Funding Guidance
America’s Federal Funding Opportunities and Resources for Decarbonization
This tool is primarily intended to streamline state, local, non-profit, and community efforts to increase understanding of eligible funding, tax credits, and other incentives relevant to your project, goals, and community. The tool focuses on decarbonization efforts, including electricity, transportation, buildings, and resilient energy systems. It does not exhaustively capture federal resources for other topics. Use the filters below to sort available funding sources automatically and focus on the funding sources relevant to your project, goals, and community. Then use the compare feature to select up to 4 programs most relevant to review side-by-side.
Updates
The AFFORD tool will be updated on a monthly basis until otherwise noted. This version of AFFORD was last updated in January 2024.
Learn More
For more information on the AFFORD tool, check out our Funding Guidance. Contact Matthew Popkin (mpopkin@rmi.org) or Alex Dane (alex.dane@wri.org) with any questions or feedback.
Displaying 5 out of 263 Funding Opportunities
| New or Existing | Program Name | Purpose | Agency | Sub-Department | Eligibility Requirements | Matching | Funding Available | Max Award | Expected Allocations | Average Award | Deadline | Decarbonization Considerations | Equity Considerations | Helpful Tips | Other Notes | Only for Federal Emergency Declaration? | Webpage |
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| Existing - IIJA Increase |
Brownfields Assessment Grants
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To evaluate potentially contaminated sites that may need cleanup from prior use. The program offers community-wide assessments for multiple community sites, site-specific grants for an already identified single-site project focus, and assessment coalition grants to increase the capacity of multijurisdictional entities to assess sites in multiple communities. | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) | All applicants must meet the "threshold criteria" as outlined in the updated notice of funding opportunity. | Not required | $80,500,000 | Varies by type of assessment grant | 98 | $821,429 | November 13, 2023 | Transforming underutilized or abandoned sites in your community into revitalized energy hubs can also spur economic revitalization. These funds can help determine which brownfields and closed landfill sites may be good fits for hosting solar or other renewable energy. The EPA offers explicit guidance for considering such "brightfields" projects: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/are-you-considering-renewable-energy-or-energy-efficient-approaches-your-brownfields | A critical part of the program is to ensure that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination have an opportunity to reap the benefits from brownfields redevelopment. For example, large brownfield sites can be future hubs for new manufacturing and clean energy jobs and offer opportunities to improve distributional equity where communities were previously neglected. | There are 3 different types of assessment grants. Review each type to determine which is most relevant to your community or project: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343486 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343466 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343484 | The IIJA authorized $1.5 billion in Additional funding over 5 years to scale up EPA's brownfields revitalization program. | No | https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-assessment-grants |
| Existing - IIJA Increase |
Brownfields Cleanup Grants
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To clean up one brownfield site, or multiple brownfield sites, contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum. | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) | Applicants must own the site for which they are requesting funding and may submit one Cleanup Grant proposal each competition cycle. | Not required | $60,000,000 | $2,000,000 | 40 | $1,500,000 | November 13, 2023 | Cleanup grants can help accelerate reuse of brownfield sites, including enhancing site readiness for hosting solar or other renewable energy or other sustainable economic development. | Cleaning up contaminated sites of any size often yields immediate environmental and human health, environmental justice benefit, and distributional equity benefits. | National program priorities tend to change each year, so be sure to tailor your application to the current guidance. | The IIJA authorized $1.5 billion in Additional funding over 5 years to scale up EPA's brownfields revitalization program. | No | https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-cleanup-grants |
| Existing - IIJA Increase |
Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants
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To deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field. | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) | Eligible entities include states, local governments, land clearance authorities or other quasi-governmental entities, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, tribes, non-profits, etc. Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training to be provided to all individuals being trained. Applicants may propose forming a coalition to carry out their Brownfields Job Training program. Current EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients must demonstrate that the recipient has received payment from EPA (also known as ‘drawn down’), and drawn down funds have been disbursed, for at least 50.00% of the funding for each Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreement by June 1, 2024, in order to apply for funding under this solicitation. Alternatively, the applicant must affirm it does not have an open EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant. | Not required | $12,000,000 | $500,000 | 24 | $500,000 | August 2, 2023 | Job Training Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfields. Through the Program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, water quality improvement, chemical safety, and emergency response. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities. | Each activity must meet one of the following national objectives for the program: benefit low- and moderate-income persons, prevention or elimination of slums or blight, or address community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available. Employers, workforce investment boards (WIBs), community colleges, and community-based organizations provide critical partnerships needed to deliver a successful training program – especially since grant funds may not be used to provide life skills training or social services which can be leveraged through these partnerships. | Applicants who hold a community meeting, notify the community about the proposed environmental training program prior to submission of an application, and work with and solicit feedback from diverse community constituents about the proposed program prior to submission typically have stronger applications. | Note this was previously known as Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Grants. EPA's Program Brochure and Success Stories: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-03/documents/final_ewdjt_tri-fold_brochure_7-30-15_0.pdf Renewable Energy or Energy-Efficient Approaches in Brownfields Redevelopment Fact Sheet: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-08/documents/renewable_energy_or_energy-efficient_approaches.pdf | No | https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-ewdjt-grants |
