Brownfields Job Training Cooperative Agreements (66.815)
Brownfields Job Training Cooperative Agreements (Assistance Listing 66.815) is run by the Environmental Protection Agency. It awarded $35.0 million in 93 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $376,361 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $499,735. Half of the 93 awards fell between $200,000 and $500,000, and they ranged from $132,400 to $500,000.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$35.0 million
- Grant awards93
- Typical award$499,735
- Awarded in FY 2025$6.7 million
- Size rank1139 of 1824
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $3.3 million in fiscal 2021 to $6.7 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1139th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 40% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 34 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. The objective of the Brownfields Job Training Program is to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to obtain full-time, long term employment. This program promotes the facilitation of activities related to assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites, including brownfields, for reuse, by building a local workforce with the skills needed to perform remediation work that is supportive of environmental protection and environmental health and safety. Underemployment is the condition in which people in a labor force are employed less than full-time or at jobs inconsistent with respect to their experience, training, or economic needs. Job Training Grants provide funding to individual nonprofits, local governments, and other eligible organizations to provide environmental training for residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities. Brownfields Job Training Coalition grants are designed for one “lead” eligible entity to partner with one or more eligible entities that do not have the capacity to apply for and manage their own EPA cooperative agreement and otherwise would not have access to Brownfields Grant resources. These grants allow eligible entities to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities. Grant recipients can allocate up to 40% of the total award for participant support costs related to transportation for trainees, childcare, and compensation for trainees to participate in the training. A critical part of the Brownfields Job Training program is to further sustainable community revitalization by ensuring that all residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and disproportionate and adverse exposures to environmental contamination, which may include low-income, sensitive populations (as discussed in CERCLA § 104(k)(6)(C)(x)), Tribal and Indigenous communities, have an opportunity to reap the benefits of revitalization and environmental cleanup. This program builds strong partnerships and local capacity to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites. Job Training Grants may be funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Recipients will be required to report program accomplishments for IIJA-funded activities in the Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment, Exchange System (ACRES) and collected data will be used to demonstrate successful implementation of the program.
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
Applications will be accepted from either eligible entities as defined in CERCLA Section 104(k)(1) or eligible nonprofit organizations as defined in 2 CFR 200.1. Eligible governmental entities include a general purpose local unit of 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 government; a governmental 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; a Federally recognized Indian Tribe other than in Alaska, an Alaskan Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation as those terms are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following); and the Metlakatla Indian Community. Intertribal consortia, except consortia comprised of ineligible Alaskan tribes, are eligible to apply as well. Eligible nonprofit organizations include any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest; is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Workforce Investment Boards that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit organizations.
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 brownfield properties, site assessments, cleanup of brownfield properties, community involvement, or site preparation. For Brownfields Job Training grants however, individuals are not eligible to apply. (See eligibility requirements). 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. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial). 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.
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
Before FY23, Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreements were funded up to $200,000, but due to the availability of IIJA funding in FY23, FY24 and FY25, awards can be up to $500,000. The estimated number of awards are around 10-24 awards per year, with awards amount ranging from $340,000 to $500,000. The average award is $500,000. The cooperative agreements are awarded on a single-year basis.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2016: No content available.Fiscal Year2017: No content available.Fiscal Year2018: EPA awarded cooperative agreements to a variety of eligible entities and nonprofit organizations to provide local residents with the skills needed to gain employment in careers related to the assessment and cleanup of hazardous and solid waste sites, wastewater and stormwater management, Superfund site cleanup, emergency response,and chemical safety. These cooperative agreements included training and instruction in a variety of subjects, including: OSHA health and safety training, HAZWOPER and HAZMAT certification, lead and asbestos abatement, forklift operations, phytoremediation, mold remediation, site assessment, sampling, wastewater management, chemical safety, leaking underground storage tank removal, field investigation, instrumentation, and treatment technologies.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Brownfields Job Training Cooperative Agreements (66.815) awarded$35.0 million across 93 grant awards, an average of $376,361 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limitless Vistas | Louisiana | 2 | $700,000 |
| West End Neighborhood House Inc | Delaware | 2 | $700,000 |
| Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Inc. | California | 2 | $700,000 |
| Groundwork Rhode Island | Rhode Island | 2 | $700,000 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York | New York | 2 | $700,000 |
| St. Nicks Alliance Corp | New York | 2 | $700,000 |
| The Workplace Inc | Connecticut | 2 | $700,000 |
| City of Springfield | Missouri | 2 | $700,000 |
| Junior College District of St Louis | Missouri | 2 | $700,000 |
| Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Inc | Wisconsin | 2 | $700,000 |
| Richmond, City of | California | 2 | $700,000 |
| City of Rochester City Hall | New York | 2 | $700,000 |
| Pathstone Corporation | New York | 2 | $700,000 |
| Workforce Inc | Indiana | 2 | $700,000 |
| Civic Works, Inc. | Maryland | 2 | $700,000 |
| Alaska Forum Inc | Alaska | 2 | $700,000 |
| Santa Fe Community College | New Mexico | 2 | $699,998 |
| The Hope Program, Inc | New York | 2 | $699,933 |
| Pittsburgh Conservation Corps | Pennsylvania | 2 | $699,642 |
| City of Worcester | Massachusetts | 2 | $699,159 |
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 70% of the money, state and local governments 18% and colleges and universities 9.4%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 65 | $24.6 million | 70% |
| State and local governments | 17 | $6.3 million | 18% |
| Colleges and universities | 8 | $3.3 million | 9.4% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 2 | $700,000 | 2.0% |
| Other | 1 | $200,000 | 0.6% |
By state
10 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 14 | $4.8 million |
| California | 10 | $3.5 million |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | $3.1 million |
| Missouri | 8 | $3.1 million |
| Florida | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Alaska | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Louisiana | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Connecticut | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Michigan | 3 | $1.0 million |
| Washington | 2 | $1.0 million |
| Virginia | 2 | $903,018 |
| Delaware | 2 | $700,000 |
| Indiana | 2 | $700,000 |
| Maryland | 2 | $700,000 |
| Nevada | 2 | $700,000 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | $700,000 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | $700,000 |
| New Mexico | 2 | $699,998 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | $699,159 |
| Colorado | 2 | $678,095 |
| Illinois | 2 | $542,400 |
| Alabama | 1 | $500,000 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | $500,000 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $500,000 |
| Kentucky | 1 | $500,000 |
| Oregon | 1 | $500,000 |
| Texas | 1 | $500,000 |
| Kansas | 1 | $499,735 |
| Ohio | 1 | $499,270 |
| Idaho | 1 | $498,750 |
| Iowa | 1 | $478,474 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $200,000 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $199,790 |
| Georgia | 1 | $132,400 |