Brownfields Buzz

Your hub for brownfields spotlights, tools, events, news, and more

October, 2024

Spotlight

FY25 Brownfields Grant Competition:

Last Minute Notes & Reminders

As the November 14 application deadline for the FY25 Brownfields Grant competition rapidly approaches, here are a few final notes and reminders.

The grant guidelines for the Community-wide Assessment, Assessment Coalition, Community-wide Assessments for States and Tribes, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants, along with other important EPA resources can be found here.

Please remember that you must include a letter from your State or Tribal Environmental Authority, as noted in the grant guidelines. Do not wait until the last minute to make this request! Your proposal will not

We have put together a selection of Helpful Hints for each of the grant types that may provide useful advice and tips for a more successful application. Click here to access them.

The Helpful Hints can also be found in our TAB EZ Grant Writing e-tool, which provides a template for each of the EPA Brownfields grants being offered during the grant cycle and walks you through the proposal section by section, offering helpful hints and other tips for writing a successful application. Here is a great tutorial to help you get started with TAB EZ.

KSU TAB is pleased to provide a review of your proposal, offering suggestions to increase the competitiveness. If you would like to have your proposal reviewed by one of our grant writing experts, reach out to Scott Nightingale (scottnight@ksu.edu) as soon as possible. We will be officially accepting proposals until 12:00pm (noon) Central Time on Friday, November 8. However, we suggest getting them to us as soon as possible to ensure a full and thorough review, while also allowing time for you to make any necessary revisions.

If you are located outside of KSU TAB’s service area in EPA Regions 5-8, other Regional TAB providers are available to review your proposals too! You can search this map by state to connect with your local TAB provider.

Happy Writing and Good Luck!!

Toolbox

We’re excited to offer a sneak peek at the new Brownfields Inventory Tool, or BiT, User Interface (UI) scheduled for release by the end of the year. BiT is part of KSU TAB’s suite of E-Tools and helps communities develop, prioritize, and maintain their comprehensive brownfields site inventories and assists with brownfields program management. The updated BiT UI will offer an easier flow and self-guidance for creating a brownfields program, adding sites, updating site information - including funding sources, and much more. Stay tuned for all the exciting update information coming soon!! For instructions on how to get started with BiT, click here, or contact Maggie Belanger or Cynthia Annett for further assistance.

Events

If you would like to attend this event virtually, please click here for registration.

Brightfields Academy Workshop #4:

Strategically Integrating Brightfields into Brownfields Grant Applications Part II

Register here for the upcoming “Strategically Integrating Brightfields into Brownfield Grant Applications Part II” workshop on November 7 at 10:00am CT. This workshop is the fourth in this five-part series. This is the second part of a two-part series on integrating clean energy reuse into EPA Brownfields Grant applications, with Part I having taken place on October 22, 2024.

This workshop will dive into specific strategies for integrating clean energy reuse into your EPA Brownfields Grant applications, and providing best practices, sample wording, and resources. Many of the tips and strategies discussed will also be applicable to a wide range of funding and financing opportunities.

If you missed the previous workshops that have been part of this series, click here for slides and recordings from these events.

For any questions about the Brightfields Academy, direct technical assistance for your project or to be added to the email list for future updates, please contact Jubing Ge at jge@rmi.org.

In addition, KSU TAB has regional and national events that will be scheduled throughout the year. Please visit our Events webpage to find an event near you!

News & Noteworthy

2025 National Brownfields Training Conference

Call for Ideas is Open

The National Brownfields Training Conference features a dynamic educational program of speakers, discussions, mobile workshops, films and other learning formats that are calibrated to provide you with case study examples, program updates, and useful strategies for meeting your brownfield challenges head on. The exceptional training offered by the Brownfields Conference has something for both beginners and seasoned professionals.

EPA and ICMA invite you to submit your ideas for dynamic educational sessions that encourage conversation and participation from your fellow attendees at the 2025 Brownfields Conference in Chicago, IL August 5-8, 2025. Submissions should explore the latest and greatest tools, methods, trends and case studies in brownfields redevelopment and revitalization. If you have a brownfields success story or knowledge and experience in brownfields topics, this is your chance to share it with your colleagues. Learn more about the Brownfields Conference and how to submit a session on the new website gobrownfields.org!

The Call for Ideas will close on December 20, 2024. Support the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference by joining the Local Planning Committee and subscribing to the Conference newsletter.

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