Brownfields Job Training Program Newsletter - June 2026
Building Stronger Communities Through Brownfields Workforce Development
This quarter’s newsletter highlights key job training announcements, including details about the upcoming fiscal year 2027 Brownfields Job Training Grant competition, the 2026 Brownfields job training all-grantee meeting, and the 2027 National Brownfields Training Conference. The newsletter also provides strategies and lessons learned for serving rural and Tribal communities through place-based, relationship-driven workforce development approaches.
On this page:
- Upcoming FY2027 Brownfields Job Training Grant Opportunity
- Register Today for the 2026 All-Grantee Meeting
- Save the Date: 2027 National Brownfields Training Conference & All-Grantee Meeting
- Highlights from the May Call: Designing BFJT Programs for Rural and Tribal Communities
- Grantee Spotlight: Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico
- Join the Brownfields Job Training Network
Upcoming FY2027 Brownfields Job Training Grant Opportunity
EPA recently shared anticipated details for the upcoming FY2027 Brownfields Job Training Grant competition. Anticipated awards will be for up to approximately $300,000 for 3-year project periods, with an estimated $5-6 million in total funding available nationwide.
EPA also noted two anticipated threshold requirements:
- Organizations awarded a Brownfields Job Training grant in FY2026 are expected to be ineligible to apply.
- Current grantees must have drawn down at least 50% of funds under their open Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreements by July 1, 2026, to be eligible to apply.
Additional information is anticipated in late Spring or early Summer 2026. View these resources to help you begin preparing:
- Interested in Applying for BFJT Funding web page
- FY2026 Brownfields Job Training Grant Guidelines
- Two sample successful past applications
As organizations begin planning for upcoming funding opportunities, EPA encourages applicants to review their registrations in SAM.gov and Grants.gov and confirm their Unique Entity Identifier information. Organizations may also want to verify that their appropriate staff members have submission permissions in Grants.gov. Registration updates and changes can sometimes take several weeks to process, so reviewing your system status early can help avoid delays later in the application process.
Reminder: Your regional Technical Assistance to Brownfields provider offers FREE support, including grant application reviews and application assistance. Connect with your regional TAB Provider to request one-on-one support for your application.
You can also watch the recent TAB webinar, Blueprint for Success: Crafting Compelling Brownfields Job Training Grant Applications, for guidance on developing a strong Brownfields job training proposal. It walks through key elements of a competitive application and includes insights from successful grantees on identifying community needs, strengthening partnerships, aligning training with brownfields redevelopment work, and supporting participants in securing long-term employment.
Register Today for the 2026 All-Grantee Meeting
Current Brownfields Job Training grant recipients and prospective eligible applicants are invited to attend the 2026 Brownfields job training all-grantee meeting on October 7–8, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting will be held at the InterContinental New Orleans, located at 444 St. Charles Avenue. Up to two representatives from each organization may attend, and there is no registration fee.
A hotel room block at the government per diem rate is available for the nights of October 6 and 7 at the InterContinental New Orleans, while availability lasts. Participants are responsible for travel and lodging costs, though current grantees may use grant funds for these expenses if they are included in an approved work plan.
Register for the meeting and to book lodging.
Save the Date: 2027 National Brownfields Training Conference & All-Grantee Meeting
The 2027 National Brownfields Training Conference will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 25-28, 2027.
The conference brings together brownfields practitioners from across the country to share ideas, highlight redevelopment efforts, and discuss emerging challenges and opportunities in the field. For Brownfields Job Training grantees and participants, it also offers valuable opportunities to connect with employers and workforce partners.
The 2027 Brownfields job training all-grantee meeting is tentatively being planned for Monday, May 24, 2027, immediately before the conference in Salt Lake City. Grantees and potential applicants are encouraged to attend both events!
Highlights from the May Call
Designing Brownfields Job Training Programs for Rural and Tribal Communities
The May 2026 learning call focused on how Brownfields job training programs can be effectively designed and implemented in rural and Tribal communities, where geography, infrastructure, and workforce systems often differ significantly from urban and suburban contexts. Across these settings, programs frequently navigate large service areas, limited transportation and broadband access, smaller employer networks, and fewer local training providers and brownfields-related job opportunities. As a result, successful approaches often rely more heavily on trusted local relationships and flexible, place-based design.
Effective strategies highlighted during the discussion included adapting program delivery to geography rather than expecting participants to travel long distances. Examples included satellite training locations, mobile or traveling training models, rotating cohorts, and hybrid formats that blend virtual instruction with short, in-person training periods.
Another key theme discussed during the call was the importance of working through a small number of deeply embedded local partners. In many rural and Tribal communities, these organizations often play multiple roles across workforce development, support services, outreach, and employer engagement, making long-term trust and coordination especially important.
Program design also benefits from close alignment with local labor market realities. Rather than focusing on highly specialized roles, many programs emphasize transferable skills that reflect a smaller set of regional employers and realistic commuting patterns. Strong employer relationships remain central in these contexts.
Finally, the discussion underscored the importance of reflecting these conditions in program planning and budgets. Smaller cohorts, higher staff time per participant, distributed training sites, travel support, and flexible scheduling are often necessary components of effective job training programs in rural and Tribal settings.
View the slides and recordings from recent calls.
Grantee Spotlight: Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico
A key strategy for bridging capacity gaps and addressing facility needs in rural and Tribal communities is partnering with local community colleges. To highlight this approach, Janet Kerley, Director of EHS Training at Santa Fe Community College, joined the May call to share insights from college’s long-standing Brownfields job training program in northern New Mexico.
The program serves a large, geographically dispersed region spanning 8 counties and 17 Tribal Pueblos, where rural geography and limited centralized workforce infrastructure can make access to training challenging. In response, SFCC has built a flexible, place-based model that delivers training directly into communities through strong regional partnerships.
Since 2011, SFCC has trained more than 174 participants in environmental health and safety fields, preparing residents for entry-level careers in environmental cleanup, remediation, and hazardous waste management. The program is closely aligned with regional labor market needs and reflects the area’s environmental legacy, including impacts from federal facilities, mining, and other historic land uses.
A defining feature of the program is its extensive partnership network, including Tribal organizations like the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, workforce agencies, employers, and environmental partners. These collaborations support recruitment, wraparound services, job readiness training, and direct employer engagement, helping participants successfully transition into the workforce.
Across multiple grant cycles, SFCC has helped graduates secure environmental jobs across the region and contribute to cleanup efforts on both public and Tribal lands. The program illustrates how sustained partnerships, localized training delivery, and strong labor market alignment can build a resilient environmental workforce in rural and Tribal communities.
Join the Brownfields Job Training Network
Stay Updated and Connected!
By joining our network of grant recipients, you can exchange tips, success stories, and resources that support program growth and community impact.
- To be included on the mailing list, submit an inquiry form and state in the "Inquiry" field a request to "Add me to the Brownfields Job Training Grant mailing list," or email us directly at brownfieldsjobtraining@adaapta.com.
- Connect with your regional Brownfields Job Training Program Contact.
- Apply for technical assistance with the Brownfields Job Training Program Technical Assistance Inquiry Form.
Links to external, non-EPA resources are provided for informational purposes only. References to external resources do not constitute an endorsement by EPA, and EPA does not take any responsibility for their content.