Cobden Community Unit School District 17

Cobden Community Unit School District 17, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Cobden, Illinois, operates as a federal grant recipient focused on K-12 educational programming and student support services. The school district does not hold federal contracts; it functions exclusively as a grant recipient and sub-recipient of federal education funding distributed through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and related agencies.

Cobden's recent federal footprint centers on five consecutive annual grants under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, with awards issued July 1 of each fiscal year from 2022 through 2026 and completion dates running through September 30, 2027. These constitute the district's prime grant role. As a sub-recipient, Cobden receives funding passed through the Illinois State Board of Education covering special education services (IDEA Part B Flow Through funds for children with disabilities ages three through twenty-one), student meal reimbursement under the National School Lunch Program, emergency relief funding authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and Title I support for at-risk and homeless students. Representative sub-grant work includes $0 (amount not specified in source) in IDEA Part B funds administered through Tri-County Special Education to serve students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, meal reimbursement for participation in the lunch program, and Title I instructional staff and materials funding for students identified as at risk of failure.

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 23 of 28 total awards (82% by count), with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service contributing three and two awards respectively — a narrow customer concentration entirely within education and child nutrition portfolios. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $2.7 million over the past five years, with two awards in 2022, three in 2023, two in 2024, three in 2025, and four in 2026. Cobden operates as the prime recipient in 68% of recent awards and as a sub-recipient in 32%, placing it in a dependent relationship with the Illinois State Board of Education for the bulk of its federal funding. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete exposure in the near term.