Bradford Special School District

Bradford Special School District, a U.S. local government entity and school district headquartered in Bradford, Tennessee, receives federal grants as a prime recipient through the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, with the majority of its federal funding flowing through pass-through grants (sub-awards) from the Department of Education Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Human Services. The district does not hold federal contracts and operates exclusively in the grant space, with sub-awards comprising 67% of its recent federal footprint. Bradford's federal activity spans special education instruction, Title I basic grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), career technical education, school nutrition programs (National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program reimbursements), and pandemic relief funding.

As a prime recipient, Bradford has received five consecutive annual formula grants from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's Small, Rural School Achievement Program, with awards issued July 1st each fiscal year since 2022, most recently a grant awarded July 1, 2026 with completion date September 30, 2027. The district's direct federal relationship concentrates on rural-school formula allocations, a narrow but recurring funding stream typical of small rural districts.

The majority of Bradford's federal dollars arrive through pass-through sub-awards from the Department of Education Tennessee, which channels federal grant funds for special education (IDEA), Title I, Career and Technical Education (Perkins), and school meal reimbursements. Representative sub-award activity includes recurring annual allocations (July 1 fiscal-year cycles) for special education instruction to meet individualized educational program requirements, Title I Part A basic grants supporting high-poverty school instruction, Career Technical Education Perkins basic grants, and monthly or periodic reimbursements from the Department of Education Tennessee for National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meals. A smaller volume of sub-awards routes through the Tennessee Department of Human Services for Temporary Support for Needy Families (TANF) Basic funding. The district also received an Education Stabilization Fund sub-award via Department of Education Tennessee in 2022 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

The district's federal customer base is entirely education-aligned. The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services account for 48 awards (97% of Bradford's recent footprint combined with USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the Department of Education Office of Career Technical and Adult Education). Combined dollars obligated across all sixty awards in the source data total $4 million, reflecting the sub-grant-heavy composition and the modest scale typical of a small rural school district. Award frequency has been volatile—seven awards in 2022, three in 2023, thirteen in 2024, eight in 2025, and six in 2026—driven by the timing of state pass-through allocations and fiscal-year cycles rather than competitive procurement. Only one award reaches completion inside the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete exposure in the near term.