THE PERFECT PITCH COMPETITION
Hit the High Notes to Revitalize That Brownfield Site 

Join the ranks of successful past participants and take your chance to shine with the Perfect Pitch Competition.  Hit the high notes of success with the Perfect Pitch Competition (Previously the Redevelopment Rodeo)! This interactive forum is your chance to pitch your vision for the reuse and revitalization of underutilized land.  EPA Technical Assistance to Brownfield (TAB) providers are issuing this national call for applications for prioritized brownfields projects facing common redevelopment challenges. Three selected entities will take the stage at the National Brownfields Conference in Detroit on August 10th and pitch their project, followed by feedback and input from seasoned developers and expert practitioners. 

This isn’t your average competition – it’s an experience that will inspire you and your team to map your next steps for that underutilized property.  Audience participation is encouraged, and everyone gets to vote on the best presentation and most likely to succeed. The Perfect Pitch Competition seeks to spur economic revitalization and bring your community’s vision to life with a soulful twist. You can even replicate this experience in your community by adapting the tools and presentations to conduct stakeholder forums. So let’s hit those high notes and transform underutilized (or brownfield site) land into thriving community spaces. Start by completing this short survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8M96TQD.

The selected entities presenting their brownfield site vision will receive:

• More than $20,000 in pro bono expert consulting assistance supported by the National Technical Assistance Brownfields Program. Sample services include market analysis, reuse planning, and/or pro forma support. 
• Feedback to refine your pitch and end use plan to attract a developer/investor. 

Ready to make some music? 

Step 1: Decide to apply!
Step 2: Fill out the below preliminary questionnaire by June 2, 2023.  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8M96TQD. 

Three selected applicants will be notified the week of June 15, 2023.  Selected applicants will work with their regional TAB providers to provide detailed information about the project  and prepare their pitch.

The Competition will be held at the National Brownfields Conference in Detroit, Michigan scheduled for August 8 – 11, 2023.   Selected applicants must commit to attend and participate in the Conference  at the time of selection. The Perfect Pitch Competition is scheduled Thursday, August 10th. All applicants will receive assistance from their regional TAB provider on their submitted brownfields project. 

Got questions? Reach out to your TAB provider for more information.

Don’t have a project? Put this on your list of must-attend sessions at the National Brownfields Conference and prepare to pitch next time.  The audience won’t just be sitting in the stands! In addition to listening in on incredibly valuable expert advice, all audience stakeholders are welcome to ask questions and vote on the best pitch presentation, which is most likely to succeed, and which project you would invest in.  

Quotes in Support of the Perfect Pitch Competition: 

“This session provided us an invaluable experience by presenting the agency’s Brownfields’ project in front of a new set of eyes.  The feedback and assistance received from seasoned developers and expert practitioners contributed to our team’s ability on how to move forward in renovating the site and develop the project further.” Jessie Thompson, Executive Director with the Oklahoma City Community Action Agency

John J. Piseck, Jr., CEO with Herkimer County, New York Industrial Development Agency, was initially unsure about what to expect when he applied to pitch.  However, after being selected and presenting, he let us know he learned a great deal about how to make his brownfield site more attractive to developers.  His advice: “If you are selected to be in the Perfect Pitch Competition, take full advantage of it!”. 

The Main Street Now 2023 conference will be held in Boston, Massachusetts from March 27 – 29! Register today and join fellow commercial district revitalization leaders from across the country for three days of education sessions, special events, mobile workshops, and opportunities to explore the host city, including 20 Main Street neighborhoods. Whether you come from an urban business district, small rural downtown, or somewhere in between, the Main Street Now Conference offers solutions to common problems and new techniques to help your community thrive.

Register Here

UConn TAB is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2023 Municipal Assistance Program (MAP). The MAP is open to all New England communities at no cost to the applicant. 

Spring RFP

• Dates: January – May
• Services Provided:  Technical Support on Brownfields Redevelopment including brownfields inventories, summaries of environmental records, site reuse assessments, sampling plans, and community engagement materials
• Applications deadline: December 14th
• Application Link: https://tab.program.uconn.edu/map-requests-for-proposals/

The proposals will be supported through the University of Connecticut Spring 2023 UConn Brownfield Redevelopment course.  If you have any questions before applying, please reach out to us at uconn-tab@uconn.edu

Learn how to take your grants to the next level by taking our EJSCREEN short course. This course is designed to be completed in  4 to 6 hours. You can stop and return to the course at any time. You must complete the course within 3 weeks in order to receive a certificate of completion.

Register for the short course: https://uconn.geniussis.com/Registration.aspx?AffiliateID=4D9KE1

The UConn TAB team will provide reviews for the upcoming EPA assessment, cleanup, multipurpose, and revolving loan fund grant cycle. We provide reviews of the narrative and application package, offering two rounds of review upon time availability.

Deadlines for submission will be announced upon EPA grant solicitation release.

1st round of review(Deadline: Oct. 25th): It consists of comments on how the narrative addresses EPA’s guidelines, suggestions on how to address these comments, and resources to identify data. Reviews will be provided in a written format, as an annotated document of your submitted text. You may also schedule a follow-up call with the team member to walk you through the comments.

2nd round or review(Deadline: Nov. 8th): After the feedback of the 1st round of review is addressed, the 2nd round will provide additional feedback to fine-tune the narrative and provide feedback on the complete application package.

[Read More & Submit]

When: Monday, June 13th, 1.00 pm
Where: Virtual

Who: Marisa Chrysochoou, TAB Program Director and William “Bill” Lariviere, EPA Region 1, Brownfields Project Officer

This webinar will provide an overview of the EPA Brownfields Job Training Program for potential partners in EPA Region 1 interested in submitting a proposal for the  FY23 solicitation with a deadline of August 2nd, 2022. EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grant Program is refocusing the competition on training activities that support assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse. As part of that change, the former Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program will now be called the Brownfields Job Training Program.

Join our webinar on Monday June 13^th to find out about how you can prepare a competitive proposal for a JT grant and help build the workforce in your community. Topics covered will include:

• Overview of brownfield JT grants provisions in the solicitation
• Building effective partnerships
• Resources to build and execute a successful JT program
• Case studies of successful grantees

Register Here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8576263687669223181

Note: This webinar is hosted by UCONN TAB , in addition to the national outreach webinar for JT grants hosted by EPA on June 15th at 2 pm EST.

During our Fall Municipal Assistance Program (MAP), UConn TAB and UConn undergraduate students helped 8 communities prepare EPA Grant proposals. Of those 8 communities, we are pleased to announce that 6 received the grants they applied to. Four of these were cleanup grants and two were assessment grants. If you are getting ready to prepare for an EPA grant this year, we encourage you to apply for our upcoming Fall MAP! To learn more and apply, Click HERE.

We had a lot of interest in our Summer Municipal Assistance Program. We are happy to report that we have accepted and will be helping 11 communities. These projects represent communities in NH, CT, MA, and RI and will cover a myriad of our technical assistance offers such as preparation of redevelopment scenarios, scope of work, community engagement, and brownfield inventories.

UConn TAB is currently accepting applications for the Summer and Fall 2022 Municipal Assistance Program (MAP). The MAP is open to all New England communities at no cost to the applicant. 

Summer RFP

• Dates: May 15th – July 15th
• Services Provided:  Technical Support on Brownfields Redevelopment including brownfields inventories, summaries of environmental records, site reuse assessments, sampling plans, and community engagement materials
• Applications deadline: April 15th
• Application Link: https://tab.program.uconn.edu/map-requests-for-proposals/

Fall RFP

• Dates: August 29th – December 9th
• Services Provided: Support on EPA Brownfield Grant Applications
• Applications deadline: July 15th
• Application Link: https://tab.program.uconn.edu/request-for-proposals-fall-2022/

The proposals will be supported through the University of Connecticut summer interns and Fall 2022 UConn Brownfield Redevelopment course.  If you have any questions before applying, please reach out to us at uconn-tab@uconn.edu