Bi-County Cap Inc.

Bi-County Cap Inc., doing business as Bi-Cap, is a tax-exempt nonprofit community action agency based in Bemidji, Minnesota, that operates as a federal grant recipient (48% prime grants, 52% sub-awards) delivering homelessness services, workforce development, early childhood education, and low-income energy assistance across HUD and Department of Labor programs in northeastern Minnesota and beyond.

Bi-Cap is primarily a recipient of federal grants rather than a federal contractor; the organization does not hold federal contracts or contract vehicles. The vendor's customer concentration is heavily weighted toward HUD's Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267) and state-administered pass-through grants for energy assistance and community services. HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development accounts for 80 awards across the source data, representing the dominant funding stream. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (52 awards) supplies Head Start and Early Head Start grants and Community Services Block Grant awards. The Department of Energy funds 44 awards focused on weatherization and home energy efficiency for low-income households. The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (7 awards) has awarded workforce development grants including a $972,000 YouthBuild program grant (CFDA 17.274) running from May 2, 2022 through September 1, 2025, which provides education and vocational training to at-risk youth ages 16-24.

Bi-Cap's grant footprint centers on four primary program areas. Under HUD's CoC Program, the organization receives multiple annual project grants supporting permanent housing, permanent supportive housing for persons with disabilities, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive services, and homelessness prevention in Beltrami and Cass counties. Representative awards include a $170,047 grant (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and a $104,432 grant (same period), along with a $138,786 grant (October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025). As a sub-recipient under Minnesota state administration of federal energy programs, Bi-Cap conducts participant eligibility, benefit payment initiation, and vendor coordination for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and administers the Weatherization Assistance Program, enabling low-income families to reduce energy costs through home efficiency improvements. Bi-Cap also receives sub-awards from Minnesota Department of Human Services for Community Services Block Grant funding and serves as a sub-recipient of Emergency Shelter Grants. In early childhood education, Bi-Cap holds a Head Start and Early Head Start grant (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029) under HHS Administration for Children and Families.

Activity has been volatile. The source data shows 8 awards in 2022, a spike to 51 in 2023, declining to 44 in 2024, then dropping to 13 in 2025 and 2 in 2026 to date. The source reflects 197 total awards (prime and sub combined) with combined dollars obligated across all sources of $105.3 million. Five awards face ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months, representing moderate recompete exposure. Bi-Cap operates across nine distinct federal agencies. The organization's sub-award footprint is substantial (52% of recent awards), routing energy assistance and community services funding through state intermediaries including Minnesota Department of Commerce, Minnesota Department of Human Services, and Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. This structure reflects Bi-Cap's role as a local service delivery partner within broader federal-to-state-to-local grant administration pipelines rather than direct prime contracting relationships.