Big Bend Community College

Big Bend Community College, a public community college and Hispanic-servicing institution headquartered in Moses Lake, Washington, acts as a federal grant recipient delivering student support services, workforce development, and high school equivalency programs to low-income, first-generation, and underserved student populations, with 93% of awards structured as prime grants rather than subgrants.

The college operates exclusively as a grant recipient with no federal contract prime awards or IDVs in the source data. Its federal grant footprint spans twelve customer agencies, with the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education dominating the award count (24 awards) and the Department of the Air Force Air Mobility Command anchoring the combined potential value ($3.3 million across four awards). The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Job Corps accounts for 33 awards with $305 thousand combined potential value, reflecting the college's long-standing role in vocational and workforce training. Grant work is concentrated in two NAICS categories: 36 awards fall under Junior Colleges, and 23 awards are coded to Education/Training–Other under PSC, with an additional 10 and 8 awards respectively under Education/Training–General and Education/Training–Tuition/Registration/Membership Fees.

Recent prime grant recipients demonstrate the college's strategic focus on Hispanic and underserved student outcomes. A $272,364 continuation grant awarded September 1, 2026, under the TRIO Student Support Services program (CFDA 84.042) funds supportive services to disadvantaged college students through August 31, 2027, targeting low-income, first-generation, disabled, and homeless students to enhance retention and transfer rates. A prior TRIO award (October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2025) developed comprehensive outreach models for enrolling, retaining, and completing Hispanic and underserved students in rural areas. The High School Equivalency Program, awarded July 1, 2022, and running through June 30, 2027, supports 60 students per year in earning high school diploma equivalents. A fourth grant awarded June 1, 2022, through May 31, 2027, targets low-income and at-risk students to improve academic skills and motivation for postsecondary entry and completion. The college also serves as a subrecipient under Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges on adult basic education work (sub awards dated July 1, 2024, October 6, 2025, and July 1, 2026) and under the Superintendent of Public Instruction on child nutrition program administration (September 11, 2023).

Award activity has remained sparse in recent years (one to two awards annually from 2023 to 2027), and obligated dollars ($82.2 million across the entire source history) vastly exceed combined potential value ($3.7 million), indicating the presence of legacy awards with large historical obligations. Four awards face completion within the next twenty-four months. The college primarily operates under USDA Forest Service Job Corps blanket purchase agreements (20 task orders, $210 thousand combined potential value) and subordinate BPAs within that vehicle family.