Assessment Grants
About
Local government entities and some non-profits within the State of North Carolina may be eligible to apply for assistance through the federal EPA Brownfields Program. The below information should help you navigate the federal application process.
News Items
Brownfields 2025
The FY25 EPA Brownfields Assessment grant application guidelines will be released this fall. More information can be found, here.
Resources for Communities and Future Applicants
- The Development Finance Initiative (DFI) at the UNC School of Government provides specialized finance and development expertise to local governments to attract private investment for projects, including sites where redevelopment has been difficult in the past. DFI partners with communities on building reuse and downtown revitalization, community and neighborhood development, economic development, and more.
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand announced that USDA is seeking grant applications for projects to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development in rural areas. To view the full list of notices and grants available please see the following link: https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas.
- The EPA administers small Technical Assistance Grants to communities through the state Brownfields Programs, currently, one grant is awarded per state, in the amount of $20,000 and is intended for technical advisory support or market research funding. The 2021 TAG community in North Carolina was the Town of Mayodan, and the state submitted an application on its behalf. If your community has need for such assistance as outlined on the EPA website, please contact one of the below EPA liaisons. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/technical-assistance-grant-tag-program
Recent Grantees
The EPA press release and detailed and searchable information on the following grantees may be found here: https://java.epa.gov/acrespub/gfs/.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact our EPA Liaisons listed below:
Jordan Thompson: by phone at 704-223-6549 (cell); or by email at jordan.thompson@deq.nc.gov
Kaili Matiaco: by phone at 910-508-2214 (cell); or by email at kaili.matiaco@deq.nc.gov
NC DEQ Brownfields Redevelopment Section Awarded a $2MM CWAG-ST Grant
In 2022, DEQ BRS was awarded $2 million from a Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes (CWAG-ST) grant in which funds have been used to cover 10 Phase I ESAs, 15 Phase II ESAs, 3 Structural Evaluations, and 2 Environmental Management Plans.
This fall, BRS is applying for another $2 million Assessment grant to complete site assessments across the entire state. DEQ will continue to use these grant funds for environmental assessments (Phase I ESA, Phase II ESA, etc.), reuse planning, community engagement, and grant management. The priority area will encompass the entire State, which is a shift from the previous assessment grant's three target areas.
This Summer, DEQ BRS has collaborated with other DEQ Sections within the Division of Waste Management (DWM) and received a non-competitive EPA Helene Recover grant. Over $60 million will be used to assist countless communities within the affected disaster areas. DEQ BRS is actively seeking sites that have become idled following Hurricane Helene.
Additionally, the Grant Collaborative, lead by Jordan Thompson, has secured EPA Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) for the Town of Pembroke, City of Marion, and the Town of Belhaven.
In 2022, DEQ BRS was awarded $2 million from a Community-Wide Assessment Grant for States and Tribes (CWAG-ST) grant in which funds have been used to cover 10 Phase I ESAs, 15 Phase II ESAs, 3 Structural Evaluations, and 2 Environmental Management Plans.
This fall, BRS is applying for another $2 million Assessment grant to complete site assessments across the entire state. DEQ will continue to use these grant funds for environmental assessments (Phase I ESA, Phase II ESA, etc.), reuse planning, community engagement, and grant management.
Ideal sites would be municipality-owned/operated/of interest for municipality purchase, hindered by real/perceived contamination, have geospatial indicators of potential climate change risk, and be in an area of targeted growth with economic development potential. The priority area will encompass the entire State, which is a shift from the previous assessment grant's three target areas. Sites may also have a developer interested in cooperating with municipalities for redevelopment opportunities.
This Summer, DEQ BRS has collaborated with other DEQ Sections within the Division of Waste Management (DWM) and received a non-competitive EPA Helene Recover grant. Over $60 million will be used to assist countless communities within the affected disaster areas. DEQ BRS is actively seeking sites that have become idled following Hurricane Helene.
Providing access to grant related documents is a priority. All grant related work is saved on the Laserfiche WebLink repository. To access completed CWAG-ST Grant files, go to the Laserfiche WebLink and type in 000MARC in the "Search in WebLink" search bar.
Types of documents that will be stored here include:
- DEQ Grant Work Plan
- Community Involvement Plan
- Stakeholder meeting presentation slides
- Stakeholder meeting recordings (if available, not all are recorded)
- Site specific project files
Part of our outreach efforts include preparation of annual newsletters! These newsletters are targeted to municipalities, regional councils of government, and other entities interested in Brownfields redevelopment across NC! Click the links below to view recent issues.
To subscribe to receive the annual newsletter, email jordan.thompson@deq.nc.gov.
Quarterly Brownfields Community Network (BCN) Quarterly Meeting - October
FY25 Community-Wise Assessment Grant for States and Tribes (CWAG-ST) grant Application guidelines release - TBA
In 2022, BRS received $2 million from an EPA Brownfields MARC grant, in which funds have covered:
- 10 Phase I ESAs
- 15 Phase II ESAs
- 3 Structural Evaluations
- 2 Environmental Management Plans
Brownfields Community Network and Outreach
Our stakeholder group consists of local governments, regional councils of governments, DEQ staff and others. We meet quarterly to discuss progress reports on grant activities and frequently have guest speakers to talk about additional resources available.
Interested in attending the stakeholder meetings, getting on the newsletter mailing list, or finding out if your community qualifies for an assessment? Would you like someone from the DEQ Brownfields Redevelopment Section to speak at your event? Contact the grant coordinator, Jordan Thompson at jordan.thompson@deq.nc.gov or 704-223-6549 .
Recordings of Past Meetings
Recordings of past meetings may be found in our online document repository which can be accessed at the link below: