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 2024 Washington Brownfield Workshops
Register for a workshop this September and launch your community's next success story
Got writer's block brownfield's block? Write your next chapter with one of these fun, informative workshops in Washington on September 10, 11, and 12. We're partnering with the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) and three host communities in Richland, North Bend, and Bremerton on one-day workshops for people who want to explore end-use potential for vacant or contaminated properties. Workshops will focus on the needs of smaller communities with populations less than 75,000, but representatives from communities of all sizes are welcome. Lunch and a short walking tour included.
Take advantage of early-bird registration through Friday, August 9!
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$15 for government/nonprofit (increases to $30 after August 9)
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$50 for business/corporate (increases to $65 after August 9)
Topics include:
- Brownfield resources and funding programs
- Overview of Washington’s cleanup process using local examples
- Common challenges and strategies for redeveloping brownfields
- Panel discussion and local case studies
- Site-specific Q&As
Where and when:
Learn more and register. If you have questions, please contact Ali Furmall, Brownfields Program Lead or Elaine Heim, Brownfields Communications Planner.
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Wondering what your community could do with a brownfield? Get inspired with this great idea from Palouse, Washington.
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Funding opportunities
 
EPA's Job Training Grants: Apply by August 15
These grants help nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfields. Graduates develop skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, such as working with hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum products; cleanup and reuse; and chemical safety. Learn more.
For help preparing grant applications:
Apply through Grants.gov by 8:59 p.m. Pacific on Thursday, Aug. 15.
For help preparing a Community Change Grant application, request technical assistance by August 16
EPA's Community Change Grants can help your community tackle big issues such as environmental and climate justice. Twenty-one recipients have already been selected for these grants, including organizations in Spokane, Oregon, and Idaho. Your organization could be selected, too: applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through November 21 and you can get help preparing it if you ask by August 16.
Here's what you need to know:
- EPA's contractor EnDyna is accepting new requests for technical assistance for preparing Community Change Grant applications, but their window closes soon.
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Complete this intake form by 8:59 p.m. Pacific on Friday, August 16.
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Be ready with key elements about your project, such as:
- What environmental and climate justice challenges your community seeks to address
- Prospective partners
- Potential climate action and pollution reduction strategies
- Other aspects outlined in the notice of funding opportunity for the grant.
Other help is available. EnDyna's assistance isn't required to apply for EPA's Community Change Grants, so if you miss the August 16 deadline or don't need their direct help, you can find more resources at the bottom of EnDyna's webpage including past webinars, videos, fact sheets, and FAQs. Materials will be available through November.
Learn more about EPA's Community Change Grants then apply by November 21.
Building Communities Fund grants: Apply by August 22
Washington communities can apply for grants to fund their capital facilities projects during the 2025-27 biennium. Commerce's Building Communities Fund Program awards state grants to nonprofit, community-based organizations to defray a percentage of eligible capital costs to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate nonresidential community and social service centers. There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount. Learn more.
Apply through ZoomGrants by 5 p.m. Pacific on Thursday, August 22.
The ARCs are coming--hooray! (and... huh?)
Every year, EPA offers competitive grants that are bundled as Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) grants.
The Multipurpose grants are only offered every other year, however, which means the ARCs are coming for FY25: Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants. Watch for the solicitation to open likely in September with guidelines at the same time. The application window for this bundle will be just 60 days but you can start prepping for it now.
Other funding opportunities
Washington recreation grants open in August
This August, you can apply for grants from the Washington State Recreation Conservation Office (RCO) for projects that focus on trails, boating, outdoor learning for kids, and firearm and archery ranges. It's the last time applications will be accepted for these grants until 2026 so snag them now. Informational webinars will be offered on Thursday, August 1; visit each grant type for details. Read RCO's newsletter. Learn more.
Housing
Need to update your facility's HVAC? Apply for Commerce's energy efficiency grants by September 25
Public entities in Washington such as local and state agencies, public schools, and federally recognized Tribes can apply for energy efficiency grants from the Washington Dept. of Commerce to make energy retrofits in their facilities. Consider applying if you need to update building systems such as * HVAC * lighting * insulation * windows * heat pump purchase and installation * or geothermal heating.
Learn more and read how the 2022 awardees used their funds. Applications accepted from Monday, Aug. 26 through Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Funding available to nonprofits, municipalities, and federally recognized Tribes for housing activities
Three funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are available to qualified organizations that repair, construct, or develop homes:
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Housing Preservation Grants support repairs and rehabilitation of eligible housing. Electronic applications due 8:59 p.m. Pacific on Monday, July 29.
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Mutual Self-help Housing Technical Assistance Grants support local, self-help housing construction projects. Application deadline remains open.
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Rural Housing Site Loans are used to acquire and develop sites for housing that will be constructed by the Self-Help method. Learn more. Application deadline remains open.
Learn more about USDA's Single Family Housing Programs.
Webinar: Introduction to brightfields on August 6
Register for this upcoming webinar and discover how "brightfields" could be a game changer for your community, bringing jobs, revenue, and clean energy production. Presented by the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Center for Creative Land Recycling.
