The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting grant proposals for the FY 2014 Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup, and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF).  The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 22, 2014.  The EPA is also offering a  series of brownfield grant writing classes to assist interested parties in preparing their proposals on December 6.  From the EPA’s website:

EPA Region 3 invites you to participate in its upcoming Brownfields Grant Proposal Writing Workshops. The workshops are designed to assist local governments and nonprofit organizations to better understand the proposal criteria and selection process. The following topics will be addressed during the workshops:
· the different types of EPA Brownfields grants and the candidates eligible to apply,
· the grant application process including how to respond to the threshold and ranking criteria, and
· proposal writing tips and strategies.

Who Should Participate?
Local, county, and regional governments and nonprofit organizations who are currently considering applying for an EPA Brownfields assessment, cleanup, or RLF grant are strongly urged to participate in this training.

Workshop Dates:
Training is in two parts.

1.  Overview of EPA’s Brownfields Program and Review of the Threshold Criteria:   
Date: Friday, December 6, 2013
Time: 10:00 – 12:00 noon
Webinar Information:
Phone Number 866-299-3188
Conference Code 2158144321#
https://epa.connectsolutions.com/r35fkjljlcj/   (No need to log in. Just sign in as a guest.)
If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before:
Test your connection: https://epa.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

2.  Review of the Ranking Criteria:

Participation in these workshops can be by webinar or you may come to the EPA Mid-Atlantic Office. If you wish to participate in person, please contact Jennifer Hill (no later than December 10) by phone at 215-814-5742 or email Hill.JenniferE@epa.gov.

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013
Time:   9:30 – 11:30am           Assessment Grants
Time:   12:00 – 2:00pm           Cleanup Grants
Time:   2:30 – 4:30pm             Revolving Loan Fund Grants

Webinar Information:
Phone Number 866-299-3188
Conference Code 2158144321#
https://epa.connectsolutions.com/r35fkjljlcj/  (No need to log in. Just sign in as a guest.)

How to Access Training Material:
Proposal Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be found at the EPA Headquarters website:   http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/news/index.htm#fy2014_barlf

PowerPoint slide presentations, state contacts, ABCA example, and other useful material can be found at the EPA Region 3 website. The material is currently being updated.   http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/bf-lr/bf-grants.html

The EPA website link also includes information on other Brownfield grant writing training on December 10 and December 13 and elaborates on the public notice and other requirements for Brownfield RLF grant submissions.