FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, is offering funding opportunities under its Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes. These grants are part of EPA's broader Brownfields Program, which supports the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of properties complicated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. With a total of $35 million available under this announcement, EPA intends to issue approximately 18 cooperative agreements, each of which may provide up to $2 million to eligible state agencies or federally recognized Tribal governments. These Assessment Grants are specifically designed to help states and Tribes inventory brownfield sites, prioritize them, conduct community engagement, plan site reuse, and perform environmental site assessments. Site-specific cleanup activities are not allowed under this program. However, grantees are expected to assess a minimum of 10 eligible brownfield sites during the five-year project period. Eligible activities may include developing inventories, conducting Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments, preparing site-specific cleanup plans, and creating reuse plans that align with community priorities and long-term environmental goals. Sites must meet eligibility definitions under CERCLA § 101(39) and EPA retains final authority to determine site eligibility throughout the project period. The program targets states, federally recognized Tribes (excluding most Alaskan Tribes except the Metlakatla Indian Community), Intertribal Consortia, and Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations. State or Tribal colleges and universities are not eligible. All applicants must meet strict threshold criteria, including demonstrating community involvement plans, showing sufficient expenditure of prior EPA funds (if applicable), and proposing at least three target areas and five priority sites. Applicants may submit only one application per state or Tribal entity, and must comply with fair and open procurement procedures if using contractors. Grant funds can support a broad range of eligible activities, including site reuse planning, public meetings (including participant stipends), hiring community liaisons, and programmatic reporting. Up to 10% of funds may be used by local governments for health monitoring and enforcement of institutional controls. However, grant funds may not be used for general administration exceeding 5% of the total EPA funds, indirect costs beyond allowable limits, compliance with non-cleanup-related federal laws, or any lobbying activities. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov by January 28, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. No cost-sharing or matching is required. The funding opportunity was posted on November 20, 2025, and successful applicants will be notified by June 2026. Awards are expected to be finalized by September 2026. While no pre-application documents such as letters of intent are required, applicants must ensure registration with SAM.gov and Grants.gov well in advance. All application materials must be submitted in English, and the narrative component is limited to 12 single-spaced pages. Required forms include SF-424, SF-424A, EPA Form 4700-4, and a key contacts form. Applications will be evaluated on clear review criteria, including the relevance of the proposed sites, alignment with reuse and revitalization plans, community engagement strategy, project readiness, and the applicant's past performance and capability. Successful applicants must track and report environmental results (outputs and outcomes), and adhere to EPA’s cooperative agreement and policy terms, including Build America, Buy America requirements for applicable infrastructure work. Regional EPA contacts are listed for technical assistance.

Prioritize fair procurement; emphasize community input and site reuse strategy; ensure environmental outputs and cost realism are clear