Time-sensitive
Brownfield Round 24 applications are due at noon on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. A separate greyfield pilot round closes even sooner, on August 5, 2026.
Program limits, rates, and terms are set by the official Notice of Funding Availability for each program. Confirm current figures on DECD's funding announcements page before relying on any number.
What's in This Article
Key Takeaways
- DECD opened Brownfield Round 24 on July 15, 2026, with up to $25 million combined across four programs. Applications close at noon on September 9, 2026.
- Most grant programs are limited to municipalities, economic development agencies, and brownfield land banks. Private owners are generally not direct applicants.
- But DECD encourages public-private partnerships and can pass grant funding through a municipal applicant to a private development partner.
- Entities responsible for the contamination are ineligible, and every applicant must show access, site control, or a credible path to it.
- Applications must go through the new Euna electronic portal. DECD will not accept email or hard copy.
- A separate greyfield program covers previously developed retail and office property that is not contaminated and therefore not brownfield-eligible.
Connecticut has opened a new funding round for the investigation, cleanup, planning, and redevelopment of contaminated or potentially contaminated properties. For commercial property owners and developers, the important point is that this is not a conventional grant program that private owners can simply apply to on their own.
Some Round 24 programs are limited to municipalities and other public or quasi-public entities. Others permit applications from private purchasers and current owners who did not cause or contribute to the contamination. In many cases the practical path involves a partnership among the property owner, the municipality, the development team, environmental professionals, and DECD.
The funding addresses one of the largest barriers to brownfield redevelopment: the gap between what a property could become and what it costs to investigate and clean it before redevelopment can proceed. Here is what is available, who may qualify, and what owners should understand before approaching their town.
Round 24 at a Glance
DECD's Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development opened Round 24 on July 15, 2026. The round makes a combined $25 million available to municipalities, economic development agencies, and other eligible applicants to investigate, remediate, and redevelop contaminated properties. Funding decisions are expected in November or December 2026, pending State Bond Commission approval (CBIA).
- July 15, 2026Round 24 announced. Program materials and Notices of Funding Availability posted.
- August 5, 2026Separate greyfield pilot round closes. Different program, different eligibility, earlier deadline.
- September 9, 2026, at noonBrownfield Round 24 application deadline. Submissions through the Euna portal only.
- November or December 2026Tentative award announcements, subject to State Bond Commission approval.
What Connecticut Counts as a Brownfield
Connecticut defines a brownfield as an abandoned or underutilized site where redevelopment, reuse, or expansion has not occurred because of the presence or potential presence of pollution in the buildings, soil, or groundwater that requires investigation or remediation before or during redevelopment.
That definition reaches well beyond a visibly contaminated former factory.
| Industrial history | Commercial history | Building or site condition |
|---|---|---|
| Former manufacturing plants | Vacant gas stations | Asbestos, lead paint, or PCBs present |
| Historic mills | Auto repair and body shops | Underground storage tanks |
| Industrial yards | Former dry cleaners | Soil or groundwater concerns |
| Warehouses with uncertain histories | Underused commercial sites | Cleanup costs preventing reuse |
| Groups of properties in one corridor |
The presence of an old industrial use does not automatically prove a property qualifies. The applicant must establish that it meets the statutory definition and the specific thresholds of the program being used.
The Four Round 24 Programs
Round 24 comprises four separate funding opportunities. Each has its own Notice of Funding Availability setting the controlling limits, terms, and evaluation criteria for this round.
| Program | Purpose | Who applies |
|---|---|---|
| Remediation and Limited Assessment Grants | The centerpiece. Investigation, remediation, abatement, demolition, and related work on a qualifying brownfield | Municipalities, economic development agencies, brownfield land banks |
| Assessment-Only Grants | Earlier-stage work where contamination has not yet been sufficiently investigated | Municipalities, economic development agencies, land banks, councils of governments |
| Targeted Brownfield Development Loans | Low-interest financing for cleanup and redevelopment costs | The program most directly accessible to qualifying private purchasers and current owners, plus public entities |
| Brownfield Area-Wide Revitalization Planning Grants | Planning across a district, corridor, downtown, or waterfront containing more than one brownfield | Municipalities, land banks, economic development agencies, regional councils of governments |
What the funding generally covers
DECD identifies eligible uses across the brownfield programs as costs associated with the investigation, assessment, remediation, and development of a brownfield.
