., is a nonprofit organization or unit of government). Alternatively, state ‘n/a’ or ‘not applicable’ if a subrecipient is not named at the time of application submission.

Failure to provide the requested information will result in rejection of the application. EPA staff may contact the applicant to clarify issues or obtain additional information before making a

11 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.”

12 Consistent with 2 CFR § 200.317, State and Tribal applicants (including eligible Tribal entities) must follow the same policies and procedures they use for procurements with non-federal funds. If such policies and procedures do not exist, then the federal procurement standards at 2 CFR §§ 200.318 through 200.327 apply and must be followed.

mailto:brownfields@epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-terms-and-conditions https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d/section-200.317 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d?toc=1 final eligibility determination. If EPA determines that the process you completed to select a contractor was not compliant with the federal regulations in 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 1500 and 40 CFR Part 33, and your application is selected for funding, you may need to prepare and issue a new RFP/RFQ that is compliant with federal procurement regulations. Additionally, EPA may review the new RFP/RFQ and selection process to ensure compliance with fair and open competition requirements. Please see Section 4.D. and Section D. in the FY26 FAQs for additional guidance.

Please see Section 6 for additional information on threshold review.

C. Cost Sharing 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.

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

(1) Purpose EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower States, Tribal Nations, communities, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites.

A brownfield site is defined in CERCLA § 101(39) as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, contaminant, controlled substance, petroleum, or petroleum product, or is mine-scarred land.13

A critical part of EPA’s Brownfields Program is to ensure that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination have an opportunity to benefit from brownfields redevelopment. EPA’s Brownfields Program is committed to helping communities revitalize brownfield properties, mitigate potential health risks, and restore economic vitality.

As described in Section 6 of this announcement, applications will be evaluated based on the extent to which the applicant demonstrates: a vision for the reuse and redevelopment of brownfield sites and a strategy for leveraging resources to help accomplish the vision; the environmental, social, health, and economic needs and benefits of the target areas; strong community engagement; reasonable costs, eligible tasks, and appropriate use of grant funding; the capacity for managing and successfully implementing the cooperative agreement; and other factors.

13 The Understanding Brownfields Fact Sheet Series is available at www.epa.gov/brownfields/understanding-brownfields.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XV/part-1500 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-33 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3e88d9d4557754bcb781241135d934ae&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_11&rgn=div8 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/understanding-brownfields http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/understanding-brownfields

(2) Eligible Uses of Grant Funds Assessment Grant funds can be used for the direct costs associated with the inventory, site prioritization, community involvement, site reuse planning, assessment, and cleanup planning for brownfield sites. For examples of grant project accomplishments across the country, please see the EPA Brownfield Grant Recipients Success Stories.

Conducting Brownfields Planning & Developing Site Reuse Plans Successful brownfields reuse and redevelopment often depend on early consideration of the range of potential future uses for each brownfield site. Local community priorities, market conditions, infrastructure availability, environmental contamination, public health issues, and local ordinances shape brownfield site reuse opportunities. Having a site reuse plan grounded in these local conditions will directly influence how that site is characterized, assessed, and cleaned up.

Where multiple sites are connected through location, infrastructure, economic, social, and environmental conditions, EPA encourages communities to take an area-wide approach to planning for the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of these brownfield sites. This focus on multiple brownfield sites will result in more coordinated strategies for cleanup and area revitalization versus a site-by-site focus. For more information on site reuse plans and examples of eligible planning activities, please refer to the FY26 FAQs and Planning Program Fact Sheets.

Participant Support Costs Participant support costs, as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, are allowable under Assessment Grants.

Examples of potentially allowable participant support costs include stipends for attendees at community meetings, attendee travel to community meetings, or childcare expenses to encourage attendance at community meetings. Please refer to the FY26 FAQs for additional details on the use of participant support costs.

A community liaison can serve as a key resource to help ensure the community members’ goals and interests are reflected in the planned reuse of individual brownfield sites as well as the revitalization of the areas in which they live, work, play, learn, and pray. In addition to the eligible uses of participant support costs described above, recipients may use a portion of the Assessment Grant for eligible participant support costs associated with a community liaison(s) who is not an employee of the grant recipient or an employee of a non-lead member’s organization. This may include reasonable stipends to compensate an individual community member’s time and travel costs for participating in project-related meetings (e.g., meetings with the community, meetings held by a brownfields advisory board, etc.) and time associated with other specific tasks that are directly tied to related community engagement efforts. Note that stipends may only be paid for actual time spent working on tasks associated with the project and must not duplicate support provided through other Federal, State, Tribal, or local programs.

In their project 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 procedures for documenting that the costs are allowable and do not duplicate other support for the individual(s). Additional information on participant support costs is available in EPA’s Guidance on Participant Support Costs.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success-stories https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success-stories https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-eligible-planning-activities https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/epa-guidance-on-participant-support-costs.pdf

In addition to direct costs associated with the inventory, site prioritization, community involvement, site reuse planning, assessment, and cleanup planning for brownfield sites, Assessment Grant funds may be used for:

1. Direct costs associated with programmatic management of the grant, such as required performance reporting and environmental oversight.

All costs charged to Assessment Grants must be consistent with the requirements at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E.

2. A local government (as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, Local Government, and summarized in Section 2.A.

of these guidelines and the Health Monitoring Fact Sheet) may use up to 10% of its grant funds for the following activities:

a. health monitoring of populations exposed to hazardous substances from a brownfield site;

and

b. monitoring and enforcement of any institutional control used to prevent human exposure to any hazardous substance from a brownfield site.

3. A portion of the Brownfields Grant may be used to purchase environmental insurance. (See the FY26

FAQs for additional information on purchasing environmental insurance.)

(3) Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds Grant funds cannot be used for the payment of:

1. Direct costs for proposal preparation;

2. a penalty or fine;

3. a federal cost share requirement consistent with 2 CFR § 200.306(b)(5) (i.e., a cost share required by other federal funds unless there is authority in another Federal statute to use Federal funds for cost share);

4. 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);

5. a response cost at a brownfield site for which the recipient of the grant or a subaward is potentially liable under CERCLA § 107;

6. a cost of compliance with any federal law, excluding the cost of compliance with laws applicable to the cleanup; or

7. unallowable costs (e.g., lobbying) under 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E.

See the FY26 FAQs for additional information on ineligible grant activities and unallowable costs.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/public-health https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#p-200.306(b)(5) https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants

(4) Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes EPA requires that applicants adequately describe environmental outputs (performance measures) and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements.14 Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to EPA’s goals and objectives described below in Section 3.B.

Applicants are required to describe how funding will help EPA achieve environmental outputs and outcomes in their responses to the narrative criteria in Section 4.C. Outputs and outcomes specific to each project will be identified as deliverables in the negotiated workplan if the application is selected for award. Recipients will be expected to report progress toward the attainment of expected project outputs and outcomes during the project performance period. Outputs and outcomes are defined as follows:

1. Outputs

The term “outputs” refers to an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product(s) related to an environmental goal or objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the project period. The expected outputs for the grants awarded under these guidelines may include but are not limited to the number of brownfield sites identified in inventories, development of an area-wide plan, number of Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, number of community meetings held, and number of Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) completed.

2. Outcomes

The term “outcomes” refers to the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out the activities under the grant. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic; must be qualitative or quantitative, and may not necessarily be achievable during the project period. Expected outcomes of Brownfield Grants include the number of jobs created and funding leveraged through the economic reuse of sites; the number of acres made ready for reuse;

acres of greenspace created for communities; and the minimized exposure to hazardous substances and petroleum contamination.

