County Of Brown

County Of Brown, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, acts as a federal grant recipient and sub-recipient across 263 awards spanning social services, conservation, public health, law enforcement, and infrastructure development. The county receives grants as a prime recipient (16% of awards, 42 total) and far more commonly as a sub-recipient flowing federal funds through Wisconsin state agencies (84% of awards, 221 total), with $111.6 million in combined obligated dollars across all federal sources.

County Of Brown's federal footprint centers on human services and social support flowing through Wisconsin's Department of Health Services, Department of Children and Families, and Department of Justice. The top five funding agencies account for 51% of recent awards. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families leads by award count (51 awards), followed by HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (22 awards), HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (22 awards), and the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (21 awards). A significant portion of this activity runs as sub-awards: the county receives pass-through funding from Wisconsin state agencies for child welfare county contracts, child care county contracts, child support county contracts, National School Lunch Program (NSLP) administration, immunization programs, maternal and child health services, alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) treatment services, mental health block grants, and birth-to-three early intervention initiatives. These sub-awards represent routine ongoing state-federal reimbursement mechanisms rather than competitive procurements.

As a prime grant recipient, County Of Brown executes multiyear federal projects in four capability domains. Transportation and planning work includes cooperative agreements with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for cover crop grazing demonstration ($385 thousand, awarded September 2022, running through September 2027) and a demonstration farm network coordinating Environmental Quality Incentives Program technical assistance ($600 thousand, August 2022 through September 2027). Environmental and water quality projects include a $1.105 million Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (April 2024, extending to October 2027) for East River water trail development, aquatic habitat enhancement, and fishery impediment removal; an H.J. DeBalker Eagles Nest Park boat launch development grant from Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (June 2023 through July 2025); and an EPA Region 5 cooperative agreement for phosphorus removal structures on agricultural runoff systems in the Lower Fox River watershed (May 2022 through December 2026). Law enforcement and drug-prevention work consists of recurring High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program grants from the Office of the National Drug Control Policy (awards in January 2022–December 2023, January 2023–December 2024, and January 2024–December 2025 periods), supporting federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement coordination to dismantle drug trafficking organizations. Justice and forensic capability includes a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to the Brown County Medical Examiner's Office ($101,460, October 2023 through September 2026) for forensic investigation equipment, personnel certification, and policies to achieve national accreditation, and an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention award to the Brown County Family Drug Treatment Court ($101 thousand, October 2021 through September 2026) for case management capacity. The county's most significant recent award is a $54.67 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (February 2026, completion October 2028) to redevelop a 44-acre former power plant site at the Port of Green Bay into an active maritime cargo terminal with pipe combi wall dock structures, dredging, stormwater treatment, utilities, and rail access provisions.

County Of Brown also executes congressionally directed spending and behavioral health initiatives, including a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant for mental health outreach to underserved populations (September 2023 through September 2025). The county's sub-recipient footprint includes pass-throughs for victim witness support, drug task force salary support, regional prosecutorial services for violence against women (VAW) cases, community garden coordination, emergency management, and tactical medical equipment for multi-county SWAT teams.

Activity has grown substantially—21 awards in 2022 to a peak of 97 in 2024, with 52 awards in 2025 and 13 through early 2026. Only three awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete pressure in the immediate window. The county's parent entity is Brown County government (U.S. Local Government, County, Airport Authority), which also operates the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport authority.