Turn Brownfields Projects Green with EPA Dollars

Over the past few years, there has been a strong movement toward the cleanup of brownfields sites--areas contaminated by former industrial properties. To help communities afford this cleanup, and to redevelop brownfields areas into aesthetically pleasing, useful properties, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established several funding programs.

This funding does not come easily, as cities are required to participate in an extensive, detailed application process to receive money. For cities new to the funding application process, this money can seem unattainable.

Writing a successful grant application is not a quick nor easy task. While there is a considerable amount of homework that must be completed before you can even begin to prepare the proposal, once you are comfortable with the application, the process becomes manageable.

There are three EPA grants available to communities seeking funding for the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields sites: the Brownfields Assessment Grant Program, the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program and the Cleanup Grant. Each grant has a different set of requirements and criteria for the distribution of funds. Becoming familiar with the criteria is an essential first step. Not only because it will help you successfully secure the funds you need, but knowledge of the intricacies of each grants requirements will help you determine which of the EPAs grants is the best fit for your community.

Because so many communities will be competing for funding in the coming year, getting a leg up on your competition is a must. Following these simple dos and donts will help arm you as you battle it out with other cities for these coveted grants.

Do

...become familiar with the application in advance, and start early so you can be sure that all of the criteria will be met.

--contact your EPA representative early to avoid any missteps.

--carefully document everything you do in your pre-application work (e.g. public involvement meeting, notices, etc.).

--involve as many people and organizations as possible to show community involvement and dedication to the project.

--develop a specific plan, because youll be required to outline many of your proposed steps in the application.

--include your past experience with grant management in the application.

--link your project with the EPAs priorities (e.g. green building, smart growth, etc.)

--be able to show the EPA exactly how you intend to use the money.

--provide perspective about how pervasive the brownfields are in your community and why the area is important.

Donts

--let yourself be intimidated by the application process.

--procrastinate the preplanning.

--be afraid to show your passion for the project in your application.

--forget to allocate some of the funds in your budget to some of the most obvious tasks (e.g. establishing the grant, promoting the program, and servicing loans).

--list any references that you are not comfortable having the EPA contact.

--be vague because the EPA will want to know that you have

thought through the project from pre-planning to finish. --leave out any details regarding the cleanups benefit to the community.

--neglect your communications responsibilities; hold public meetings, post information to a dedicated Web site and keep a copy of the application on file at the library.

The EPA grant process can be intimidating, and many cities look to consultants for help wading through the process. Partnering with these experts can give you the right combination of thorough research, smart strategy and concise writing to turn you into one of the successful professionals who are reshaping this country, one brownfields project at a time.

Editors Note: Jim Halverson is a senior project manager and grant writer for Howard R. Green Company (HRG). One of HRGs most successful grant writers, Halverson has won funding on every grant he has authored for HRG clients. He recently presented a workshop on how to compete for these coveted EPA Brownfields grants at the EPA Brownfields 2004 Conference in St. Louis, Mo.