Webinar: Brownfield reuse process and timeline on August 13
This foundational webinar from CCLR and Groundwork USA offers a high-level overview of the land transformation process, and outlines stages of the entire land revitalization journey, all the way from planning to your celebratory ribbon cutting.
Advance equity with new guide and September 12 webinar
Working with a nonprofit, community group, or local government? Check out Advancing equity in land reuse planning and visioning, a new guide with practical ways for embedding environmental justice principles in every phase of the land reuse process. The 27-page document from the Center for Creative Land Recycling and Groundwork USA contains strategies and best practices such as researching before engaging; meeting people where they are; and facilitating inclusive participation. The companion webinar on September 12 will take a deeper dive and offer tips for navigating the guide effectively.
Financial webinar specifically for Tribes October 15
In the October installment of this financial series, speakers will discuss how tribal governments and their partner organizations are finding new and interesting ways to layer capital for tribal projects. Register even if you can't attend: registrants can access recordings later.
Recorded webinar: Redlining to greenlining: Restorative planning and brownfield reuse
A recording will soon be available from the Center for Creative Land Recyling (CCLR) that reviews the impacts of redlining on American cities. The July 23 webinar helped to understand those “how did we get here” land uses of the past, while the panel examined how communities can guide the reuse of brownfields to mitigate past harms.
Recorded webinar: Establishing a brownfields job training program
Get tips on creating a job training program in your community in a 90-minute recorded webinar from KSU TAB, an EPA technical assistance provider at Kansas State University. Learn more and download resources.
PEER mapping tool helps communities prioritize their brownfields
PEER Tool (Platform for Exploring Environmental Records) aggregates and displays publicly available environmental records from across the nation. Communities can find site data that helps them identify and prioritize brownfields for assessment so they can move their projects forward. The tool was developed by Community Lattice, a partner of EPA's technical service provider at Kansas State University, KSU TAB.
PEER provides a Revitalization Risk Rating (RRR) for each environmental record, which indicates the likelihood of encountering a release of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant on or adjacent to the associated property. The tool can be helpful for locating environmental data that may be incorporated into brownfields or other grant proposals.
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Ecology and EPA mapping tools benefit local communities
Washington state has more than 14,200 contaminated sites and Ecology's What's in My Neighborhood interactive map connects you to data for each of them. The tool pulls data from environmental databases that also populate our Cleanup and Tank Search reports.
While you're in there, you might notice a filter for "brownfields sites." Those 86 projects don't yet tell the story of all brownfields in Washington (that number would be closer to 14,000) but they do begin to tell which projects have received public funding. It's a work in progress as we add more data, so stay tuned.
EPA's Cleanups in My Community interactive map is another great tool with multiple views and site data from all 50 states and U.S. Territories. Start with Washington and let your fingers do the walking.
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New essays focus on frontline communities, building resiliency
A new book from finance, community, and climate leaders is on bookstands called What’s possible: Investing NOW for prosperous, sustainable neighborhoods. Learn more in the July 8, 2024 SmartCitiesDive article.
Conferences
Oregon Brownfields Conference in Corvallis August 20–21
Connect with environmental and policy experts from EPA, Oregon Dept. of Enviromental Quality, Business Oregon, and others at NEBC's 2-day Oregon Brownfields Conference in Corvallis on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 20–21. The event will feature walking tours of South Corvallis Housing Development and Albany Riverfront. Learn more and register.
IACC in Wenatchee: Registration opens mid-August
The annual, 3-day conference in Wenatchee hosted by Washington's Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council is an excellent opportunity for communities to connect. Explore the 2023 presentations. Learn more.
Chicago hosting 2025 EPA National Brownfields Conference
EPA's major brownfields conference happens every two years and Chicago, Illinois, will host the next one on August 5–8, 2025. Explore photos and presentations from the 2023 event in Detroit to learn why this conference is a good one to keep on your radar.
Contact us if you have a brownfield project!
Catch the latest updates:
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Español (Spanish)
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Si tiene preguntas o desea obtener más información sobre propiedades o terrenos abandonados o subutilizados que podrían tener contaminación ambiental pero potencialmente ser aptos para revitalización, comuníquese con: Elaine Heim, elaine.heim@ecy.wa.gov (360) 584-3750
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中文 (Chinese)
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如果您有任何疑問或想瞭解更多關於棕地即曾經的工業或商業用地的資訊，請聯繫 : Elaine Heim, elaine.heim@ecy.wa.gov (360) 584-3750
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Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
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Nếu quý vị có câu hỏi hoặc muốn biết thêm thông tin về bất động sản bị bỏ hoang hoặc không sử dụng có thể gây ô nhiễm môi trường, được gọi là “brownfields” vui lòng liên hệ : Elaine Heim, elaine.heim@ecy.wa.gov (360) 584-3750
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한국어 (Korean)
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브라운필드 (환경오염이 가능한 버려지거나 잘 사용되지 않는 부지)에 대해 질문이 있거나, 더 많은 정보를 원하시면 다음 연락처로 문의하세요: Elaine Heim, elaine.heim@ecy.wa.gov (360) 584-3750
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