US EPA offers brownfields-related funding

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for its fiscal year 2026 Brownfields Job Training Grants Program.

EPA says the grants are a demonstration of the agency’s commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while remaining good stewards of tax dollars and advancing policies to energize the economy.

“The Brownfields Job Training Grants Program is a prime example of how we can be both environmental stewards and champions of good-paying jobs for American families,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says.

The funding can help communities address challenges posed by brownfield (abandoned or vacant and contaminated) sites through job training programs that work in tandem with remediation and redevelopment efforts, according to the agency.

Grants are selected through a competitive process and are available for up to $500,000 and a project period timeline of up to five years. The total amount of funding available ranges from $10 million to $14 million.

The grant application can be found on a U.S. government website, and applicants must apply by Sept. 26.

The EPA brownfields program began in 1995 and subsequently has provided nearly $2.9 billion in brownfield grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments have leveraged more than $42 billion for cleanup and redevelopment and have created more than 220,500 jobs, according to the EPA.