Cocopah Indian Tribe

Cocopah Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribal government based in Somerton, Arizona, receives federal grants as a prime recipient across social services, environmental stewardship, community infrastructure, and public health programs serving its membership and reservation communities.

Cocopah is exclusively a grant recipient, with no federal contracts or contract vehicles in its footprint. The tribe operates as a prime grant recipient across 353 awards (96% of its footprint) and as a sub-recipient on 15 sub-awards, principally pass-through grants from the State of Arizona under Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs. The tribe competes for and receives formula grants and project grants from federal agencies with tribal set-asides or direct appropriations to tribal governments; it does not hold seats on GSA Schedules, GWACs, or IDIQs.

Customer concentration reflects the federal tribal-grants ecosystem. The top five funding agencies account for 55% of awards by count: the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Education (64 awards), the Department of the Interior (41 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (38 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service (37 awards), and the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (21 awards). The source reports combined potential value across all awards as three thousand dollars; this likely reflects a data-aggregation artifact, as individual award descriptions show standard federal grant magnitudes. Actual obligated dollars total $79.8 million.

The tribe's capability footprint spans five distinct domains, each anchored by multiple recurring awards. Early childhood education and child care development runs through Office of Child Care formula grants and block grants (Child Care and Development Fund and Child Care Development Block Grant discretionary awards, recurring annually since 2022). Older Americans Act programming flows via the Administration on Aging, including nutrition services incentive programs and Title VI grants for Native Americans (recurring formula grants from 2023 forward). Community services and emergency response include LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance) formula grants and LIHEAP Infrastructure Supplement block grants from the Office of Community Services (annual awards 2021–2026), the Homeland Security Grant Program from FEMA (project grant awarded September 2025 for $255,000 through August 2028), and workforce development sub-awards from the Arizona Department of Economic Security for WIOA Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.

Environmental and natural-resource stewardship represents a major activity stream. The tribe holds recurring cooperative agreements and formula grants from EPA Region 9 for water quality monitoring, pesticide program compliance, and general assistance under the Clean Water Act 106 and 319 programs. The tribe received a project grant from the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 ($278,481 obligated, February 2024 through November 2026) to design and construct a water delivery structure enabling the restoration of 390 acres of degraded riparian habitat on its West Reservation in the Colorado River limitrophe. A second cooperative agreement with Fish and Wildlife Service (October 2023 through September 2028) funds habitat restoration and tribal youth conservation corps enrollment for 431 acres of native cottonwood, willow, mesquite, and wetland habitat.

Community development and energy infrastructure grants include a project grant from the Economic Development Administration (April 2024 through September 2025) funding a feasibility study for a butcher shop and preliminary architectural report to serve local ranchers and specialty meat markets. The tribe received a tribal utility authority feasibility study grant from the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (May 2025 through May 2027) to assess financial and technical requirements for establishing a TUA, incorporating sustainable energy sources and a pro forma financial model. A broadband infrastructure deployment project grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (November 2022 through October 2026) funds fiber installation connecting 210 unserved Native American households with broadband service of at least 25/3 Mbps. The tribe also holds a solar project grant under the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (January 2024 through December 2026).

Library services and cultural preservation grants run through the Institute of Museum and Library Services Native American Library Services program, with recurring annual or multi-year project grants (August 2022 through July 2027) supporting acquisition of library materials, summer reading programs, intergenerational cultural programming including language and beading circles, and internet access.

Health and substance-use treatment programs include a project grant from the Office of Head Start (CFDA 93.600) awarded September 2025 for $635,687 through August 2030 delivering comprehensive early childhood education and family support services to three- and four-year-old children and their families. The tribe received a five-year Tribal Opioid Response project grant from the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (September 2024 through September 2029) to expand access to FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, substance-use treatment, and co-occurring mental health and substance-use disorder treatment, with harm reduction services and recovery support delivered through partnerships with community-based opioid treatment programs. A diabetes program cooperative agreement with the Office of the Director (January 2023 through December 2027) funds treatment services, equipment, and facilities for managing secondary effects of diabetes in tribal members.

Public transit operations receive ongoing formula grants from the Federal Transit Administration for operation of the Purple Route 6A rural fixed-route service connecting three separate sections of the Cocopah reservation (recurring awards from September 2022 forward with ultimate completion dates extending through June 2026 and later).

Activity has remained moderate over five years, with 14 awards in 2022, 21 in 2023, 17 in 2024, 15 in 2025, and 3 awards recorded to date in 2026. Nineteen awards carry ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months and will face renewal or recompete decisions in that window.