Loans & Grants

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Grant

The U.S. EPA offers a variety of grant and loan programs and technical assistance to help communities assess and clean up brownfields and prepare them for redevelopment. The proposal package for the fiscal year 2013 assessment, cleanup and revolving loan fund grants is currently available at U.S. EPA's Brownfields Grants page.  In order to develop a complete proposal package, the U.S. EPA requires a letter of acknowledgement from a state agency. Learn how to obtain a Letter of Acknowledgment from DTSC.

Petroleum impacted sites may require an additional determination from the local Regional Water Quality Control Board; detailed information on this process can be found at the Water Board's website. 

2012 Brownfields Funding Workshops

The Keys to Securing Brownfields Funding Workshops in Los Angeles and Oakland are now over, and the presentations are available.  The July 10, 2012, webinar has been replaced by a series of web-based sessions hosted by U.S. EPA, focusing on applying for Fiscal Year 2013 Brownfields grants.

Targeted Site Investigation (TSI) Program

Application Period Now Open Through July 12, 2013!
The TSI program is a grant program in which brownfields sites are selected to receive environmental investigation services through a competitive application process.  For the selected sites, DTSC oversees the investigation and develops a report at no cost to the applicant.  DTSC will be accepting applications through July 12, 2013. For questions or comments, or if you need any assistance, please contact mtasnif@dtsc.ca.gov. 

FYI - Access a copy of the 2013 TSI Application Guidelines and Application. 

DTSC will hold a webinar on the TSI and other State and Federal funding programs on Tuesday June 4, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. If you are interested in participating in this web-based session, please send an e-mail to fundingworkshop@dtsc.ca.gov.

Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program

The DTSC RLF Program establishes a revolving loan fund that provides loans to help developers, businesses, schools, and local governments clean-up and redevelop brownfields. This is a brownfields clean-up loan program administered through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).

• RLF Fact Sheet
• RLF Application
• RLF Policies and Procedures Manual
• RLF Videos
• • Orvieto Family Complex, San Jose
  • Townsend Street Development, San Francisco

To establish your own RLF Program, refer to the U.S. EPA website.

For more information about the RLF Program, contact Thomas Cota at (714) 484-5459 or thomas.cota@dtsc.ca.gov.

Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to Neighborhoods (CLEAN) Loan Program

This is a state-funded loan program that provides low-interest loans of up to $100,000 to conduct preliminary endangerment assessments and low-interest loans of up to $2.5 million for the cleanup or removal of hazardous materials where redevelopment is likely to have a beneficial impact on the property values, economic viability and quality of life of a community.  Learn more about the CLEAN loan program.

Brownfields Tax Incentives

Originally signed into law in 1997 and extended through Dec. 31, 2011, the Brownfields Tax Incentive encourages the cleanup and reuse of brownfields.  Under the Brownfields Tax Incentive, environmental cleanup costs are fully deductible in the year incurred, rather than capitalized and spread over time. Learn more about Brownfields Tax Incentives.