| An unprecedented amount of funding for brownfields redevelopment and environmental justice is available due to laws such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) as well as state-level programs such as California’s Cleanup in Vulnerable Communities Initiative. From grant review to developing public-private partnerships, the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) has the experience and relationships to help identify, leverage and secure creative funding solutions.
| Show Me the Money: CALRC 2023 |
Thank you and the CCLR team for your assistance with the EPA MARC grant we worked on last fall. We are excited to have been selected and know that we couldn’t have done it without your feedback and guidance. – Tom Hanecak, Coconino County, AZ.
How CCLR Helps
- Identify brownfield funding opportunities and creative financing approaches.
- Develop resource roadmaps: a framework for the strategies, redevelopment steps, and financing of brownfields projects; including economic development and community revitalization.
- Develop funding matrices: identification of funding strategies to finance various actions of a brownfields project.
- Provide guidance during brownfields grant application preparation.
- Host in-person and virtual grant writing training and workshops.
- Provide thorough review and suggested edits to draft grant applications
Programs CCLR Supports
Each year, millions of dollars are available in EPA MARC Grants, while the grants provided may vary from year-to-year, EPA Brownfield grants can include: Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Funds (RLF), Cleanup, Job Training and State and Tribal Response Program grants.
Additionally, EPA offers Targeted Brownfield Assessments, a support program that provides EPA contractors to conduct certain assessment activities.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Office of Brownfields Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) will provide more than $250 million in grants to incentivize cleanup and investment in disadvantaged areas of California. ECRG funds can be used to identify, assess, and cleanup sites and funding priority is given to communities overburdened with pollution, poverty, or to support 100% affordable housing.
The new Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program will provide funding to eligible California community organizations near an active Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) cleanup site. The grants range from $40,000 to $150,000 and can be used to hire and direct an independent technical advisor to assist in analyzing, interpreting, and communicating complex environmental information to residents living within a 5-mile radius of an eligible site.
Our Impact
Jean Hamerman
Executive Director
As Executive Director, Jean directs CCLR’s strategic and programmatic direction, while overseeing its fiscal management and Board relations. She is a passionate advocate for CCLR’s mission to transform communities through sustainable and equitable land reuse. In this role, she leverages 30 years of work experience in commercial and micro-lending, MWBE certification, energy efficiency, and business education to promote economic equity and environmental priorities.
Sheila McElroy
Senior Consultant
Sheila has 30 years experience leading efforts that revitalize communities, transforming vacant or underutilized spaces into economic and community hubs. Her passion lies in leveraging local culture, history, and the arts to highlight the unique aspects of a neighborhood. With a background in historic preservation consulting, and as an executive director and as a board member, Sheila has worked with nonprofit organizations supporting public art, culture, and social responsibility.
Ignacio Dayrit
Lead Program Consultant
Ignacio, a redevelopment expert, coordinates CCLR’s technical assistance program, drawing from his 20-year tenure with the City of Emeryville’s Redevelopment Agency. His extensive 30+-year public sector development experience encompasses financial analysis, financing, feasibility analyses, project and program management, and urban design. Instrumental in the city’s redevelopment of blighted, contaminated property, Ignacio holds degrees in Architecture and City Planning.
Joelle Greenland, AICP
Senior Planning Consultant
Joelle, a certified planner, has been in the brownfields arena for over 30 years and is a brownfields redevelopment expert. Having written, secured and managed all types of EPA brownfields grants (including an RLF), she has a deep understanding of grant writing/management, procurement, visioning and the redevelopment process.
Nicole Lang
Senior Program Associate
Nicole manages the Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) and Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) programs for DTSC. An intersectional environmentalist, she is passionate about protecting both people and the planet. Previously, she managed an urban forestry program at an environmental nonprofit, overseeing the planting of over 1,200 trees and engaging 5,000 community members. Nicole is driven by the desire for her work to have a positive impact!
CCLR has found that those who start their EPA brownfield grants 6-12 months before the solicitation period have the best chance of success.
Learn the basics of brownfield reuse, definitions, how CCLR helps, and read success stories.
CCLR offers a variety of services to help you prepare for, write, and manage your brownfield grants.