Generally eligible costs
- Soil, groundwater, and infrastructure investigation
- Assessment and remediation
- Abatement; hazardous materials or waste disposal
- Long-term groundwater monitoring or natural attenuation
- Institutional controls
- Attorneys' fees for environmental consulting
- Planning, engineering, and environmental consulting
- Building and structural work including demolition, asbestos abatement, PCB removal, and contaminated wood or paint removal
Specific eligible uses for a particular round are governed by that round's NOFA.
Who is not eligible
This is the threshold question, and it is not negotiable: entities responsible for the contamination are ineligible. All applicants must also provide proof of access to the site, site control, or a path to site control (DECD). That makes environmental-liability review an early requirement, not a detail to resolve after an award.
The Funding Can Reach Privately Owned Property
One common misunderstanding is that public brownfield funding is limited to government-owned land. That is not the case.
DECD has structured the program to encourage public-private partnerships, allowing eligible municipalities to pass grant funds through to private development partners on qualifying projects (CBIA). The department also lists public-private partnerships and private applicant leverage among its funding criteria (DECD).
A private owner with a viable redevelopment project should therefore not conclude the program is unavailable. The owner may instead need to approach the municipality with a credible public-private redevelopment plan.
| Situation | How it typically works |
|---|---|
| Municipality owns the property | The town applies for assessment or remediation funding, cleans the property, then sells or leases it for redevelopment |
| Private developer has site control | The developer partners with the municipality, which applies, and eligible funding is passed through under a DECD-approved structure |
| Private buyer or owner seeks financing | A qualifying purchaser or current owner applies directly for a targeted brownfield loan, subject to eligibility, liability, equity, underwriting, and site-control requirements |
| Several related sites | A council of governments, land bank, or municipality uses assessment or area-wide planning funds to evaluate multiple properties and build a broader strategy |
The right structure depends on ownership, environmental responsibility, municipal support, proposed reuse, financing, and project readiness.
The Greyfield Program Is a Separate Opportunity
Alongside Round 24, Connecticut launched a distinct program that many commercial owners will find more relevant, because it covers property that is not contaminated.
DECD defines a greyfield as previously developed commercial, retail, office, or knowledge-work space that is no longer economically viable and has significantly declined in use or occupancy. These sites are typically structurally sound but outdated, underutilized, or mismatched with current market needs. Unlike brownfields, they do not require major soil and groundwater cleanup. Their challenges stem from long-term vacancy, obsolete design, changing economic patterns, or physical deterioration (DECD Greyfield Revitalization Program).
Eligible uses reported for the program include architectural and engineering assessments of buildings and site readiness to determine suitability for conversion, renovation or conversion construction costs, potential demolition costs, planning studies to assess project viability, and limited administrative expenses (Connecticut Office of Fiscal Analysis).
For owners of a dying strip center, a vacant office park, or an obsolete retail box with no environmental problem, this is likely the more relevant door. The inaugural greyfield pilot round closes August 5, 2026, well before the brownfield deadline (CBIA).
State Funding Comes With Continuing Obligations
A grant award is not a reimbursement check with no strings attached. State assistance for brownfield redevelopment typically carries conditions that outlast the construction period, and those conditions belong in the deal analysis before an owner agrees to participate in a municipal application.
Categories of obligation to review in the NOFA and assistance agreement
- Collateral and security, which may include liens, guarantees, or negative pledges
- Restrictions on sale, lease, transfer, assignment, or encumbrance without written consent
- Requirements that the property remain in the approved use for a defined period
- Prevailing-wage requirements once state assistance reaches a defined threshold
- Affordable-housing policy requirements for qualifying residential projects
- Reporting, procurement, and compliance obligations
What a Competitive Application Needs
Round 24 is competitive. Meeting basic eligibility does not produce an award. DECD lists the criteria it uses to review applications, and they reward readiness over intention.
| Criterion | What it rewards |
|---|---|
| Shovel-readiness and project merits | A project that can actually proceed, not a concept |
| Economic and community development impact | Projected tax revenue from returning the brownfield to productive use |
| Relative economic condition of the municipality | Need, including distressed communities |
| Consistency with local and state Plans of Conservation and Development | Alignment with adopted planning |
| Support of state policy initiatives | Housing, jobs, transit-oriented development, and similar priorities |
| Public-private partnerships | A committed private partner |
| Private and applicant leverage of funds | Private capital committed alongside the state's |
| Applicant team experience | A team that has done this before |
| Current municipal Plan of Conservation and Development | A plan not older than 10 years, required for discretionary state funding eligibility |
Those criteria come from DECD's program page (DECD). Note the last one especially: a municipality without a current Plan of Conservation and Development may face an eligibility problem before the project is even evaluated.