| Existing - IIJA Increase |
Brownfields Multipurpose (MP) Grants
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To provide grant funding for a range of eligible purposes, including developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, engaging community stakeholders, conducting assessments, developing cleanup and reuse plans for key sites, conducting cleanup activities, and developing a revitalization plan. | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) | All applicants must meet the "threshold criteria" as outlined in the updated notice of funding opportunity. | Not required | $14,000,000 | $800,000 | 17 | $823,529 | November 13, 2023 | Transforming underutilized or abandoned sites in your community into revitalized energy hubs can also spur economic revitalization. These funds are meant to be transformative in efficiently addressing multiple stages of project redevelopment. Such funding could help communities inventory and prioritize brownfield sites for hosting renewable energy and develop cleanup plans, if needed, as well as reuse and revitalization plans. Funding could also help plan, assess, cleanup, and reinvent a larger industrial site for new clean energy manufacturing. | Large brownfield sites can be future hubs for new manufacturing and clean energy jobs and offer opportunities to improve distributional equity where communities were previously neglected. Funding can be specifically used to conduct community engagement activities. | This program has typically been offered every two years, unlike the annually recurring assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund grants. These are highly competitive projects geared at sites with the most compelling reuse. EPA's RE-Powering America's Land program offers detailed reports, case studies, and guidance for those looking to deploy renewable energy on brownfields: https://www.epa.gov/re-powering | EPA requests that, if applicable, the applicant describe how the reuse of the priority site(s) will facilitate renewable energy from wind, solar, or geothermal energy; or will incorporate energy efficiency measures. For more information on clean energy reuse options, check out EPA's RE-Powering America's Lands initiative. | No | https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-multipurpose-grants |
| Existing - IIJA Increase |
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
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To provide seed money to capitalize a revolving loan fund program including loans and subgrants to clean up and remediate sites across a region or community. Revolving loan funds are used to provide no-interest or low-interest loans for eligible brownfield cleanups, subgrants for cleanups, and other eligible programmatic costs necessary to manage the loan fund. | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) | Recipients must have a strong understanding of real estate financing principles and approaches, including loan underwriting, loan servicing, and credit analysis. Recipients also need to have the ability to market the program on an on-going basis during the performance period of the grant and after the closeout of the RLF Grant. Recipients commit to properly manage funds and program income generated by their program until its official close. Only entities without open RLF cooperative agreements are eligible to apply. | Not required | $10,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 10 | $1,000,000 | Supplemental grant request due March 15, 2024 | These funds are meant to be transformative in efficiently cleaning up multiple sites for reuse. Consider pursuing with intent to reuse and convert of multiple brownfields into brightfields with one bulk procurement, either on a single or multijurisdictional basis. | This is an opportunity for communities to take ownership of seed funding to accelerate the long-term revitalization of multiple brownfields. Consider creating regional partnerships to leverage financial, marketing, and program administration experience in order to build capacity for localized loans and subgrants. Using this funding to create new hubs for clean energy manufacturing and jobs and offer opportunities to improve distributional equity where communities were previously neglected. | These are highly competitive projects geared at communities with extensive brownfield sites. If structured correctly, these revolving loan fund programs can generate program income from repayment of loans to sustain programs from a few years to decades. | If selected, the lead entity will be the grant recipient and must administer the grant, be accountable to EPA for proper expenditure of the funds and be the point of contact for the other coalition members. In addition, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) documenting the coalition’s site selection process must be in place prior to the expenditure of any funds that are awarded. The coalition members should identify and establish relationships necessary to achieve the project’s goal. A process for successful execution of the project’s goal, including a description and role of each coalition member, should be established along with the MOA. The purpose of the MOA is for coalition members to agree internally on the distribution of funds and the mechanisms for implementing the cleanup work. $60 million in supplemental funding is available for entities that have an open Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund grant. See here for application details: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/fy-2024-availability-supplemental-funds-eligible-brownfields-revolving-loan-fund-grants | No | https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-revolving-loan-fund-rlf-grants |
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To evaluate potentially contaminated sites that may need cleanup from prior use. The program offers community-wide assessments for multiple community sites, site-specific grants for an already identified single-site project focus, and assessment coalition grants to increase the capacity of multijurisdictional entities to assess sites in multiple communities.Compare
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To clean up one brownfield site, or multiple brownfield sites, contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum.Compare
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To deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field.Compare
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To provide grant funding for a range of eligible purposes, including developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, engaging community stakeholders, conducting assessments, developing cleanup and reuse plans for key sites, conducting cleanup activities, and developing a revitalization plan.Compare
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To provide seed money to capitalize a revolving loan fund program including loans and subgrants to clean up and remediate sites across a region or community. Revolving loan funds are used to provide no-interest or low-interest loans for eligible brownfield cleanups, subgrants for cleanups, and other eligible programmatic costs necessary to manage the loan fund.Compare