Brownfields 2026 Multipurpose Fact Sheet

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed, and underemployed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field.Brownfields Job Training Grants fund training programs that strengthen local workforces by preparing program graduates for environmental jobs that support cleanup and revitalization efforts in their own communities.Training may include a range of brownfield-related environmental skills such as the assessment and cleanup of solid and hazardous waste; chemical risk management; stormwater management relating to site cleanup; planning and site preparation for low-impact development activities; site preparation for green infrastructure installation; and vulnerability assessment and contamination mitigation planning.Please carefully review Section 4.E. of these guidelines, Section IV of EPA NOFO Clauses, and the Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-brownfields-job-training-jt-grants. A checklist of required application forms and documents is in Section 4.A.For the purposes of these guidelines, the term “grant” refers to the cooperative agreement that EPA will award to a successful applicant. In this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), “Project” refers to the applicant’s proposed Brownfields Job Training effort to be funded under this competition. Unless otherwise noted, “training program” is used synonymously with “project.” Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-26-01. Assistance Listing: 66.815. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: ENV. Award Amount: Up to $300K per award.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) section 1459E to accelerate career pipelines in the water utilities sector and provide access to water utility workforce opportunities. This action advances the Administration’s priorities, including the goals of Make America Healthy Again, by focusing on building the nation’s water workforce which is critical to ensuring public health and environment protection. Consistent with the law, this action will help inform people about the role of water and wastewater utilities in their communities and increase the awareness of water utility career opportunities.The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support expanding career opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and elevating public awareness about jobs in the water workforce. Eligible applicants under this funding opportunity are Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), nonprofit organizations, and public works departments and agencies. Eligible activities include apprenticeship and internship programs, education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students, regional industry collaborations, and training programs designed to support decentralized workforce. Efforts should aim for measurable results and clearly show tangible benefits for water systems and communities. The proposed activities support the Agency’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative’s Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American. Examples include training individuals through an apprenticeship program and placing them into water sector jobs, training individuals for industry accreditation, and developing collaborations with community colleges, technical schools, utilities to address the water utility employment needs. Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OW-OWM-26-03. Assistance Listing: 66.445. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: ED. Award Amount: Up to $7.8M per award.

Brownfields Job Training Grants is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program provides grants to eligible organizations, including nonprofits, to develop local workforces for the assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites (brownfields) for reuse. The grants fund training programs that equip unemployed and underemployed residents with skills for full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including sustainable remediation and chemical safety.

Transformative Climate Communities Round 6 IMPLEMENTATION Grant (FY 25-26) is sponsored by Strategic Growth Council. The TCC Program furthers the purposes of AB 32 (Nunez, 2006) and AB 2722 (Burke, 2016) by funding projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include multiple coordinated GHG emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities. The Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program, established by AB 2722 (Burke, 2016), invests in community-led climate resilience projects in the state’s most overburdened communities. The program objectives are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health and the environment, and support economic opportunity and shared prosperity. TCC’s unique, place-based strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is designed to catalyze collective impact through a combination of community-driven climate projects in a single neighborhood. TCC Implementation Grants fund neighborhood-scale applications that include multiple, coordinated projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver broader community benefits. These grants support climate resilience projects and infrastructure that respond to community-identified needs in Tribal, disadvantaged, and low-income communities. TCC Planning Grants and Project Development Grants support planning and pre-development activities to prepare for future funding opportunities and advance community-led goals and projects. Please see separate Grants Portal entries for information on Planning Grants and Project Development Grants. Implementation project examples include, but are not limited to: · Equitable housing and neighborhood development · Land acquisition for neighborhood stabilization · Transit access and mobility · Solar installation and energy efficiency · Water efficiency and resiliency · Recycling, composting, and waste reduction · Health equity and well-being · Indoor air quality · Community microgrids · Brownfield redevelopment · Community resilience centers At least 2 Co-Applicants are required. All Lead and Co-Applicants, with local residents and leadership, must form a Collaborative Governance Structure to develop a shared vision of transformation for their community. This may include: · Community-based organizations · Local governments · Nonprofit organizations · Philanthropic organizations and foundations · Faith-based organizations · Coalitions or associations of nonprofits · Community development finance institutions · Community development corporations · Joint powers authorities · California Native American Tribes Applicants from Tribal Communities, Tribally-owned non-profits, and with Project Areas in Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities are prioritized for Application Technical Assistance. July 31, 2026, is the priority deadline to request Application Technical Assistance via the TA Application Request Form. Application TA services may be available to additional applicants depending on funding availability and TA provider capacity after the July 31st deadline. Applicants must submit a Pre-Proposal by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2026. Though submission of a Pre-Proposal is required for all Implementation Grant Applicants, the content of the proposal will not affect evaluation of the final application or disqualify Applicants from submitting an application.