Notice of Funding Opportunity

Applications Due: Thursday, January 21, 2027

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

FY27 GUIDELINES FOR

BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT

GRANTS (COMMUNITY-WIDE

ASSESSMENT GRANTS FOR

STATES AND TRIBES)

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-26-04 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 Eligibility Criteria

1. Applicant Eligibility

2. Community Involvement

3. Expenditure of Existing Grant Funds

4. Target Areas and Priority Sites

5. 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 Outline D. Applicants Using Contractors and/or Subrecipients Subrecipients

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 ii

B. Narrative Criteria Responses and Review 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

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)

FY27 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANTS (COMMUNITY-WIDE ASSESSMENT

GRANTS FOR STATES AND TRIBES)

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

A. Executive Summary This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to prevent, inventory, assess, and plan for the cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites. Eligible entities for Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes include:

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

• Tribes1 (i.e., federally recognized Indian Tribes other than in Alaska; Intertribal Consortia comprised of eligible Indian Tribes); and

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

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

Please see Section 2.A. for additional details on eligible entities. Applications must meet all threshold eligibility criteria in Section 2.B. to be considered eligible to receive a Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes.

Assessment Grants provide funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments,2

1 There are currently 575 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.

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

B. Key Information Opportunity Number:

EPA-OLEM-OBLR-26-04

Assistance Listing:

66.818

Announcement Type:

Initial

Funding Available:

$12,000,000

Number of Awards:

Approximately 12 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/marc-grant-application-resources https://www.law.cornell.edu/topn/alaska_native_claims_settlement_act https://www.law.cornell.edu/topn/alaska_native_claims_settlement_act https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1601 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-J/part-312 developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites. A portion of the Assessment Grant funding must be used to conduct site assessments. Assessment Grant funds may not be used to conduct cleanup activities.

Applicants may request funding up to $1,000,000 to address sites contaminated (or potentially contaminated) by hazardous substances,3 pollutants, or contaminants, including hazardous substances comingled with petroleum, and/or petroleum.4 To be eligible for Brownfield Grant funding, sites must meet the definition of a brownfield site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) § 101(39) and site eligibility requirements as described in the Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k). For the purposes of this funding opportunity, the cost of site-specific activities carried out at each approved, eligible site may not exceed $200,000 per site.5 EPA will determine site eligibility after the award of the grant throughout the project period. Recipients will be required to assess sites (a minimum of 10) throughout their geographic boundary(ies).

Please carefully review Section 4.D. of these guidelines, Section IV.E. “Coalitions, Contracts, and Subawards” of EPA Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Clauses, and Section D. in the FY27 Brownfields Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to ensure that contractors (including individual consultants) are procured in compliance with the fair and open competition requirements. Also, carefully review the EPA Subaward Policy and Subaward Frequent Questions for establishing and managing subawards.

A checklist of mandatory documents is in Section 4.A.

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

C. Key Dates November 9, 2026 1:00 pm ET National Outreach Webinar

January 21, 2027 11:59 pm ET Application Submission Deadline

June 2027 Anticipated Notification of Selection

September 2027 Anticipated Award Notification

D. Funding Details It is anticipated that up to 12 awards will be made under this announcement. The amount of funding is expected to be $12,000,000, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. Awards funded under this opportunity are

3 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 FY27 Brownfields Frequently Asked Questions.

4 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).

5 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.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k 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 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 expected to have a 5-year project period. Applicants may apply for up to $1,000,000 of EPA funds. (Note, applicants may also request an amount that is less than $1,000,000.) Funding estimates are approximations that are subject to change.

EPA reserves the right to:

• make additional awards under this funding announcement consistent with Agency policy and guidance if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions.

• to make no awards under the funding opportunity.

• partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If a project is partially funded, it will be done in a manner that maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

• incrementally fund applications based on funding availability and/or satisfactory performance.

• adjust funding levels for priorities, set-asides, or other types of funding categories.

• increase or decrease (including decreasing to zero) the total number and amount of awards under each funding category or change the ratio of assistance agreements it awards among the funding categories.

The actual award amounts and number of projects awarded may differ from the estimated amounts.

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

Technical Contact: Elyse Salinas, 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) Mike Kennedy, Kennedy.Michael@epa.gov, (214) 665-7125 EPA Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE) Bobbie Pennington, R7_Brownfields@epa.gov, (913) 551-7209 EPA Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) Joann Jeplawy, Jeplawy.Joann@epa.gov, (303) 312-6715 EPA Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, Pacific Island Territories) Jennifer Tung, Tung.Jennifer@epa.gov, (415) 972-3698 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:Kennedy.Michael@epa.gov mailto:R7_Brownfields@epa.gov mailto:Jeplawy.Joann@epa.gov mailto:Tung.Jennifer@epa.gov

EPA Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA) Meredith Lightbody, Lightbody.Meredith@epa.gov, (206) 553-6910

2. Eligibility Applications must meet all requirements in this section, including the submission of responses to the Section 2.B. threshold eligibility criteria, to be considered eligible. Applicants should direct eligibility questions to the Regional Contact in Section 1.E. well in advance of the application deadline.

A. Eligible Applicants Only these types of organizations may apply for a Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes. Organization types are consistent with definitions at CERCLA § 104(k)(1) and 2 CFR § 200.1:

• State.6

• Federally recognized Indian Tribe 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 FY27 FAQs.

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.

B. Threshold Eligibility Criteria Applications must meet the following threshold eligibility criteria to be considered eligible to receive a Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes under this NOFO. 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 eligibility criteria will be evaluated against the review criteria in Section 6.B. of this announcement.

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 and Land Revitalization 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 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.

6 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:Lightbody.Meredith@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(State) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1#p-200.1(Indian%20Tribe) https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section9604&num=0&edition=prelim https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants

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 the Narrative Criteria Responses. EPA’s limitations on staff involvement with grant applicants are described in EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements.

i. Number of Applications EPA will Accept

a. EPA will only accept one application per eligible State agency and one application per Tribal Nation under this NOFO. If EPA receives more than one application per State (regardless of whether the applications are submitted by different eligible State agencies), EPA will only select the highest-ranking application that qualifies for selection.

b. Entities that are applying for an FY27 Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes under this NOFO may not also apply for an FY27 Community-wide Assessment Grant, or an FY27 Assessment Coalition Grant (or be a non-lead coalition member).

c. If a Tribe’s reservation is included in an application submitted by an intertribal consortium, that Tribal Nation may not also submit an application for an FY27 Community-wide Assessment Grant or an FY27 Assessment Coalition Grant.

d. Applicants may not submit multiple applications (i.e., submit applications for different projects) under this NOFO. EPA considers departments, agencies, or instrumentalities of the same State 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). These eligibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis since State laws vary. For Tribes, EPA defers to the Tribe’s interpretation of a department, agency, or instrumentality being the same or a separate entity.

If the same applicant exceeds the number or type of applications allowable, EPA will contact the applicant to determine which application(s) to withdraw from the competition. In the absence of application withdrawal, EPA will accept the first application received in Grants.gov and deem all other applications submitted by that applicant ineligible.

If an applicant submits the same application multiple times, unless told otherwise by the applicant, EPA will review the most recently received application in Grants.gov.

ii. Ineligible Activities: 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.

iii. Substantial Compliance: Applications must substantially comply with the submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section 4 of this announcement or they will be rejected. See Section 4.A. for the application submission checklist.

iv. Risk Review: Applications from entities that are excluded from participation in Federal Assistance programs at the time of selection will be deemed ineligible for funding. To determine this, EPA https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57005a1-epas-policy-competition-assistance-agreements will check SAM.gov for suspended or debarred entities that apply for this funding opportunity as per 2 CFR § 200.206(d).

For applications from entities that are not suspended or debarred at the time of selection, EPA will conduct a risk review as per Section 6.D. of the NOFO after the selection process and before awards are made.

v. Required Eligibility Documentation: Responses to each item below are required and must be included in the application submitted to EPA. Threshold eligibility criteria responses and documentation do not have a page limit.