Establish that the property qualifies
Support the conclusion that pollution or potential pollution is obstructing redevelopment, reuse, or expansion. Vacancy alone is not contamination.
Address environmental responsibility directly
The applicant and any private partner must show they did not cause or contribute to the contamination. This is a threshold question, not a footnote.
Document access or site control
Ownership, a purchase agreement, an option, an access agreement, a development agreement, or another credible path to control.
Make the proposed reuse realistic
Move beyond "clean it and market it." Show redevelopment plans, market demand, developer involvement, zoning, infrastructure, financing, private leverage, employment, housing, tax-base impact, and a schedule.
Develop the environmental scope
Prior Phase I and Phase II reports, site-characterization data, remedial-action planning, cost estimates, regulatory correspondence, Licensed Environmental Professional involvement, demolition and abatement scopes, and contingency.
Make the financing credible
Total project cost, cleanup cost, acquisition cost, private debt, developer equity, other public funding, tax credits, requested DECD assistance, remaining gaps, and the timing of each source.
Why This Matters to Commercial Real Estate
Environmental uncertainty creates a gap between market value and redevelopment value. A property may have highway access, existing utilities, industrial zoning, rail access, downtown frontage, a large building, a waterfront location, housing potential, and strong surrounding demand. But if the cost of assessment, demolition, abatement, or remediation cannot be quantified or financed, none of those advantages produce a transaction.
| The gap | What closes it |
|---|---|
| The information gap: nobody knows what is there | Assessment funding determines what is present and what must be addressed |
| The feasibility gap: nobody knows if reuse works | Planning grants test market, infrastructure, land use, and strategy |
| The cleanup gap: costs exceed what the deal supports | Remediation grants reduce the extraordinary costs standing between the property and reuse |
| The financing gap: lenders will not advance against environmental work | Targeted loans provide capital conventional lenders may decline |
The funding does not guarantee a project is viable. It can make it possible to find out.
Recent Awards Show How the Programs Are Used
Connecticut's previous round offers concrete examples. In June 2026, the state announced $15.2 million for assessment and remediation work at 12 properties covering roughly 267 acres, projecting that the awards would leverage more than $81 million in private investment (Governor's office).
| Municipality | Work funded | Intended reuse |
|---|---|---|
| Waterbury | $4M for Phase 3 abatement and remediation at the 17.46-acre former Anamet site | Commercial warehouse, distribution facility, and office complex |
| Waterbury | $200K assessment at a 2.75-acre Meadow Street site | 40 residential apartment units |
| Thomaston | $200K assessment at the 12.44-acre former Seth Thomas Clock Factory | Affordable housing |
Those three come from the state's June 2026 announcement (announcement text). The broader award list spans industrial reuse, housing, mixed-use development, retail and office reuse, historic mill redevelopment, waterfront projects, and corridor planning. Brownfield funding is not limited to one property type.
Five Questions Property Owners Should Ask
Is environmental uncertainty actually preventing reuse?
A property with contamination may qualify. A property that is merely vacant, obsolete, or hard to lease may not, though it may fit the greyfield program instead.
Did the current owner cause or contribute to the contamination?
Responsibility affects eligibility outright. This should be evaluated by environmental counsel before anything else.
Is the municipality willing to participate?
Grant funding generally requires an eligible public or quasi-public applicant. Municipal interest may depend on proposed reuse, tax impact, jobs, housing, neighborhood benefit, and staff capacity.
Is the project ready enough to compete?
A remediation application is far stronger with site control, environmental data, a redevelopment plan, a committed developer, financing, and a realistic schedule.
Are the funding conditions acceptable?
Understand liens, guarantees, prevailing wage, affordability requirements, use restrictions, reporting, and procurement obligations before committing to the process.
What Owners Can Do Now
The September 9 deadline leaves limited time to turn an undeveloped concept into a complete application. Start by assembling what you already have.
| Property & ownership | Environmental | Development & financing |
|---|---|---|
| Address and assessor information | Prior environmental reports | Conceptual redevelopment plans |
| Ownership records | Tank and spill records | Zoning and infrastructure information |
| Purchase, option, or access agreements | DEEP correspondence | Market or feasibility work |
| Remediation plans | Development budget and financing sources | |
| Environmental cost estimates | Proposed private investment | |
| Demolition and abatement estimates | Estimated jobs, tax revenue, schedule |
Then start conversations with
- The municipality's economic development office and planning department
- A regional council of governments or Connecticut brownfield land bank
- DECD's brownfield staff, reachable at brownfields@ct.gov or the dedicated hotline at 860-500-2395
- An environmental attorney and a Licensed Environmental Professional
- Your lender and development team
DECD also publishes recorded webinars on prior rounds, on building a redevelopment capital stack, and on public-private partnership options for brownfield developers, all available from the program page.
