Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grants and Cooperative Agreements (66.814)

Also known as Brownfields 104(k)(7) Grants

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$78.9 million
• Grant awards21
• Typical award$1.4 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$11.8 million
• Size rank876 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $7.7 million in fiscal 2021 to $11.8 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 876th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 12 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 10 states and territories.

What the program funds

Brownfield sites are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. CERCLA Section 104(k)(7) provides EPA with authority for a financial assistance program of training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations to facilitate the inventory of brownfield properties, assessments, cleanup of brownfield properties, community involvement, or site preparation. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2026, EPA fully fund the Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) cooperative agreements with satisfactory project progress selected in previous CERCLA Section 104(k)(7) training, research, and technical assistance grant competitions. Additionally, using a competitive grants process, EPA may select applications and award cooperative agreements for technical assistance to support specific sector needs (e.g., revolving loan fund, Tribal governments) to help communities increase their understanding of brownfields issues and advance their brownfields assessment, cleanup and reuse goals.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Under CERCLA Section 104(k)(7), EPA may provide financial assistance to eligible entities and other nonprofit organizations. CERCLA 104(k)(1) defines eligible entities as: a general purpose unit of local government; a land clearance authority or other quasi-governmental entity that operates under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit of local government; a government entity created by a State legislature; a regional council or group of general purpose units of local government; a redevelopment agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a State; a State (note CERCLA 107(27) defines term "State" to include territories or possessions over which the United States has jurisdiction); a Federally recognized Indian Tribe other than in Alaska; an Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation and the Metlakatla Indian Community; Intertribal consortia, except consortia comprised of ineligible Alaskan tribes; nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, Limited liability corporation in which all managing members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit...

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funds awarded under Section 104(k)(7) of CERCLA must be used for training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations, to facilitate the inventory of brownfields properties, site assessments, cleanup of brownfields properties, community involvement, or site preparation. Cooperative agreements are available to support recipients' eligible and allowable direct costs incurred under an approved workplan plus allowable programmatic costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Costs incurred under CERCLA Section 104(k)(7) cooperative agreements may not be used for a penalty or fine, a Federal cost-share requirement, a response cost for which the recipient of the cooperative agreement is potentially liable under CERCLA Section 107, or the cost of complying with a Federal law, with the exception of the costs of laws applicable to cleanup of brownfield sites. Administrative costs, including indirect costs, are limited to 5% of the amount of EPA funding as required by CERCLA Section 104(k)(5)(E). Grant funds cannot be used for the payment of administrative costs, including all indirect costs and direct costs for grant administration, in excess of five (5) percent of the total amount of EPA grant funding, with the exception of financial and performance reporting costs which are considered allowable programmatic costs and not subject to the 5% limitation.;

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the competitive announcement.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Historically, the Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance cooperative agreements have ranged anywhere from $200,000 to $2,000,000 over the entire cooperative agreement, depending on the specific focus area of solicitation and the project period of the award (typical project period is 5 years). The number of awards depends on available funding and expressed community need. Typically no more than five awards are made in a given year. New awards made for other research, training and technical assistance agreements when funding through IIJA is available typically range between $200,000 and $5,000,000 and may be incrementally funded over the project period if the award is above $200,000.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2016: EPA expects to award cooperative agreements for regional Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) providers. TAB providers will be available to brownfields communities to assist them with understanding how to address brownfield sites and advance local efforts around brownfields assessment, cleanup and reuse. EPA expects to provide incremental funding to previously awarded cooperative agreement recipients if they make satisfactory progress. These EPA funds will be used for research, training and technical assistance projects related to technical assistance to environmental workforce development and job training (EWDJT) grantees; technical assistance on the integration of environmental justice and equitable development for brownfields-impacted communities; research on the benefits of brownfields redevelopment; technical assistance on brownfields financing and economic development strategies to brownfields-impacted communities; organize a national brownfields conference in 2017; state support on brownfields issues and tribal support on brownfields issues. EPA expects to award cooperative agreements for regional Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) providers. TAB providers will be available to brownfields communities to assist them with understanding how to address brownfield sites and advance local efforts around brownfields assessment, cleanup and reuse.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 63% of the money, nonprofits 37%.

By state

7 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.