May 14, 2026, Press Release written and provided by the Office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik today announced $61 million in grants to help communities in 75 counties clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for new life.
The Department of Development is awarding this funding as part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program. Today’s announcement includes $45.8 million for 84 cleanup and remediation projects and $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects.
“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” said Governor DeWine. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”
Since its launch in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has provided nearly $780 million to support 841 projects in 87 counties.
"Any time we're able to take a forgotten property and give it new life, it opens the door to new opportunities for the people who call that community home," said Lt. Governor Tressel. "When we transform these sites, we're investing in stronger local economies, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for communities across Ohio."
Funding awarded through the Brownfield Remediation Program is used to assess and clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum. Following site remediation, properties can be redeveloped to revitalize neighborhoods and attract new economic development.
“The Brownfield Remediation Program continues to show what’s possible when state and local partners come together with a shared vision for a better future,” said Director Mihalik. “By working alongside local leaders to clean up and prepare these sites for redevelopment, we’re helping remove long-standing barriers to progress and unlock new opportunities for our communities and the great people who call them home.”
This round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, House Bill 96, which allocated $200 million toward the program. As required by the bill, $1 million has been reserved for applicants in each of Ohio’s 88 counties for Fiscal Year 2026, with awards being made via a merit-based process.
Following today’s awards announcement, 46 counties have Brownfield Remediation Program set-aside funding remaining, up to $1 million per county. Applications for additional projects in these counties will open May 18, 2026.
Projects that assess or remediate brownfield properties are eligible for funding. Entities that contributed to the contamination of properties are not eligible to apply.
The Brownfield Remediation Program is part of Governor Mike DeWine's Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on supporting targeted solutions that impact quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, and the demolition of blighted buildings.
Applications will open from 10 a.m. May 18, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. on June 5. Remaining counties with available funding must submit new applications for future awards. Previously submitted applications will not be updated.
For more information on how to apply, including grant guidelines and a link to the application, visit development.ohio.gov.
