Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG)

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Rolling application cycle opening March 2026

BRAG Manual

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About

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Remediation oversees the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG). The funding for this grant is authorized through the Rural Brownfields Investment Act (Pub. Ch. 86, effective July 1, 2023). The law promotes conservation of Tennessee’s agricultural, recreational, and open space lands by encouraging environmentally sound redevelopment of properties blighted by real or perceived contamination.

Additional information is available in the BRAG Grant Manual

Project Categories

Identification

The creation of an inventory of brownfield sites, which may span multiple locations.

Maximum Grant - $20,000 contract term - 12 months

Planning

Developing an actionable plan for addressing a single or group of brownfields within a community.

Maximum Grant- $25,000 contract term – 12 months

Assessment

Conducting a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), conducted in accordance with the current ASTM E-1527 standard, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment conducted in accordance with the current ASTM E1903 standard, or other relevant environmental investigations.

Maximum Grant - $100,000, contract term - 24 months

Remediation

Actions to contain, remove, mitigate, or dispose of hazardous substances, pollutants, other contaminants, or petroleum products, at a brownfield site. This may include certain types of demolition performed at a brownfield and the installation or upgrade of the minimum amount of infrastructure that is necessary to make a brownfield property usable.

Maximum Grant - $500,000, contract term - 24 months

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must be political subdivisions of the state, including, but not limited to a county, municipality, development district, or development board. Non-profit entities are not eligible to receive funds under this funding opportunity. Non-profits seeking brownfield redevelopment funding should consider partnering with an eligible entity.

Applicants may submit up to three applications—one from each project category listed above.
Individual grants are capped at $500,000 annually per eligible entity.
All awarded investigation and remediation projects must enroll in the TDEC Voluntary Oversight and Assistance Program (VOAP).
Tax incentive tier 1 and tier 2 counties may not use grant funds for VOAP fee recovery. Payment of these fees is considered the match requirement for tier 1 and tier 2 counties. There is no match requirement for tier 3 and tier 4 counties. Reference the Economic and Community Development (ECD) Tax Tier Map.