Indian Schools Student Transportation
Active
- Assistance listing
- 15.044
- Agency
-
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education
Department of the Interior
- Grant awards
- 13 $72,953,795 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- (Student Transportation)
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Formula Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 14-2100-0-1-501
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education funds student transportation for BIE-funded K-12 schools operated by federally recognized Indian tribal organizations, with the most recent grant award dated July 1, 2018 (CFDA 15.044). The program has been inactive for over eight years; no grant opportunities or awards have been posted since 2018.
The program funds round-trip transportation of students between home and school, including bus leases, fuel, maintenance, vehicle replacement, driver salaries, staff training for bus drivers and transportation managers, and commercial transportation to boarding schools within the BIE system at the beginning of each school year and mid-year for select students. Transportation funding is an entitlement formula-based award provided to applicants meeting eligibility criteria; schools must submit applications by March 1 annually, with administrative systems evidence due by July 1. Applications for contract schools are processed within 90 days; applications for grant schools within 180 days.
The assistance-type portfolio is predominantly Cooperative Agreements (62 percent of awards), with smaller shares of Project Grants (31 percent) and Formula Grants (8 percent). Over the 13 awards documented since 2013, the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education accounted for 12 awards totaling $68.4 million in federal dollars obligated; the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Albuquerque Acquisition Office funded 1 award for $4.6 million. Combined federal dollars obligated across the portfolio total $73 million. Award activity concentrated in 2014, when 10 awards were issued. Recent awards include a $4.6 million Project Grant to the Choctaw Nation for Jones Academy transportation (July 2018), a $1.1 million Formula Grant to Sevier School District for boarding dormitory tuition payments (July 2016), and a $5.96 million Cooperative Agreement to Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe for Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School (July 2014). No recent grant opportunities are currently posted or have been posted since 2018.
Objective and description
- Objective
To provide funds to each Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded school for the round trip transportation of students between home and the school site.
- Description
Transportation funds are used to pay for bus leases, fuel, maintenance, vehicle replacement, driver salaries, and staff training for bus drivers and transportation managers. In addition, Transportation funds also cover the commercial costs of transporting students to boarding schools within the BIE school system at the beginning of each school year, some students are provided an additional round trip home at mid-year.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Federally Recognized Indian Tribes or tribal organizations currently served by a BIE-funded school.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Children between the ages of 5 and 21 who are members of or are at least a one-fourth degree Indian blood descendant of a member of an Indian tribe which is eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to Indians because of their status as Indians.
- Uses of assistance
Funds are to only be used for the transportation of students who are eligible under the Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP) as provided for under 25 CFR 39 and are enrolled in a BIE- funded school or dormitory.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Awards are made on an annual basis and the funds remain available until expended by the contractor/grantee. Funds are added to the recipient school's Public Law 100-297 Grant or Public Law 93-638 Contract on July 1 and December 1.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
An applicant should consult the Education Line Officer who will provide technical assistance.
- Application procedure
Federally recognized Indian tribal organizations with BIE-funded K-12 schools receive transportation funding for students enrolled in K-12 programs based on a formula calculation. This funding is an entitlement provided through the operation of a BIE school.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Applicants meeting eligibility criteria are funded.
- Award procedure
The Education Line Officer will ensure the application is complete and forward the application to the Director, Bureau of Indian Education, with a recommendation for approval/disapproval.
- Deadlines
Schools must submit their applications and a copy of the tribe's approval of the application by March 1. Evidence that all administrative systems are in place such as accounting, personnel and property must be submitted by July 1.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Applications for contract schools will be processed within 90 days; applications for grant schools will be processed within 180 days after the date the application is submitted to the BIE Education Line Officer.
- Renewals
Awards are made annually and are renewed automatically based on satisfactory performance by the grantee.
- Appeals
An unsuccessful applicant may request an informal conference with the deciding official, or may appeal the denial of the application to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals, or may bring suit in U.S. District Court. Full appeal procedures are found in 25 CFR Part 900.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 13 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians | $37,868,996 | 52% |
| 2 | Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma | $8,967,777 | 12% |
| 3 | Leech Lake Band Of Ojibwe | $5,956,923 | 8% |
| 4 | Circle Of Nations | $4,905,950 | 7% |
| 5 | Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe | $3,609,493 | 5% |
| 6 | Minnesota Chippewa Tribe - White Earth Band | $2,783,528 | 4% |
| 7 | Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy School Committee | $2,391,076 | 3% |
| 8 | Seminole Tribe Of Florida | $1,717,652 | 2% |
| 9 | Muscogee Creek Nation | $1,478,103 | 2% |
| 10 | Indian Island Penobscot School Committee | $1,296,807 | 2% |
10 of 12 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2021 | $219,903 |
| FY2020 | $210,076 |
| FY2019 | $58,784 |
| FY2018 | -$28,710 |
| FY2017 | $278,550 |
| FY2016 | $696,650 |
| FY2015 | $12,494,224 |
| FY2014 | $243,034 |
| FY2013 | $1,260,780 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 15.044?
Assistance Listing 15.044 is Indian Schools Student Transportation, a federal grant program run by Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education (Department of the Interior).
What is the CFDA number for Indian Schools Student Transportation?
Its CFDA number is 15.044: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 15.044 awarded?
13 grant awards under 15.044 have obligated $72,953,795 in federal funds to 12 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 15.044?
The recipients obligated the most under Indian Schools Student Transportation are Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians ($37,868,996), Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma ($8,967,777) and Leech Lake Band Of Ojibwe ($5,956,923).
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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