(5) Leveraging Leveraging is generally when an applicant commits to contributing additional funds or resources, either from its own assets or from third-party sources, such as private organizations or other federal grants, to support or complement the project they are seeking to fund. This contribution goes above and beyond the financial support provided by the EPA grant funds awarded and is intended to amplify the project’s impact. Leveraging demonstrates the applicant’s ability to secure and utilize supplementary resources to achieve greater outcomes. These resources are different from legally binding voluntary committed cost sharing as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1. Leveraged resources may materialize during the grant period of performance or after the grant has ended. Any leveraged funds/resources and their source must be identified in the Narrative. However, the leveraged funds/resources should not be included in the budget. Costs paid with leveraged funds/resources do not need to be eligible and allowable project

14 EPA Order 5700.7, EPA’s Policy for Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements is available at www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements.

http://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements costs under the EPA assistance agreement as would be the case for voluntary committed cost sharing, which is not allowed under this funding opportunity.

• Leveraging that will materialize during the grant: Leveraging that typically materializes during a Brownfields Grant Period of performance includes resources that are needed to support or complement the grant.15 Examples include additional public or private funds or in-kind resources for assessment, remediation, and/or subsequent reuse of the site. If applicants describe leveraged funds/resources, EPA expects applicants to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their Narrative. If the proposed leveraging does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by CERCLA § 104(k)(8)(C) and 2 CFR Parts 200 and 1500. The grant workplan must include a statement indicating that the applicant is expected to produce the proposed leveraging consistent with the terms of the announcement and the applicant's Narrative.

• Leveraging that will materialize after the Brownfields Grant has ended: Examples of leveraging that typically materialize after the Brownfields Grant has ended include resources for remediation, infrastructure updates, and reuse.16

B. Program Goals and Objectives The activities to be funded under this funding announcement support Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership of EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative.

The goal of the Brownfields Program is to provide grants to communities, States, Tribes, and others to assess and clean up contaminated properties with the aim of facilitating their sustainable reuse.

C. Statutory Authority CERCLA was amended by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act in 2002 to include Section 104(k), which provides federal financial assistance authorities for brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan funds. The Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (Public Law 115-141) enacted in 2018 reauthorized EPA’s Brownfields Program and made additional amendments to CERCLA that affect EPA’s brownfield grant authorities, and ownership and liability provisions. (Note: References to CERCLA in this funding opportunity refer to CERCLA as amended by the 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act and the 2018 BUILD Act.)

The statutory authority for assistance agreements expected to be awarded by EPA under this announcement is CERCLA § 104(k)(2).

15 If an applicant proposes to contribute leveraged resources to support or complement the grant, EPA will evaluate responses to the 3.a. Project Implementation criterion.

16 EPA will evaluate an applicant’s responses to the 1.g. Resources Needed for Site Reuse and 1.h. Use of Existing Infrastructure criteria.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XV/part-1500 https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-administrator-lee-zeldin-announces-epas-powering-great-american-comeback

D. Funding Type It is anticipated that cooperative agreements will be funded under this funding opportunity.

Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicant(s) in the performance of the work supported. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for these projects may include, but is not limited to:

• Close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant.

• Collaboration during performance of the scope of work, including participation in project activities, to the extent permissible under EPA policies. Examples of collaboration include:

o Consultation between EPA staff and the recipients on effective methods of carrying out the scope of work provided the recipient makes the final decision on how to perform authorized activities.

o Advice from EPA staff on how to access publicly available information on EPA or other federal agency websites.

o With the consent of the recipient, EPA staff may provide technical advice to recipient contractors or subrecipients provided the recipient approves any expenditures of funds necessary to follow advice from EPA staff. (The recipient remains accountable for performing contract and subaward management as specified in 2 CFR §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.332, as well as the terms of the EPA cooperative agreement.)

o EPA staff participation in meetings, webinars, and similar events upon the request of the recipient or in connection with a co-sponsorship agreement.

• Reviewing and approving Quality Assurance Project Plans and related documents or verifying that appropriate Quality Assurance requirements have been met where quality assurance activities are being conducted pursuant to an EPA-approved Quality Assurance Management Plan.

• In accordance with 2 CFR § 200.325, review of proposed procurements, as well as the substantive terms of proposed contracts or subawards as appropriate.