Sell 4 Free Real Estate
Indiana 15 Announces Grant Approval
Nathan Held of the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission announced the recent approval of
their Brownfield Coalition Assessment Grant application.
According to the EPA, the Brownfield Assessment Coalition Grant “provides funding to help
groups of communities evaluate and plan for the reuse of properties complicated by hazardous
substances, pollutants, or petroleum.” The coalition is structured so that one primary eligible
entity enters into partnership with 2-4 secondary members that do not have the staff or
resources to apply for and manage their own EPA grant. In December 2025, Dubois County
joined the Indiana 15 as a coalition member in their grant application.
Historically, the Indiana 15 has applied for a $500,000 grant. The funding has been reduced, and
awards are more competitive. This year, the organization applied for a $700,000 grant, which
was fully funded. The grant agreement was activated October 1, and will go through September
30 of 2030. This will fund phases 1 and 2 of environmental assessments for potential sites.
A Memorandum of Agreement has been drafted between Indiana 15, Dubois County, Crawford
County, Perry County, and Spencer County. Coalitions must assess a minimum number of sites
across their participating members' jurisdictions. The Indiana 15 will hire and pay consultants
for these Environmental Site Assessments through the available grant funding. Participating
counties in the coalition will not have financial responsibility for this process, but they will assist
in identifying potential sites. Priority will be given to sites with redevelopment potential that
are already in progress.
While grant funding cannot be applied toward physical cleanup efforts, it can be utilized to
develop site-specific cleanup plans, create reuse and revitalization strategies, and host activities
to promote community involvement.
For more information on these and other updates, visit www.ind15rpc.org
- Drew Hasselbring