FY26 Guidelines for Brownfield Assessment Grants (Assessment Coalition Grants) | EPA OLEM OBLR 25 05

FY26 EPA Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grants (EPA OLEM OBLR 25 05) - FAQs

1) What is the FY26 Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant opportunity?

It is an EPA funding opportunity offered through the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (under EPA OLEM) to help communities identify, evaluate, and plan for the reuse of brownfield properties. The funding is intended to move communities from uncertainty about environmental conditions to actionable redevelopment by supporting early-stage assessment and planning work.

2) What is a brownfield property in this context?

Brownfields are generally properties where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of contamination. The grant focuses on clarifying environmental conditions so communities can make informed cleanup and reuse decisions.

3) What is the purpose of an Assessment Grant?

The core purpose is to fund the groundwork needed to get brownfield sites ready for cleanup and redevelopment. This includes identifying candidate sites, understanding environmental conditions, and developing plans that support realistic cleanup and reuse.

4) What makes the “coalition” format different from a typical assessment grant?

This opportunity is designed around a lead eligible entity that partners with two to four additional eligible entities. The lead applies for and manages the cooperative agreement, helping coalition members that may not have the staffing, technical capability, or administrative capacity to apply for and manage an EPA cooperative agreement on their own.

5) How many partners must be in the coalition?

The coalition structure described includes one lead eligible entity plus two to four additional eligible entities as coalition members.

6) What does the lead entity do?

The lead entity serves as the primary applicant and grant manager. It is responsible for managing the cooperative agreement and helping ensure coalition members can participate meaningfully and receive assessment support that would be difficult to obtain independently.

7) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is summarized in the listing as “Others,” but the definitive eligibility requirements are in Section 2 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Because coalition eligibility and partner requirements can be specific, applicants are expected to rely on the NOFO for controlling rules, required documentation, partnership structure requirements, and application instructions.

8) Where can applicants find the definitive eligibility rules and coalition requirements?

The controlling details are in Section 2 of the NOFO. That is where applicants should confirm what types of entities qualify, how the coalition must be structured, and what documentation is required.

9) What types of activities can the grant fund?

The opportunity supports early-stage work such as building or updating an inventory of potential brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, and conducting community engagement so residents and stakeholders can shape redevelopment outcomes. It also supports planning activities, environmental site assessments, development of site-specific cleanup plans, and creation of reuse plans describing practical end uses for properties.

10) Is community engagement an eligible and supported activity?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes community engagement so residents and stakeholders can shape redevelopment outcomes as part of the supported assessment and planning work.

11) Are environmental site assessments required, or is this primarily a planning grant?

A key program requirement is that some portion of the funds must be used specifically to conduct site assessments. This reinforces that the funding is not only for planning, but also for generating on-the-ground environmental data that reduces uncertainty for future cleanup and investment.

12) What kinds of planning can be supported?

Supported planning includes activities like prioritizing which sites should be addressed first, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and creating reuse plans that map out practical end uses once barriers are understood and addressed.

13) How much funding is available overall?

EPA expects to make about 39 awards nationwide using a total funding pool of $58.7 million.

14) What is the maximum award amount for a single agreement?

The maximum award amount (ceiling) listed for a single cooperative agreement is $1,500,000.

15) What type of funding instrument is used?

Funding is provided as cooperative agreements (not simple pass-through grants).

16) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

Cooperative agreements typically involve substantial EPA involvement during the project period. Based on the opportunity description, recipients should expect coordination with EPA on work plans, reporting, and programmatic oversight.

17) What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this program?

The program falls under CFDA/Assistance Listing 66.818.

18) How is this opportunity categorized?

It is categorized as an environmental discretionary funding opportunity.

19) What is the opportunity number?

The opportunity number is EPA OLEM OBLR 25 05.

20) What is the application deadline?

The original application deadline listed is January 28, 2026.

21) When was the opportunity created/posted?

The posting timeframe provided indicates it was created on November 20, 2025.

22) What outcomes is EPA trying to achieve with these grants?

The opportunity is aimed at helping communities, especially under-resourced communities and their partners, take concrete steps toward revitalizing contaminated or potentially contaminated properties by funding inventories, community-driven planning, environmental assessments, and practical cleanup and reuse planning that can unlock future remediation and redevelopment.

23) Why does EPA emphasize inventories and prioritization?

Building or updating an inventory and prioritizing sites helps communities systematically identify where potential brownfields are, decide which locations to address first, and direct assessment resources toward sites where clearer environmental information can support cleanup and redevelopment decisions.

24) Does the description indicate that the program is intended to help under-resourced communities?

Yes. The coalition structure is specifically intended to reach communities that otherwise would not benefit from EPA Brownfields resources because they lack the staffing, technical capability, or administrative capacity to apply for and manage an EPA cooperative agreement on their own.

25) What should applicants rely on for application instructions?

Applicants are expected to rely on the NOFO for definitive application instructions, as well as for eligibility rules and coalition structure requirements.