1. Applicant Eligibility

a. From the list of eligible entities in Section 2.A. Eligible Applicants, indicate your applicant type and provide information that demonstrates how you are an eligible entity for an Assessment Grant.

• For entities that are States, Tribes, or eligible Tribal entities, affirm that the organization is eligible for funding.

• 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.

2. 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.

3. Expenditure of Existing Grant Funds

Indicate if the applicant has an open7 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes.

Note, for State applicants, if another department, agency, or instrumentality of the same State has an open EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes, and EPA determines it is the same entity as the applicant, that grant is subject to this threshold requirement. State applicants may contact their Regional Brownfields Contact in Section 1.E. to confirm whether another department, agency, or instrumentality in their State has an open EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes. EPA may request additional information as needed to determine whether the entities are directly supervised or controlled by the same elected/appointed executive.

Current EPA Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes 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 60.00% of the funding for the Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes cooperative agreement they have with

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

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.206#p-200.206(d) 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

EPA by October 1, 2026, 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 Elyse Salinas (brownfields@epa.gov) to obtain draw down information from EPA’s grant financial database (Compass Data Warehouse). Non-State applicants should be aware that if they receive an award, they must comply with EPA’s General Terms and Conditions, including the requirement that funds must be substantially disbursed within 5 business days of draw down.

4. Target Areas and Priority Sites

Applicants must propose at least three target areas and at least five priority sites, including at least one priority site in each target area, in the Narrative. Provide a response to Section 4.B.5.

in the Application Information Sheet to address this threshold criterion. On the Application Information Sheet, list each target area and the address of each priority site.

Note, if the application is selected for funding, recipients must assess a minimum of 10 sites;

therefore, additional sites may be selected throughout the period of performance.

5. Contractors and Named Subrecipients Provide information about contractors and named subrecipient eligibility as described below.

Applicants that plan to use contractors and/or subrecipients in their application or the subsequent award should review Section 4.D. to ensure they comply with all applicable competitive procurement and/or subaward requirements.

• Contractors.

State, territory,8 Tribal, and eligible Tribal entity applicants must disclose whether they have already selected/hired a contractor that will be compensated with EPA funds made available under this NOFO and whether they followed the same policies and procedures they use for procurements with non-federal funds.9 If such policies and procedures do not exist, the applicant must also respond to the requirements below.

Applicants (other than State, territory, Tribal, and eligible Tribal entity applicants that followed the same policies and procedures they use for procurements with non-federal

8 As defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, the definition of State for purposes of federal procurement standards applicable to the Brownfields Program “means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments.”

9 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, as well as the requirements in 2 CFR §§200.321, 200.322, 200.323, and 200.327 and 40 CFR Part 33. 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/section-200.1 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/section-200.321 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.321 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.322 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.323 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.327 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/part-33 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d?toc=1 funds) 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 must describe:

- information on where and when the solicitation document (e.g., 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 final eligibility determination.

Please see Section 6 for additional information on threshold eligibility review.

C. Cost Sharing Consistent with CERCLA § 104(k)(10), cost sharing and matching funds are not required to be eligible to apply to this funding opportunity. 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. Please note only Federal funds should be listed on the SF- 424, SF-424A, and Budget Detail. Voluntary cost share will not be accepted under this competition.

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

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

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3e88d9d4557754bcb781241135d934ae&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_11&rgn=div8

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.10

A critical part of EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization 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 and Land Revitalization 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.

2. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds Community-wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes 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. A portion of the Assessment Grant funding must be used to conduct site assessments.11 For examples of grant project accomplishments across the country, please see the EPA Brownfield Grant Recipients Success Stories.

