FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-wide Assessment Grants) | EPA I OLEM OBLR 25 04

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA I OLEM OBLR 25 04

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR), is offering FY26 Community-Wide Brownfield Assessment Grants under funding opportunity number EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-04. This is a discretionary funding opportunity administered as a cooperative agreement, meaning EPA expects to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordination, technical input, and oversight consistent with cooperative agreement rules). The program falls under the environmental funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 66.818.

This opportunity is designed to help communities take practical, early-stage steps to address brownfield sites, which are generally properties where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by actual or perceived contamination. The purpose of these assessment grants is to fund the groundwork that communities need to move sites from uncertainty to readiness for cleanup and redevelopment. The eligible applicant pool is listed broadly as "Others," and applicants are directed to consult Section 2 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the specific eligibility requirements and any constraints or definitions that apply.

EPA anticipates making up to 70 awards nationwide, with an expected total funding amount of about $35,000,000 under this announcement. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $500,000 per grant, which indicates projects are expected to be community-scale efforts focused on assessing multiple sites or addressing area-wide needs rather than financing full cleanups. Since it is a competitive, discretionary program, awards will depend on the strength of applications and how well proposed projects align with EPA priorities and the NOFO evaluation criteria.

Grant funds can be used for a range of assessment and planning activities that help communities identify, understand, and prioritize brownfield challenges. Allowable work typically includes developing or updating inventories of brownfield sites, ranking and prioritizing sites for action, and carrying out community involvement activities to ensure residents and stakeholders have meaningful input. Funding can also support planning work, environmental site assessments (commonly Phase I and Phase II activities, as applicable), and the development of site-specific cleanup plans. In addition, applicants can use the funding to create reuse plans, helping communities map out realistic redevelopment paths that match local needs such as housing, commercial corridors, greenspace, or community facilities.

The application deadline (original closing date) is January 28, 2026. The opportunity was created on November 20, 2025. Applicants interested in pursuing this funding should rely on the NOFO for the official requirements, including detailed eligibility, allowable costs, thresholds, match requirements (if any), reporting expectations, and how EPA will score proposals.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment, iij sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-wide Assessment Grants)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.818.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-11-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 70 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for EPA I OLEM OBLR 25 04

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