Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, acts as a prime recipient and sub-recipient on federal grants focused on regional planning, environmental remediation, public health, and economic development, with no federal contract prime activity. The organization competes for grants from civilian agencies and serves as both a lead grantee on its own proposals and as a sub-recipient flowing federal funds through state and local intermediaries.

BRPC's customer base spreads across multiple agencies, with the top five funding entities accounting for 66% of recent awards. The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration leads by award count with fourteen awards, followed by Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 (seven awards), the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (five awards), the EPA broadly (five awards), and the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (two awards). The organization has engaged with twenty distinct federal customer agencies across fifty total awards, with dollar values totaling $26 million obligated. Recent activity shows volatility — seven awards in 2022, declining to three in 2024, then recovering to ten in 2025 — indicating grant-cycle sensitivity.

As a prime recipient, BRPC has secured federal grants including a $26-million housing preservation grant from USDA's Single Family Housing Program (awarded August 2026, completing October 2027), a multi-year opioid use disorder intervention grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (October 2023, completing March 2027) that extends the Berkshire Post Overdose Program with field medical outreach, harm reduction, and training for first responders across Berkshire County's three regions, a Safe Streets and Roads for All comprehensive safety action plan grant from the Federal Highway Administration (August 2023, completing August 2025), an Economic Development Administration Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy grant (July 2023, completing June 2026), and an American Rescue Plan-funded ambient air quality monitoring cooperative agreement from EPA Region 1 (April 2023, completing September 2026) that conducts community-led PM2.5 monitoring and publishes results to advance equity in environmental health.

As a sub-recipient, BRPC receives federal funds flowing through state intermediaries — primarily the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection — for substance use disorder services delivery and evaluation, COVID-19 case investigation support, and nonpoint source pollution control coordination. BRPC also receives sub-awards through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for stormwater infiltration in Pittsfield (February 2026) and through Boston Medical Center Corporation for community health coalition coordination under NIH funding (October 2022).

Environmental remediation and public health dominate BRPC's prime and sub grant footprint. The organization manages EPA Brownfields assessment and revolving loan fund grants (October 2022 and following, completing September 2026 and September 2027, respectively) under CERCLA 104(k) authority, conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, cleanup planning, and community involvement for contaminated properties across Berkshire County. Community economic development and food security form a secondary capability stream — BRPC received an Agricultural Marketing Service grant (September 2022, completing December 2025) to establish and operate a mobile farmers market promoting local food access and farm income in underserved areas.

Three prime awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing modest recompete exposure relative to the organization's recent award velocity. As a regional planning entity, BRPC operates within a state and local government grant ecosystem where federal funds typically flow through Massachusetts intermediaries, constraining direct federal prime competition but positioning BRPC as an operational arm for state-administered programs.