Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council

Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council, a federally recognized tribal government division operating in Orr, Minnesota, is a prime recipient of federal grants spanning health, nutrition, transportation, environmental, cultural, and justice services—the overwhelming majority of its 387 federal awards (79%) are grant awards rather than contracts, with minimal contract activity (five definitive contracts to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for Tribal Employment Rights Office administration totaling $160,000 across fiscal years 2022–2026). The organization is the Bois Forte Division of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, a federally recognized tribe serving the Bois Forte Band in northern Minnesota.

Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council's capability footprint centers on community-benefit program administration and service delivery for federally recognized tribal populations. On the grant side, the organization acts as a prime recipient across a broad portfolio: the Federal Transit Administration funds Big Woods Transit operations, fleet acquisition, and facility construction (including a $9.5 million award for the Big Woods Transit Facility design and construction running through July 2027, a $1 million propane fueling station project, and recurring operating-assistance awards); the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service funds Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) administration (recent awards of $202,161 and $168,209 for food distribution and nutrition education); the Administration on Aging funds Older Americans Act Title VI programs for Native Americans, including nutrition services and caregiver support (FY 2026 awards through March 2029); the Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 funds continuing environmental programs and water-quality protection ($260,000 Performance Partnership Grant through September 2027); the Department of Health and Human Services funds child care, family violence prevention and services, and mental health block grant programs; the National Park Service funds tribal historic preservation office operations; and the Department of Interior funds Ojibwe language revitalization and Indian economic development. On contracts, the only recurring work is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) program, with five annual definitive contracts valued at $30,000–$33,000 each (FY 2022–2026), requiring no set-aside designation.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward health and human services agencies and transportation. The top five customer agencies by award count account for 35% of awards and are led by the Federal Transit Administration (38 awards), the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (30 awards), and the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living and Administration for Children and Families combined (68 awards). By potential value, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dominates the small contract footprint at $450,000 across 16 awards (though the source states 5 contracts). Bois Forte has also received sub-awards (21% of portfolio) channeled through state grantees, primarily the Minnesota Department of Human Services (mental health block grants, substance abuse prevention, nutrition education, adult protective services, family violence prevention) and the Minnesota Department of Health (cancer prevention, cardiovascular screening, human trafficking victim services).

Federal grant activity has remained active but variable: 27 awards in 2022, 36 in 2023, 22 in 2024, 17 in 2025, and 6 year-to-date in 2026. Seventeen awards (combined potential value $33,000) face completion in the next twenty-four months and represent recompete opportunity. The organization does not hold federal contract IDIQs or GWACs and competes solely through direct grant and contract solicitations. Recent major grant awards include the $9.5 million National Infrastructure Investments grant (FTA, May 2025), $1,043,725 and $904,335 in Federal Transit Administration formula grants (September 2025), and $260,000 EPA Performance Partnership Grant for environmental programs (October 2025). The organization's portfolio reflects a tribally governed service provider focused on health, nutrition, transportation, environmental stewardship, and cultural preservation for the Bois Forte Band membership and surrounding northern Minnesota communities.