Cass Lake Bena Schools

Cass Lake Bena Schools, a U.S. local government school district headquartered in Cass Lake, Minnesota, is a federal grant recipient (61% of recent awards as prime recipient) serving Native American students through formula grants and impact aid from the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The district does not hold federal contracts and operates as a sub-recipient on additional education programs flowing through the Minnesota Department of Education.

The district's federal footprint is heavily concentrated in two complementary grant programs. The Indian Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies program (CFDA 84.060) provides annual formula grants addressing the unique cultural, language, and academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students; Cass Lake Bena has received seven awards under this line totaling approximately $2.2 million across the period July 2022 through July 2026, with the most recent award of $333,391 obligated through June 30, 2027. The Impact Aid program (CFDA 84.041, Title VII, Section 7003) provides assistance to school districts serving federally connected children, including those living on Indian lands; the district has received five Impact Aid awards, with the most substantial being a $5.030548 million project grant awarded October 1, 2025, running through September 30, 2031. Both programs are directed to the same student population and geographic service area. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 59 of 72 total awards (82% of the documented footprint). The district also receives sub-awards through the Minnesota Department of Education, including participation in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program (21CCLC), fresh fruit and vegetable nutrition claims, and supplemental education awards, with 28 sub-awards documented across 2022 to 2026. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 9 awards, primarily nutrition program participation flowing through Minnesota as pass-through.

Award activity was heaviest in 2024 (16 awards), declining to 7 in 2025 and 2 in 2026 to date. Only one award (the February 1, 2022 Impact Aid grant) carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal recompete exposure in the immediate period. The combined obligation across all 72 awards stands at $94.2 million, with the five-year trajectory demonstrating sustained federal education funding tied to the district's Native American student enrollment and federally connected population. The district's grant work is performed in Cass Lake, Minnesota, and does not involve subcontracting relationships for service delivery; Minnesota Department of Education sub-awards represent the only material downstream funding flow.