Several from Louisiana attended the 2025 National Brownfields Conference in Chicago, including Louisiana Brownfields Association Board Members Lesley Long, Jasmine Thomas, Trey Hess and Diana Day.
The conference brings together leaders from government, industry, and communities to share best practices for cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated properties. It plays a vital role in advancing brownfield redevelopment, fostering collaboration, and promoting sustainable land use nationwide.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to release its FY 2026 solicitations for Brownfield grants this fall. Communities and organizations looking to clean up and revitalize contaminated properties should prepare now for this key funding opportunity. These grants—offered under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and EPA’s regular budget—support a range of brownfield activities, from environmental assessment to site cleanup and redevelopment planning.
Grant Programs Expected
EPA will solicit applications for several major Brownfield grant categories:
Multipurpose Grants
Assessment Grants (including community-wide, coalition, and state/tribal grants)
Cleanup Grants
The exact release date is expected in Fall 2025, with a submission deadline approximately 60 days after the solicitations are published. Interested applicants should review the Types of Brownfield Grant Funding page to understand eligibility and requirements.
Anticipated Funding Amounts
Although amounts may change, EPA has shared estimated funding levels for FY 2026:
Multipurpose Grants
Max Grant: $1,000,000
Max Period: 5 years
Estimated Awards: 20
Total Available: $20 million (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)
Community-wide Assessment Grants
Max Grant: $500,000
Max Period: 4 years
Estimated Awards: 70
Total Available: $35 million (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)
Assessment Coalition Grants
Max Grant: $1,500,000
Max Period: 4 years
Estimated Awards: 39
Total Available: $58.7 million (regular appropriated funds)
Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes
Max Grant: $2,000,000
Max Period: 5 years
Estimated Awards: 18
Total Available: $35 million (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)
Cleanup Grants
Smaller Cleanup Grants: $500,000 each
Larger Cleanup Grants: up to $4,000,000 each
Estimated Awards: 10 (small), 26 (large)
Total Available: $107 million (combined)
Preparing to Apply
Because of the competitive nature of these grants, communities and nonprofits are encouraged to start preparing now. This includes identifying eligible brownfield sites, engaging partners, and drafting compelling project narratives. With billions of dollars committed to brownfield redevelopment under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is a historic opportunity to secure resources for environmental justice, economic revitalization, and community health.
Stay tuned for the official solicitations this fall and begin laying the groundwork now to put your community in a strong position to apply.
The guidance documents for the 2024 EPA Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Brownfields Grants were released late last week. Revolving-Loan Fund grants will not be offered this year. EPA Brownfield Grants provide direct funding for a variety of brownfield-related activities. The due date for grant submissions is November 13, 2023.
An informal survey conducted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) during its EPA Brownfields Grant Training Webinar identified that participants had the following split for intended submissions in 2024.
Assessment: 60%
Coalition Assessment: 20%
Cleanup: 50%
Multipurpose: 40%
Both EPA and LDEQ will be providing virtual training this week to help applicants prepare their grant submissions.
EPA GUIDELINES WEBINARS
EPA will offer the following guidelines webinars.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 12 PM ET - This webinar will focus on the FY 2024 Narrative ranking criteria for entities applying for:
Multipurpose Grant funding
Community-wide Assessment Grant funding
Assessment Coalition Grant funding
Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes funding
Please click the link to join the webinar at https://usepa.zoomgov.com/j/1602838047 or join by telephone at 1-646-828-7666; Webinar ID: 160 283 8047
Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 1 PM ET - This webinar will focus on the FY 2024 Narrative ranking criteria for entities applying for:
Cleanup Grant funding
Please click the link to join the webinar at https://usepa.zoomgov.com/j/1600119960 or join by telephone at 1-646-828-7666; Webinar ID: 160 011 9960
LDEQ GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS
LDEQ will offer the following guidelines webinars.
September 25, 2023, 9:30-12:30 AM CT
September 26, 2023, 9:30-10:45 AM; 1:30-3:30 AM CT - Break to accommodate EPA Grant Webinar
Register in advance to receive login information: https://deqlouisiana.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsfuyhqTwtGRzG9pyDVKh761OsechTKdp
