Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grants
Community-wide Assessment Grants pay for inventories, Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, cleanup and reuse planning, and community engagement at brownfield sites in a defined target area. Applications are scored on a 155-point scale across four narrative criteria, with task descriptions and cost estimates carrying the most weight. The Brownfields Program continued through the 2025 federal changes; check each year's guidelines for policy updates on match and grant types.
Program facts
- Agency
- Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR), Office of Land and Emergency Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Assistance Listing
- 66.818
- Statutory authority
- CERCLA Section 104(k)(2) (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)), as amended by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002 and the BUILD Act of 2018; recent cycles funded in part by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58)
- Award ceiling
- Up to $500,000 for Community-wide Assessment Grants (up to $1,000,000 for Assessment Coalitions); no more than $200,000 per site without a waiver
- Awards
- The FY2026 Community-wide Assessment guidelines anticipated up to 70 awards from about $35 million; EPA's pre-release FY2027 estimates list about 30 community-wide grants
- Period of performance
- Up to 4 years
- Cost share
- None required for Assessment Grants (CERCLA 104(k)(7)); EPA has signaled a 20% match for FY2027 Cleanup and RLF grants
- Cycle
- Guidelines usually post in the fall with a deadline about 60 days later: FY2026 opened November 20, 2025 and closed January 28, 2026. EPA anticipates FY2027 Assessment and RLF solicitations in fall 2026 and has said no Multipurpose solicitation will be issued in FY2027
Program goals
- Inventory, characterize and assess brownfield sites in a target area
- Plan cleanup and reuse that returns sites to productive use
- Engage residents and local partners in site selection and reuse decisions
- Leverage additional public and private investment for redevelopment
Scoring rubric
Project area description and plans for revitalization40
The target area and its brownfield challenges, specific priority sites, how additional sites will be identified, a reuse strategy aligned with adopted plans, outcomes, resources for reuse, and use of existing infrastructure.
Community need and community engagement35
Why the community cannot fund assessment itself, effects on sensitive populations and health, economic impact, named project partners and roles, and how input will be gathered and acted on.
Task descriptions, cost estimates and measuring progress45
Discrete tasks with schedules and leads, outputs, cost estimates worth 15 points on their own with unit costs shown, and a plan to track and report results in ACRES.
Programmatic capability and past performance35
Organizational capacity and structure, key staff, plans to acquire additional resources, and either past brownfields grant accomplishments and compliance or other federal and non-federal grant history.
Point values are from the FY2026 Guidelines for Brownfield Community-wide Assessment Grants (EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-04), 155 points total. FY2027 guidelines had not posted as of October 2026; confirm against the new guidelines when released.
Eligibility
- General purpose units of local government, including counties, cities, school districts, special districts and councils of governments
- Land clearance authorities, redevelopment agencies, regional councils and government entities created by state legislatures
- Federally recognized Tribes other than in Alaska, plus Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations and the Metlakatla Indian Community
- 501(c)(3) nonprofits, LLCs and LPs controlled by 501(c)(3)s, and qualified community development entities
- Non-501(c)(3) nonprofits and for-profits are ineligible; states and Tribes apply under a separate state and Tribal assessment track
- Applicants with an open Assessment or Multipurpose grant must show the available balance under the threshold criteria
Required attachments
- SF-424 and SF-424A
- EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54 and EPA Form 4700-4 Preaward Compliance Review Report
- Application Information Sheet on letterhead (3 pages maximum)
- Letter from the State or Tribal environmental authority
- Narrative responding to the ranking criteria (10 pages maximum)
- Threshold criteria responses: applicant eligibility, community involvement, open grant balances, and contractor and subrecipient procurement documentation
- Grants.gov lobbying form for requests over $100,000 and indirect cost rate agreement, if applicable
Formatting rules
- Narrative limited to 10 single-spaced pages including citations; pages over the limit are not considered
- Application Information Sheet limited to 3 single-spaced pages
- Letter-size paper, Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri, 12-point font
- Photos, graphics and attachments not listed in the guidelines are not considered
Why applications lose points
- Missing the state or Tribal environmental authority letter, which is a threshold requirement
- Procuring a contractor without documenting a competitive process consistent with 2 CFR 200
- Cost estimates without unit costs or with administrative costs above the 5% limit
- Priority sites described vaguely, with no ownership, contamination or reuse details
- Community engagement described in generic terms with no named partners or roles
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with EPA Brownfields Assessment
- 1.Drafts the 10-page narrative criterion by criterion with a running page count and the exact criteria numbering reviewers expect
- 2.Builds the task and cost table with unit costs from your consultant's estimates and checks the 5% administrative limit
- 3.Pulls site histories and Phase I findings from the vault and cites each one in the priority site description
- 4.Generates the threshold criteria response set and a checklist for the state environmental authority letter
Questions, answered
Can a nonprofit apply?
Yes, if it is a 501(c)(3). Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status and for-profit entities are not eligible for Assessment Grants.
Is there a match for assessment grants?
No. CERCLA 104(k)(7) does not require cost share for assessment grants. EPA has indicated a 20% match for FY2027 Cleanup and RLF grants, so check the specific track.
Should we hire the environmental consultant before applying?
You may, but you must document a procurement that complies with 2 CFR 200.317-200.327 and include the solicitation and contract in the threshold responses.
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