FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Assessment Coalition Grants)

The Brownfield Assessment Coalition Grant, offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, is a federal cooperative agreement program intended to support the revitalization of brownfield sites through environmental assessment and planning. Brownfields are properties where redevelopment may be hindered due to the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, or petroleum. This opportunity is part of the EPA's broader goal to empower communities, states, tribal nations, and nonprofit organizations to identify, assess, plan for, and prepare these properties for safe reuse and redevelopment. This specific grant opportunity, titled “Assessment Coalition Grants,” invites applications from eligible lead entities that will partner with two to four additional entities lacking the capacity to apply for and manage their own EPA cooperative agreements. These coalitions must work together to assess brownfield sites across their jurisdictions. A total of $58.7 million is available, with an estimated 39 awards to be made. Each coalition may apply for up to $1.5 million, which must be used at least in part to conduct site assessments. Notably, site cleanup activities are not eligible under this grant. The project period for awarded grants is expected to be four years, and applicants must assess at least two sites within each coalition member’s jurisdiction. The eligible uses of grant funds include inventorying sites, prioritizing them for assessment, community engagement, environmental site assessments, development of cleanup and reuse plans, and planning for area-wide revitalization. Up to 10% of awarded funds may be used by local governments for health monitoring or enforcement of institutional controls. Funds may also support participant costs like community stipends and childcare during engagement meetings. Ineligible costs include proposal preparation, fines, indirect administrative costs beyond 5%, and any activity where the grantee is a potentially liable party under CERCLA. Eligibility for lead and non-lead coalition members includes a range of public entities such as general-purpose local governments, regional councils, state governments, redevelopment agencies, tribal governments (excluding most Alaska tribes), and specific types of nonprofit organizations such as 501(c)(3)s and qualified community development entities. Notably, entities with open or pending EPA Assessment or Multipurpose grants must demonstrate at least 70% disbursement of funds by October 1, 2025, to be eligible. The submission process requires applications to be filed through Grants.gov by January 28, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Applicants must be registered with SAM.gov and possess a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Required components include the SF-424 forms, narrative responses to evaluation criteria, budget information, and documentation of eligibility. Optional documents such as indirect cost rate agreements or lobbying disclosures may also be submitted. All materials must be prepared in English, typed in standard fonts, and submitted in PDF format. The EPA advises applicants not to include confidential or personal information in their submissions. Applications will be evaluated first for eligibility, followed by a review based on criteria such as the clarity of the project area description, community need, anticipated outcomes, budget reasonableness, and programmatic capability. Additional factors influencing final selection include community size, presence of environmental justice concerns, resilience to extreme weather, and proximity of priority sites to water bodies or renewable energy potential. Successful applicants will be notified by June 2026, with awards anticipated by September 2026.

Clearly define target areas and priority sites; ensure coalition letters and legal authority are documented; demonstrate capacity to manage the cooperative agreement and comply with procurement rules.