Brownfields Cleanup Grants
Cleanup Grants provide funding for eligible entities to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. An applicant must own the site for which it is requesting funding.
- An applicant may request up to $500,000, up to $1 million, or up to $2 million to address one brownfield site, or multiple brownfield sites, contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum. EPA will make a limited number of awards to applicants requesting above $500,000.
- The performance period for these grants is up to four years.
- Applicants may submit one Cleanup Grant application each competition cycle.
Note: Brownfield sites where Brownfields Cleanup Grant funds were previously expended may not receive additional Cleanup Grant funding.
Site Characterization:
In past competition cycles, applicants were required to obtain a letter from the State/Tribal Environmental Authority acknowledging the applicant’s intent to apply for Brownfields Grant funding. As of FY23, there is an additional requirement for Cleanup Grant applicants to demonstrate that the proposed site(s) has been sufficiently characterized for the cleanup to begin. EPA will categorize applicants in three buckets:
- If the applicant is a State or Tribal Environmental Authority, EPA will not require a letter, however, the applicant will be required to include a statement in response to the threshold criterion affirming that there is a sufficient level of site characterization from the environmental site assessment performed to date (or will be by June 15, 2024) for the remediation work to begin on the site(s).
- An applicant other than a State or Tribal Environmental Authority that is proposing a site(s) that is eligible to be enrolled in a voluntary response program, will be required to attach a current letter from the appropriate State or Tribal Environmental Authority (or equivalent state or Tribal regulatory oversight authority) that: (i) Affirms that the site(s) is eligible to be enrolled in the state or tribal voluntary response program; (ii) whether the site(s) is enrolled, or intends to be enrolled, in the state or tribal voluntary response program; and (ii) Indicates that there is a sufficient level of site characterization from the environmental site assessment performed to date (or will be by June 15, 2024) for the remediation work to begin on the site(s).
- For an applicant other than a State or Tribal Environmental Authority that is proposing a site(s) that is not eligible to be enrolled in a voluntary response program or State or Tribal equivalent oversight program (e.g., sites contaminated with hazardous building material) will be required to: (i) Attach a current letter from the appropriate State or Tribal Environmental Authority (or equivalent state or Tribal regulatory oversight authority) that explains why the site(s) is not eligible to be enrolled. (ii) State in response to the threshold criterion whether an Environmental Professional (as defined in 40 CFR 312.10) has certified that there is a sufficient level of site characterization from the environmental site assessment performed to date (or will be by June 15, 2024) for the remediation work to begin on the site(s).
EPA only needs one letter per applicant and the letter must be included with the application that is submitted by the deadline.
Grant Application Resources
- List of Entities Eligible to Apply for Cleanup Grants
- NEW: FY 2024 Cleanup Grant Application Resources
- Grant Application Resources from Prior Years
- Interested in applying for funding? (Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet)
- Renewable Energy or Energy-Efficient Approaches in Brownfields Redevelopment (pdf)
- Socially Distant Engagement Ideas
Cleanup Grant Recipient Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Programmatic Requirements
- Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k) (pdf)
- Information on Defenses to CERCLA Liability
- Brownfields Grant Reporting/Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES)