FY23 Guidelines for Brownfield Multipurpose (MP) Grants | EPA OLEM OBLR 22 10

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA OLEM OBLR 22 10

The FY23 Guidelines for Brownfield Multipurpose (MP) Grants is a competitive, discretionary federal funding opportunity run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Brownfields Program. The program is grounded in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, which added Section 104(k) and formally authorized federal financial assistance to help communities tackle brownfield sites through activities like assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan funds. The opportunity also reflects updates made by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-141), which reauthorized the Brownfields Program and introduced additional CERCLA amendments that influence EPA grant authorities as well as certain ownership and liability provisions tied to brownfield properties.

At its core, the Multipurpose Grant guidance is about enabling communities to move beyond planning and into real, coordinated action at brownfield sites. Brownfields are generally properties where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the actual or perceived presence of contamination. EPA frames this grant support as a way to help states, tribal nations, local communities, and nonprofit organizations prevent and address blight, take stock of potential problem properties, evaluate environmental conditions, carry out cleanup where needed, and ultimately return sites to productive use. The Multipurpose model is designed to support a more integrated approach, allowing an eligible recipient to pursue a combination of eligible assessment and cleanup activities under a single award to advance redevelopment outcomes.

This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning EPA anticipates having substantial involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The funding activity category is Environment, and the assistance listing is tied to CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number 66.818, which is associated with EPA brownfields funding. The opportunity number is EPA OLEM OBLR 22 10, indicating it is administered through EPA offices responsible for land and emergency management functions and brownfields reuse.

Funding levels for this competition were substantial. The published award ceiling for a single award was up to $14,000,000, and EPA anticipated making about 17 awards. As a result, the program was positioned to support large, multi-site or multi-phase efforts where communities need enough resources to take sites from early-stage investigation through actionable cleanup and reuse steps, especially where redevelopment has been stalled by uncertainty, cost, or contamination concerns.

Eligibility is noted in the listing as "Others" with additional details referenced in the full guidance under the eligibility clarification section. In practice, EPA brownfields opportunities commonly focus on public sector entities and certain nonprofits, and the description here explicitly highlights states, tribal nations, communities, and nonprofit organizations as the types of entities the Brownfields Program aims to empower. Applicants would need to consult the guidance to confirm precise eligibility rules and any restrictions, including statutory limitations, site eligibility, and requirements tied to ownership, liability protections, or demonstration of the ability to manage federal funds.

Key dates for the FY23 round show the opportunity was posted (creation date) on September 12, 2022, with an original application closing date of November 22, 2022. Applicants in that cycle would have needed to assemble a proposal aligned with EPA's Multipurpose Grant requirements, typically including a clear description of the target area or sites, the environmental and community need, a plan for assessment and/or cleanup activities, community engagement strategies, anticipated outcomes tied to revitalization and reuse, and how the work would be managed and tracked under a cooperative agreement framework.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a major EPA funding pathway for communities trying to turn underused or potentially contaminated properties into assets again. It is anchored in long-standing federal brownfields authority under CERCLA Section 104(k), updated by the BUILD Act, and structured to provide meaningful, flexible support for taking sites through the steps needed to reduce environmental risk, unlock redevelopment, and deliver measurable community benefits.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY23 Guidelines for Brownfield Multipurpose (MP) Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.818.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 12, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 22, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $14,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 17 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EPA OLEM OBLR 22 10

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: