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|  Please see the following for answers to questions frequently asked about the NYC BIG Program. The questions and answers are organized into categories. - Preferred Community Development Project Questions - Insurance Requirements Questions - Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Questions - Procedural & Payment Questions Q: What is the BIG Program? A: The Brownfield Incentive Grant (BIG) Program provides financial assistance to owners and developers of qualifying property in New York City for a broad range of brownfield activities, from Pre-development Design through Investigation and Cleanup activities. BIG offers a streamlined process that promptly pays out grant awards and provides higher grant caps for Preferred Community Development projects. Q: How large is a typical BIG grant award? A: Total grant awards vary but generally range from up to $60,000 for a Qualifying Brownfield Property and up to $100,000 for a Preferred Community Development project. Bonus grants can increase total grant awards by up to $40,000. Q: Are there any restrictions on how I spend BIG money? A: Yes. Almost all grants through the BIG Program are reimbursable allowances for a pre-determined set of eligible services and activities under the BIG Program, to be performed by a Qualified Vendor of the grantee’s choosing at a Qualifying Brownfield Property in New York City. You can view a list of eligible services and activities here. Q: How much BIG money is there? A: The BIG Program has more than $9 million to spend on BIG grants over the next several years. Q: Do BIG grants cover the entire cost of an eligible activity? A: No. The reimbursable allowance under the BIG Program is not intended to cover the full cost of the eligible service or activity charged by a QV. It’s the grantee’s responsibility to pay the difference between the reimbursable allowance paid by BIG for the service and the amount charged by the QV. Q: How do I apply for a BIG grant? A: You can download applications for the BIG Program here. Q: What is a Qualified Vendor? A: A Qualified Vendor or QV is a professional deemed qualified by the BIG grant administrator to perform work under the BIG Program. As the BIG Program offers a wide variety of eligible services and activities, a wide range of professionals can be qualified as Qualified Vendors including environmental engineers, geologists, as well as architects, attorneys, planners, land surveyors, insurance brokers, grant writers, community development financial institutions and other non-profit development organizations. Q: How do I find a Qualified Vendor? A: For a list of qualified vendors go to www.nycbrownfield.com. Q: If I am new to Brownfields, is there a grant in the BIG Program to help me understand the process of building on a contaminated site? A: If you are a not-for-profit developer with plans to build a preferred community development project, the BIG Program offers a $5,000 Technical Assistance Grant that pays for an expert in non–for-profit development to advise you on how to plan, assess the viability of, prepare a budget for, and sequence and schedule a brownfield project. For further information about eligible activities under a Pre-Enrollment Technical Assistance Grant, see www.nyc.gov/BIG. In addition, OER staff is always available to help parties to begin to navigate their brownfield project. For questions not related to BIG please call OER at (212) 788-8841. Q: What is BOA? A: A BOA, or Brownfield Opportunity Area, is a neighborhood with a concentration of brownfields where the New York Department of State has awarded a grant to a community based organization or municipality pursuant to Gen. Mun. Law section 970-r. BOA grants assist communities with revitalization plans for Brownfields to catalyze neighborhood redevelopment. To date, NYSDOS has awarded 17 BOA grants to communities in New York City. Q: What is a Strategic Brownfield Property? A: A Strategic Brownfield Property is a site within a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) study area that has been determined by the state-funded BOA grantee to be strategic for neighborhood revitalization. Q: What is a Track 1 Cleanup? A: A Track 1 Cleanup is a remedy implemented on a property that allows the site to be used for any purpose. Parties that implement Track 1 Cleanups in the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program are eligible for a BIG bonus grant of $25,000. Q: What is a Pre-Enrollment Grant? A: A Pre-Enrollment Grant can pay for eligible services and activities performed at Qualifying Brownfield Properties or Preferred Community Development Project sites that are not yet enrolled in the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program (NYC BCP) or the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program. Q: What is an Enrollment Grant? A: An Enrollment Grant can pay for eligible services and activities at Qualifying Brownfield Properties and Preferred Community Development Projects that are enrolled in the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program. Enrollment Grants can be used to pay for Cleanup or Environmental Insurance activities and services. To find out more information about the city’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, please visit www.nyc.gov/nycbcp. Q: I recently attended a BIG webinar and would like a copy of the presentation. Where can I obtain this? A: OER recently gave webinar presentations for environmental consultants, BOA grantees, environmental attorneys and parties with E-Designation or Restrictive Declaration sites. If you would like a pdf copy of any of these presentations, email Grants@NYCBIG.info indicating the webinar(s) you are interested in, and we will send you a copy of the presentation. Q: How is the BIG Program connected to the NYC Brownfield Cleanup Program? A: Some grant require enrollment in the NYC Brownfield Cleanup Program. All sites interested in receiving Enrollment Grants, i.e. Cleanup or Environmental Insurance Grants, through the BIG Program must be enrolled in the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program. Work products, such as approved cleanup plans, serve as eligible services and activities that are reimbursable under the BIG Program. You can find more information about the NYC Brownfield Cleanup Program here. Preferred Community Development Project Questions Q: What is a Preferred Community Development Project? A: A Preferred Community Development Project is a development proposed for a Qualifying Brownfield Property that is either:
Q: What is an Affordable Housing Development? A: An Affordable Housing Development is a development that will be built by a developer on a Qualifying Brownfield Property where at least 20% of the housing units are affordable to families that earn no more than 80% of the average median income (AMI) of an area and that has been issued a letter of interest from a federal, state, or local housing subsidy program. The AMI is determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Q: What is a Community Facility Development? A: A Community Facility Development is a development that will be built on a Qualifying Brownfield Property where the development provides specific benefits to the local community, including, but not limited to, a community facility use pursuant to the New York City Zoning Resolution. Q: Who is eligible for a BIG grant? A: The BIG Program offers grants to property owners and developers of real property in New York City that are Qualifying Brownfield Properties for the type of grant sought. Q: What is a Qualifying Brownfield Property? A: For a property to be eligible for a BIG grant, it must be a Qualifying Brownfield Property for the type of grant sought. A Qualifying Brownfield Property for a(n): (1) Pre-Enrollment Grant is a property that contains a recognized environmental condition that has not been remediated; (2) Enrollment Grant or a Track One Bonus Cleanup Grant is a property admitted to the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program with an approved Remedial Action Work Plan; (3) E-Designation Hazardous Material Remediation Grant or a Restrictive Declaration Hazardous Material Remediation Grant is an E-Designation Hazardous Material site or a Restrictive Declaration hazardous material site that has been remediated under the authority of OER; (4) Technical Assistance Grant is a site with the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substance where the developer is a not-for-profit corporation of a Preferred Community Development Project; and (5) Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Strategic Property Bonus Cleanup Grant is a strategic brownfield property that has been designated a strategic property within the New York State Brownfield Opportunity Area program. . Q: How many BIG Program grants can I apply for? A: A grantee may apply for and receive grants for a maximum of two Qualifying Brownfield Properties in each fiscal year assuming that one site has entered the New York City or New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program. Q: Are the grant limits per grantee or per project? A: Grant limits are per grantee, not per project. Q: Is any property owner or developer in New York City eligible for a BIG grant? A: All developers and property owners are eligible for BIG grants unless the party is:
Q: How many different types of BIG grants are there? A: The Brownfield Incentive Grant (BIG) Program includes 10 different grants that fund a broad range of brownfield activities. These include:
A list of eligible services and activities for each grant type, can be found here, or you can refer to the applications for the various BIG grant program grants. The program applications can be found at www.nyc.gov/BIG. Q: My site has a petroleum spill. Is it eligible for a BIG Environmental Investigation Grant? A: Yes. BIG Environmental Investigation Grants can be used to investigate a petroleum spill on a site where there is also evidence, such as a Phase 1 or other study, indicating the presence of hazardous substances at the site. Q: My site is enrolled in the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program. Am I eligible for BIG funding? A: No. A property admitted to the Brownfield Cleanup Program administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is ineligible for BIG funding. Q: Must I apply to the BIG Program before my Qualified Vendor undertakes BIG-reimbursable work at my property? A: No. Your QV should perform eligible work at your site before you submit your application for BIG funds. This is true for all BIG grants except for the BOA Local Match Grant, which does not require a Qualified Vendor, and an applicant can apply for and receive BOA Local Match funds before all eligible work is performed. It is important however, to make sure that your service provider is registered with the BIG Program as early as possible, in order to assure that the services you are paying for will be reimbursable under the BIG Program. Q: The BIG Program opened in July 2010. Must BIG-reimbursable work be performed after that date, or will the program reimburse me for eligible services and activities performed before July 2010? A: Most grantees will seek reimbursement for work performed after July 2010. However, BIG will reimburse eligible work performed before July 2010 at Qualifying Brownfield Properties for the following grants:
