Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants

Federal Agency

Sub-Department

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR)

Purpose

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.

Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements

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.

Decarbonization Considerations

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.

Equity Considerations

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.

Helpful Tips

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.

Other Notes

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