Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

State and Tribal Response Program Grants (66.817)

Also known as CERCLA Section 128(a) or 128(a) Grants

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$409 million
• Grant awards505
• Typical award$429,575
• Awarded in FY 2025$94.1 million
• Size rank418 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $40.5 million in fiscal 2021 to $94.1 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 418th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 37% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 53 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 primary objectives of EPA's CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program grants are to provide financial support to States, US Territories, and Tribal Nations to (1) establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective state or Tribal response program, as specified in CERCLA Section 128(a)(2); (2) maintain and update, at least annually, a public record of sites, pursuant to CERCLA Section 128(b), that includes the name and location of sites at which response actions have been completed during the previous year and the name and location of sites at which response actions are planned to be addressed in the next year; and (3) conduct a limited number of brownfield site assessments or cleanups that will help establish or enhance the state or Tribal Nation’s response program. Additional funding for the CERCLA 128(a) Grants was authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Data from grant recipients is collected within the Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) and used to demonstrate successful implementation of the program. In addition, the CERCLA Section 128(a) grant program provides technical assistance funding for training and research to small communities, Indian tribes, rural communities, and disadvantaged areas as defined in CERCLA Section 128(a)(1)(B)(III)(iv). Certain projects (i.e., primarily cleanup projects) are subject to the Buy America Sourcing requirements under the Build America, Buy America (BABA) provisions IIJA (P.L. 117-58, §§ 70911-70917) when using funds for the purchase of goods, products, and materials on any form of construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of infrastructure in the United States. The Buy America preference requirement applies to all of the iron and steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used for an infrastructure project under an award identified in EPA’s financial assistance funding programs subject to BABA report. In FY 2025, funding will be prioritized as follows: (1) Funding for program development activities to establish or enhance the four elements of a state or Tribal response program and to enable states and Tribes to comply with the public record requirement in CERCLA Section 128(b)(1)(C), including activities related to institutional controls. States and tribes that have established one or more of the four elements will not be hindered in funding distributions if their workplan includes activities that enhance the four elements. States with Voluntary Cleanup Program Memorandum of Agreement will not be prejudiced in funding distributions if their workplan does not include tasks related to establishing or enhancing the four elements. (2) Funding for program development activities to enhance the response program or the cleanup capacity of a state or Tribal response program. (3) Funding for site-specific activities at eligible brownfield sites. (4) Funding for environmental insurance mechanisms. (5) Funding to capitalize brownfield RLFs. In addition, pursuant to CERCLA Section 128(a)(1)(B)(ii)(III), the program will allocate up to $1.5 M of CERCLA 104(k) funding for technical assistance grants to small communities, Indian tribes, rural areas, or disadvantaged areas to carry out activities described in 42 U.S. Code Section 9604(k)(7)(A). The maximum amount per technical assistance grant is $20,000.

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

Applications will be accepted from either eligible governmental entities as defined in CERCLA Section 104(k)(1) or eligible nonprofit organizations as defined in 2 CFR 200.1 depending upon the type of grant. Eligibility for Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants: 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; a Federally recognized Indian Tribe other than in Alaska; an Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation and the Metlakatla Indian Community.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

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

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines. Generally, in the early fall timeframe, the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization issues an annual Funding Guidance that provides the due date and information that should be submitted to request Section 128(a) funds. Interested States and Tribal Nations can also consult the Brownfields website for grant information at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/state-and-tribal-response-program.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Estimated number of awards: 168 awards per year, with amounts (including IIJA funding) ranging from $50,000 to $1,800,000. Average award: approximately $500,000. Awards are made annually.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: In FY25, CERCLA Section 128(a) funds covered a variety of activities that establish or enhance State or Tribal response programs, such as developing inventories of brownfield sites, educating communities about the value of protecting and restoring tribal natural resources and community health, creating or updating the public record, drafting environmental codes and ordinances, or limited site assessments or cleanups at brownfield sites. For other examples of how funding might be used under this assistance listing, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/state-and-tribal-response-program-grants.

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

State and local governments received 74% of the money, tribes 26%.

By state

52 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.