The Commercial Real Estate Takeaway
Round 24 is not simply money for cleaning contaminated land. It is a set of tools for moving a property through different stages: investigation, planning, assessment, remediation, demolition, redevelopment financing, and return to productive use.
The right program depends on what is actually preventing the property from moving forward. A site with an unclear environmental condition may need assessment funding. A municipality with several related properties may need an area-wide plan. A ready redevelopment with documented cleanup costs may fit the remediation grant. A qualifying private owner or buyer may be better positioned for a targeted loan. And a vacant, uncontaminated retail or office property probably belongs in the greyfield program instead.
For property owners, the practical first step is not completing a grant application alone. It is determining whether the property qualifies, whether the owner is eligible, whether a public-private partnership is needed, whether the redevelopment plan is credible, and whether the funding conditions work for the deal.
Evaluating a Contaminated or Underused Property in Connecticut?
Commercial Connection works with buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, and developers to evaluate commercial properties across Connecticut and identify the questions that need resolving before a transaction or redevelopment moves forward.
Discuss a Property or Site Or call John Famiglietti directly: 203-596-7777You can also browse current Connecticut commercial listings, review property for sale, or explore commercial land and development sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a private property owner apply for Connecticut brownfield grant funding?
Generally not as a direct applicant for the grant programs, which are limited to municipalities, economic development agencies, and Connecticut brownfield land banks. However, DECD encourages public-private partnerships and can allow an eligible municipality to pass grant funds through to a private development partner on a qualifying project. The Targeted Brownfield Development Loan Program is the route most directly accessible to qualifying private purchasers and current owners.
What if the current owner caused the contamination?
Entities responsible for the contamination are ineligible. That applies to applicants and, in a partnership structure, to the private development partner. Environmental responsibility is a threshold eligibility question that should be evaluated with environmental counsel at the very start, not after an application is underway.
When is the Round 24 deadline?
Applications are due at noon on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Award decisions are expected in November or December 2026, pending State Bond Commission approval. Applications must be submitted through Connecticut's new Euna electronic grant portal; DECD will not accept email or hard copy submissions, so allow time for portal registration.
My property is vacant but not contaminated. Is there funding for that?
Possibly, through the separate Greyfield Revitalization Program. DECD defines a greyfield as previously developed commercial, retail, office, or knowledge-work property that is no longer economically viable and has significantly declined in use, but does not require major soil and groundwater cleanup. Critically, greyfield funding applies to properties not eligible for any brownfield program. The inaugural pilot round closes August 5, 2026.
How much funding is available, and what are the limits per project?
DECD has made a combined $25 million available across the four Round 24 brownfield programs. Per-project minimums and maximums, and the loan program's rate, term, coverage ratio, and equity requirements, are set by each program's Notice of Funding Availability for this specific round. Those figures change between rounds, so read the current Round 24 NOFA rather than relying on a summary or a prior round's numbers.
What makes an application competitive?
DECD's stated criteria reward readiness: shovel-readiness and project merits, economic and community development impact including projected tax revenue, the municipality's relative economic condition, consistency with local and state Plans of Conservation and Development, support of state policy initiatives, public-private partnerships, private leverage of funds, and applicant team experience. A municipality also needs a Plan of Conservation and Development no older than 10 years to be eligible for discretionary state funding.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary sources
- DECD: Latest Funding Round Announcements (Round 24 materials and NOFAs)
- DECD: Brownfield Municipal Grant Program (eligibility, criteria, eligible uses, contact)
- DECD: Targeted Brownfield Development Loan Program
- DECD: Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development
- DECD: Greyfield Revitalization Program
- CBIA: DECD Opens $25M Brownfield Grant Funding Round (dates, combined total, greyfield pilot deadline)
- Governor's office: June 2026 brownfield awards
- Hartford Business Journal: Greyfield Revitalization program authorization
- C.G.S. Section 32-763 (enabling statute) and Section 32-760 (definitions of municipality, economic development agency, and brownfield land bank)
This article provides general commercial real estate information, not legal, environmental, engineering, tax, financial, or grant-application advice. Funding programs, deadlines, dollar limits, interest rates, terms, eligibility rules, and application procedures change between rounds and may change during a round. Figures and requirements for any specific program are governed by the official Notice of Funding Availability and the resulting assistance agreement. Confirm all details with DECD, an environmental attorney, and qualified environmental professionals before relying on them or submitting an application. Information current as of July 2026.