To understand details for each grant, please refer to BIG applications - found at www.nyc.gov/BIG. Alternatively, contact the program administrator at (212) 380-1562 or at Grants@nycBIG.info Q: Can a community-based organization submit an application for $5,000 for Technical Assistance services performed by a second community-based organization and then submit another application for other activities for $5,000. A: Yes. The first application would be a technical assistance grant for $5,000 worth of Technical Assistance consulting services. However, the second Community Based Organization must be a Qualified Vendor registered by the Grant Administrator. The same grantee could then apply for a second $5,000 grant, for example, to pay for pre-development or site investigation activities. To find out more about applying for multiple BIG grants contact the program administrator for additional details at (212) 380-1562 or Grants@nycBIG.info Q: Does the BIG Program cover asbestos investigation and abatement? A: No. Abatement of asbestos may occur at the same time as a site remediation but is not part of a remedial action at a brownfield site. The BIG Program does not cover the cost of asbestos abatement. Q: Can I use BIG funds to design a building for my brownfield property? A: No. BIG funds cover pre-development, environmental investigation, remediation and environmental insurance, not the development or construction of buildings at a property following remediation. Q: Is there a map or list of qualified brownfield sites in NYC? A: No. However, OER has developed a GIS-based web application called SPEED (Searchable Property Environmental e-Database) that will help identify privately owned vacant commercial and industrial properties that may be suitable for redevelopment. SPEED is viewable through OER’s website nyc.gov/oer and was launched on October 15th, 2010. Q: What is a Qualified Vendor? A: Qualified Vendor (QV) is a professional that has been pre-qualified to perform BIG eligible services based on specific criteria. To become a QV you will need to apply and state the services for which you would like to obtain QV status. Applications and corresponding information can be found at www.nycbrownfield.com. Q: Where can I find the list of Qualified Vendors? A: The list of Qualified Vendors (QV) is maintained on the website of the grant administration contractor, Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions, Inc. The QV list can be found at www.nycbrownfield.com. Q: How do I become a Qualified Vendor? A: Download a QV application at www.nyc.brownfield.com. Submission information is included in the application. Q: Does the Qualified Vendor have to be located in NYC? A: No. Qualified Vendors do not need to have an office in the five boroughs. Q: Does the BIG Program require Qualified Vendors to carry insurance? A: Yes. Most QVs that perform eligible services or activities must carry insurance. The basic types of insurance that the BIG Program requires are: Professional Liability coverage for Qualified Vendors who prepare professional reports, such as a Phase I or Phase II; and Commercial General Liability coverage for Qualified Vendors and their subcontractors who perform invasive field work such as a site investigation or a site cleanup. Q: Are there any exceptions to the insurance requirement for Qualified Vendors? A: Yes. Certain types of Qualified Vendors, such as grant writers and non-profit service providers including community based organizations, community development corporations and community development financial institutions are not required to carry insurance. In addition, QVs who perform work for developers who seek funds from the following BIG grants are not required to carry insurance: the BOA Local Match Grant, the BOA Application Technical Assistance Grant and the Hazardous Materials E-Designation or Restrictive Declaration Remediation Grant. Q: How long is the Qualified Vendor review process? A: It is anticipated that Qualified Vendor applications will take no more than ten business days to review. Applicants will be notified once the review of their application is complete. Q: How will I know the status of my Qualified Vendor application? A: The Program administrator can provide an update on the status of your application. The program administrator can be reached at (212) 380-1562 or Grants@nycBIG.info Q: Is a Qualified Vendor barred from having an equity stake in the project? A: Yes. The Qualified Vendor is responsible for the performance of eligible services and should not be unduly aligned with the grantee. Insurance Requirements Questions Q: Why does the BIG Program require QVs to carry insurance? A: The City requires that Qualified Vendors be insured to defend the City and its BIG Program partners in the event a party sues the City in connection with a project that receives BIG funds. Q: How did the City decide what insurance is required? A: In general the insurance requirements for Qualified Vendors follow the insurance practices found in the private, commercial marketplace. When performing work to be paid for with BIG funds, QVs are required to maintain insurance of a type, amount of coverage and from a carrier that is adequate for the nature and scope of the services and activities performed by the Qualified Vendor. Q: What type of insurance must QVs carry? A: The basic types of required insurance are: Professional Liability coverage for Qualified Vendors who prepare professional reports, such as a Phase I or Phase II; and Commercial General Liability coverage for Qualified Vendors and their subcontractors who perform invasive field work such as a site investigation or a site cleanup. In addition, where Commercial General Liability coverage is required, such policies must name the City, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the BIG Program Grant Administrator as additional insureds. QVs required to carry Professional Liability coverage are not required to provide additional insured coverage. Q: Does the BIG Program require grant applicants to carry insurance? A. No. The BIG Program only requires Qualified Vendors who perform invasive work such as under a cleanup grant or an investigation grant, or who prepare professional reports such as a Phase I or Phase II to carry insurance. Q: Must the City and the BIG Program Administrator be named as additional insureds on a per-project basis, or is the insurance required to become a qualified vendor sufficient? A: Qualified Vendors and their subcontractors who perform invasive work such as a site investigation or site remedial activities must name the City, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the BIG Program Grant Administrator as additional insureds on a site-specific basis. Q: Are there any additional insurance requirements? A: For invasive field work, besides Commercial General Liability coverage, a Qualified Vendor must carry Business Automobile Liability insurance if a vehicle is used in the work. Furthermore, state law requires that coverage for Worker’s Compensation, Disability Benefits, and Employer’s Liability also be in place for construction work. Q: When must a Qualified Vendor provide coverage for additional insureds? A: Where Commercial General Liability coverage is required, a site-specific CGL policy must be in place naming the City, NYC EDC, and the BIG Program Grant Administrator as additional insured before the work is performed. Q: What if a developer applies for a BIG cleanup grant after the work is complete and its CGL policy did not list the City, NYC EDC and the Grant Administrator as additional insureds? A: If the project for which you seek BIG funds is complete at the time of your application, and your Qualified Vendor did not know of the insurance requirement at the time it performed the work, OER has the discretion to waive the Qualified Vendor’s insurance requirement on a one time, case by case basis. Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Questions Q: My property is in a Brownfield Opportunity Area. How does this affect my ability to obtain BIG Program grants? A: Properties in a BOA area are eligible for larger BIG grant awards in two ways. First, if an owner redevelops a property in a Brownfield Opportunity Area that is consistent with the Community Based Organization’s plans, the project qualifies as a preferred community development project and is eligible for a BIG grant award of $100,000. Second, if the Community Based Organization designates a property as a BOA strategic site, and it obtains an approved remedial plan from the city brownfield program, the project owner would be entitled to a bonus enrollment grant of $10,000. Q: My CBO wants to apply to the state for a BOA grant award. Does the BIG Program provide funds to help pay for the cost of preparing the application? A: Yes, the BIG Program offers a BOA Application Technical Assistance Grant of up to $10,000 to reimburse a community based organization for the costs of preparing an application to the BOA Program. Q: What is a Brownfield Opportunity Area? A: A Brownfield Opportunity Area is an area in the City of New York with a concentration of brownfields for which the New York State Department of State has awarded a Brownfield Opportunity Area grant to a municipality or community-based organization, known as a BOA grantee. Q: What is a BOA-compliant project? A: A BOA-compliant project is a property in a state-designated BOA study area whose end use is compatible with the BOA grantee’s vision for the study area. BIG requires that a BOA-compliant project obtains a letter of support from the BOA grantee to demonstrate its compatibility with the grantee’s vision for the study area. Q: What is the award limit on a BOA Local Match Grant? A: A BOA Local Match Grant reimburses BOA grantees for the 10% local match that the state requires for a BOA award. Under the BIG Program, a community based organization can receive up to $50,000 in BOA Local Match grants to reimburse it for the local match costs of any number of Step 1 and Step 2 BOA grant awards a grantee receives from the state Department of State. Q: What is a BOA Strategic Brownfield Property? A: A BOA Strategic Property is land in a Brownfield Opportunity Area, identified by a BOA grantee, whose redevelopment is critical to achieving the grantee’s community vision for the Brownfield Opportunity Area. Q: How do I know if my site is a BOA Strategic Brownfield Property? A: This determination is made by a BOA grant recipient. If you do not know which organization applied for the BOA grant, contact OER at brownfields@cityhall.nyc.gov, which will put you in touch with the BOA grantee that can answer this question. Q: When can a project apply for a BIG BOA Strategic Property Bonus Grant? A: To be eligible for a BOA Strategic Property Bonus Cleanup Grant, the BOA grantee must have designated the parcel as a strategic property, and must provide a letter indicating that the development is consistent with the BOA plan. In addition, the parcel must be admitted into the New York City Brownfield Cleanup Program and OER must have approved the project’s Remedial Action Work Plan. Q: If a BOA grantee consists of three organizations, can each organization apply for a separate BOA Local Match grant? A: No. The BIG Program awards BOA Local Match grants to one grantee in each of the city’s BOAs. The total award for a BOA Local Match grant is $50,000. Q: What if a BOA was established before the BIG Program opened, for example the BOA was established in 2004? Would that be eligible for BIG funding? A: Yes. Older BOAs are eligible for BIG Local Match grants. Q: Can a BOA receive a Local Match Grant before the BOA State Assistance Contract is executed? A: No. The BIG Program cannot fund BOAs that do not yet have an executed work plan and state assistance contract with NYS DOS. Once the BOA has the required documents from NYS DOS, the BIG application can be processed. Procedural & Payment Questions Q: When will the grant funds be paid to a Grantee? A: BIG funds will be paid to a grantee approximately 6 weeks after the BIG Program Administrator approves a BIG application and executes the grant agreement on OER’s behalf. Q: What constitutes a complete application for a BOA Local Match grant? A: A BOA grantee must submit its executed state assistance contract, its work plan, and invoices for the local match activities on the BOA grantee’s letterhead. For additional guidance see the application for the BOA Local Match Grant here. Q: The grant application states that the reimbursement amount will be subject to an “applicable administrative fee.” What are these fees and how do they apply to my application? A: With some exceptions (see list below), administrative fees are deducted from all BIG awards to cover the cost of program administration. In other words, a Grantee who seeks BIG funds for a project on a Qualifying Brownfield Property will have an administrative fee deducted from its grant award. The grantee is not expected to make this payment. Administrative fees are not deducted from the total BIG award for the following grants:
Q: What are the administrative fees for projects at Qualifying Brownfield Properties? A: Administrative fees are:
Q: When do I submit an invoice(s) for reimbursement? A: Invoices for all eligible activities and services provided to you by Qualified Vendors for which you are seeking BIG Program reimbursement should be submitted with each grant application. Qualified Vendors can receive training and handle all paperwork on behalf of grantees. Invoice templates are included with each BIG application, and this format should be used when submitting invoices. The BIG Program Administrator reviews all invoices prior to awarding grant funds to ensure that services and/or activities comply with BIG requirements. Q: Do I need to document the specific activities performed? A: Yes. Only discrete and eligible activities will be funded by the BIG Program, and invoices and deliverables must reflect those activities. The BIG Program Administrator will review application materials to ensure that services and/or activities comply with BIG requirements. For further information see BIG Technical Specifications here. Q: My invoice simply shows the work performed and the number of hours worked. Must I reformat my invoice to include the different tasks performed? A: Invoicing that identifies eligible services is preferred. However, your Qualified Vendor may provide a cover letter that explains the hours spent on eligible activities if the invoice shows hours worked. Invoices that only cover the hours worked must be accompanied by a cover letter explaining the work completed or a copy of the agreement between the grantee and qualified vendor indicating the prices for each activity, and the appropriate deliverables demonstrating that the work was completed. Invoice templates are included with each BIG application. See BIG Technical Specifications for the units in which specific activities and services should be expressed (i.e., hour, ton, sample, square foot, etc.) and unit prices for which these activities and services are eligible for reimbursement Q: Can BIG Program funds run out? If grant funds are depleted for the fiscal year in which an application is submitted, can the application be held over for funding in the next fiscal year? A: The BIG Program runs on the fiscal year of New York City, which ends June 30th. BIG Program funds are allotted for each fiscal year, and it is possible that these funds may be exhausted during that fiscal year. BIG Program grants that are not paid in a given fiscal year will be automatically submitted for funding in the next fiscal year if funds are available. Among the various grant applications that await funding in the following year, Cleanup Grants will be paid before all other grant applications. Q: Will invoices be subject to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests? A: Yes. All BIG Program documentation is subject to FOIL and also subject to audit. Return to top
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