Site Eligibility Applicants may address sites contaminated (or potentially contaminated) by hazardous substances,12 pollutants, or contaminants, including hazardous substances comingled with petroleum, and/or petroleum.13 To be eligible for Brownfield Grant funding, sites must meet the definition of a brownfield site under CERCLA § 101(39) and site eligibility requirements as described in the Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k). For the purposes of this funding opportunity, the cost of site-specific activities carried out at each approved, eligible site may not exceed $200,000 per site.14 EPA will determine site eligibility after the award of the grant throughout the project period. Recipients will be required to assess sites (a minimum of 10) throughout their geographic boundary(ies).

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

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

12 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 FY27 FAQs.

13 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).

14 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.

https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success-stories https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/information-sites-eligible-brownfields-funding-under-cercla-ss-104k http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/understanding-brownfields http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/understanding-brownfields https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-J/part-312 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants

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 FY27 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 FY27 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. 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.

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:

i. 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.

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 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E

ii. 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.

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

FY27 FAQs for additional information on purchasing environmental insurance.)

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

i. Site cleanup activities;

ii. Direct costs for proposal preparation;

iii. a penalty or fine;

iv. 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);

v. 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);

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

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

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

See the FY27 FAQs for additional information on ineligible grant activities and unallowable costs.

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.15 Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to

15 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.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/public-health#health-monitoring 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.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-multipurpose-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grants http://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements 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 Narrative Criteria Responses in Section 6.B. 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:

i. 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.

ii. 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.

EPA will evaluate whether recipients have made sufficient progress in implementing the environmental outputs outlined in the cooperative agreement 18 months from the date of award. Additional details on sufficient progress and Brownfield Programmatic Requirements are in Section 8.D.

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.

Leveraged resources are not the same as voluntary committed cost sharing under 2 CFR § 200.1.

Leveraged resources are funds, services, or in-kind support that complement the project but are not a binding cost share commitment and are not part of the EPA assistance agreement budget. They may occur during the period of performance or after the grant ends. Applicants that wish to include leveraged resources should describe them and their sources in the Narrative Criteria Responses.

Applicants must not include leveraged resources in the project budget - they are not part of the budget, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.1 and the costs do not have to be eligible or allowable. By contrast, voluntary committed cost sharing, which is prohibited under this funding opportunity, is a binding commitment that becomes part of the award budget and must meet all eligibility and allowability requirements.

• Leveraging that will materialize during the grant: Leveraging that typically materializes during a Brownfields Grant period of performance includes an applicant’s leveraged resources that are needed to support or complement the grant.16 Examples include additional public or private funds or in-kind resources for assessment, remediation, and/or subsequent reuse of the site. If applicants propose to provide leveraged funds/resources, EPA expects them to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their Narrative Criteria Responses. 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 § 200.339 and 2 CFR Part 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 Criteria Responses.

• 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.17

B. Program Goals and Objectives The activities to be funded under this funding announcement support Goal 1 of EPA’s Strategic Plan and are aligned with all current executive orders, including Executive Order 14154 Unleashing American Energy and Executive Order 14332 Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking. The objectives of this funding opportunity are to advance EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by supporting efforts to ensure access to clean air, land, and water; reduce toxic emissions; clean up hazardous sites; promote conservation; and improve emergency response capabilities to help communities recover quickly and safely. EPA expects funded activities to ensure the efficient and effective use of Federal resources in support of these mission-driven objectives.

The goal of the Brownfields and Land Revitalization 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 and Land Revitalization Program and made additional amendments to CERCLA that affect EPA’s brownfield grant authorities, and ownership and liability provisions. (Note:

16 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.

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

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR86b76dde0e1e9dc/section-200.339 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XV/part-1500 https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

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).

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. This may include reviewing requests for proposals, invitations for bids, scopes of work, and/or plans and specifications for contracts over the simplified acquisition threshold prior to advertising for bids.

• Approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA does not have the authority to and will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient).

• Review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

• Reviewing and approving that the Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA), or equivalent State Brownfields program document, meets the Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program’s requirements for an ABCA.

• Verifying sites meet applicable site eligibility criteria and ensuring that sites are consistent with the selection criteria outlined in the workplan.

• Participation in periodic telephone conference calls to share ideas, project successes and challenges, etc., with EPA.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle…