Bethel School District 403

Bethel School District 403, a public K–12 school district headquartered in Spanaway, Washington, operates as a federal grant recipient, receiving direct formula and project grants from the U.S. Department of Education and participating as a sub-recipient in pass-through grant programs administered by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The district does not hold federal contracts or contract vehicles and does not operate as a prime or sub on procurement vehicles; its federal footprint is exclusively grant-funded.

The district's primary federal customer is the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which accounts for 41 of the district's 77 awards (53% of volume). Bethel School District 403 holds direct prime recipient status on Indian Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies (CFDA 84.060) and Impact Aid Program awards under Title VII, Section 7003 (CFDA 84.041). Representative direct prime grants include a $155,257 Indian Education formula grant awarded July 1, 2026, covering the period through June 30, 2027, to address the educational and culturally related academic needs of Native American students; a $143,372 Impact Aid project grant awarded October 1, 2025, running through September 30, 2031, to support services for federally connected children; and a $158,654 Indian Education formula grant awarded July 1, 2025, for academic instruction, cultural programming, teacher professional development, and targeted student support for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The district also received a community project funding construction grant from the Bureau of Primary Health Care awarded August 1, 2022, with completion through July 31, 2025.

The district participates as a sub-recipient in 48 awards (57% of the footprint), primarily pass-through grants from the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction (the prime grantee on most of these sub-awards) covering programs including Title I Part A, Title III English Language Acquisition, Title IIA Supporting Effective Instruction, Special Education IDEA Part B, McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth, child nutrition program reimbursement and administration, and the ESEA Consolidated Grant Application. The district also receives sub-awards from the Health Care Authority for Prevention and Promotion Client Services and participated in the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program sub-award awarded December 24, 2024. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $87.3 million.

Activity shows moderate volatility — two awards in 2022, rising to 21 in 2024, then declining to 13 in 2025 and 4 in 2026 year-to-date. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal near-term recompete exposure. The district serves ten distinct federal customer agencies, with the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services comprising secondary volume behind the lead ED OES customer. The top five customer agencies account for 92% of awards.