FY24 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD CLEANUP GRANTS | EPA I OLEM OBLR 23 15

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA I OLEM OBLR 23 15

The FY24 Guidelines for Brownfield Cleanup Grants is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding opportunity that supports the cleanup and reuse of brownfield properties, meaning sites where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived contamination. The program is rooted in federal brownfields authority under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), specifically Section 104(k), which was added through the 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. It was later updated through the 2018 BUILD Act, which reauthorized EPA's Brownfields Program and refined aspects of grant authority as well as ownership and liability provisions that affect who can take on a site and under what conditions. For FY24, the funding is backed by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), reflecting a major federal push to accelerate cleanup projects that unlock community redevelopment, housing, economic activity, and safer land use.

This opportunity is a discretionary grant competition offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means recipients should expect substantial EPA involvement during the project period (for example, coordination, oversight expectations, or required approvals tied to federal assistance). The program sits under CFDA 66.818 and is categorized under environment and infrastructure investment priorities connected to IIJA. EPA anticipates making about 65 awards under this announcement, indicating a nationally competitive process with multiple recipients rather than a single large award.

The focus of these Cleanup Grants is on moving beyond planning and assessment into actual remediation work that addresses contamination at specific sites so they can be put back into productive use. In practical terms, projects typically involve eligible cleanup activities that reduce risk to human health and the environment and prepare a property for redevelopment or community reuse. The broader intent is to help communities, states, Tribal Nations, and eligible nonprofits take stalled or underused properties and turn them into assets by removing environmental barriers and supporting local revitalization.

The listed award ceiling is up to $5,000,000, which signals that individual projects can be sizable, particularly when contamination is complex, the property is large, or the cleanup scope is extensive. The funding opportunity number is EPA I OLEM OBLR 23 15, and the agency administering the program is the EPA (specifically within the office structure associated with land and emergency management/brownfields). The original application closing date for this cycle was November 13, 2023, and the opportunity was created on September 21, 2023.

Eligibility is noted as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which is a common Grants.gov placeholder when eligibility includes a specific set of governmental entities and community-based organizations rather than a simple single category. In general, EPA brownfields cleanup funding is designed to empower public entities, Tribal Nations, and certain nonprofit organizations to carry out cleanup and reuse efforts, but the exact eligibility conditions and any site control or ownership requirements are typically spelled out in the full guidelines.

Overall, the FY24 Brownfield Cleanup Grants guidance is essentially EPA's roadmap for applicants seeking federal financial assistance to clean up contaminated or potentially contaminated sites and return them to productive community use, leveraging updated CERCLA authorities and the significant investment provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment, infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 GUIDELINES FOR BROWNFIELD CLEANUP GRANTS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.818.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 13, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 65 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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