Communities across the nation have a fresh opportunity to revitalize vacant, underused, or contaminated properties through the recently opened U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grants.
The program helps local governments, nonprofits, tribes, and regional organizations transform brownfield properties that may have environmental challenges into new businesses, housing, parks, and community facilities. Brownfields refer to properties that contain—or may contain—hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, which can complicate efforts to expand, redevelop, or repurpose them.
For many communities, brownfields funding is often the missing link that moves a long-stalled property from liability to full redevelopment. Eligible applicants can use grant funding to conduct environmental site assessments, create cleanup plans, support community engagement, and, in some cases, clean up contaminants.
Communities that plan ahead, build partnerships, and engage the public early stand the best chance of securing federal investment.
One such example is the Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD), which was awarded a $1.2 million Assessment Coalition Grant in 2025 by EPA Region 7.
Over the next few years, SENDD will use the award to conduct 30 Phase I and 15 Phase II environmental site assessments, create 16 cleanup plans, and support community engagement across multiple neighborhoods. SENDD will prioritize former industrial sites, grain elevators, salvage yards, power plants, a former municipal airfield, and a former hospital. These types of properties often sit untouched for decades, yet hold great potential for redevelopment once the environmental concerns have been addressed.
Communities planning to apply should begin identifying sites, gathering local data, and meeting with partners as soon as possible to meet the Jan. 28 application deadline. Interested parties in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri should connect with Region 7 brownfields staff and the Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields program, which offers free technical assistance to help prepare strong applications. Download our grant spotlight (found under 'Grant information') to learn more.
