Imperial County

Imperial County, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in El Centro, California, receives federal grants as a prime recipient across social services, emergency management, infrastructure, and public safety programs — not as a federal contractor — operating through its county departments and named subsidiaries including the Imperial County Work Training Center and Seeley County Water District.

Imperial County's federal footprint spans 188 awards across twenty-five distinct agencies, with prime grants representing 73% of the award count and sub-awards from state pass-through grantees constituting 27%. The county acts as a direct federal grant recipient under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care (COC) program (which accounts for multiple recurring awards addressing homelessness and housing instability), the Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service and Rural Utilities Service programs, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Representative prime grants include the $1.47 million Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants (CFDA 16.710) award from COPS with a performance period through September 2029 to support community policing capacity and officer training; the $2.912 million Water and Waste Disposal Grants program (CFDA 10.770) award from the Rural Utilities Service in June 2024 for water treatment and waste infrastructure in Heber, California; a $500 thousand Office on Violence Against Women grant (CFDA 16.590) for enhanced prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault; recurring COC program grants from HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development spanning permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and supportive services; and a $485 thousand Assistance to Firefighters Grant (CFDA 97.044) from FEMA awarded September 2025 for fire department equipment and training.

The county also serves as a sub-recipient under pass-through arrangements with the California Department of Health Care Services (Mental Health Block Grant, Substance Abuse Block Grant, housing assistance programs), the California Department of Public Health (HIV/AIDS services), the State Employment Development Department (workforce development programs), the California Board of State and Community Corrections (justice assistance grants), and the Office of Emergency Services (victim-witness assistance and emergency management). Recent sub-awards include mental health crisis response team funding, binational infectious disease surveillance coordination, child care development fund allocations, and specialized law enforcement equipment and training under the Bureau of Justice Assistance block grant program. The county's sheriff's office and district attorney's office are named recipients of several justice-sector sub-awards focused on criminal investigations, domestic violence prosecution, and equipment acquisition.

Activity volume has been variable — seven awards in 2022, fourteen in 2023, eighteen in 2024, thirteen in 2025, and six in 2026 — reflecting the episodic and multi-year nature of federal grant cycles rather than a sustained growth or decline trajectory. Combined obligated dollars total $73.9 million against $1.3 million in combined potential value, indicating that the potential-value figures in the source are conservative projections against substantially larger historical draw-downs. The top customer agencies by award count — the Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service (29 awards), HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development (19 awards), and the Agricultural Rural Housing Service Community Facilities sub-office (16 awards) — account for 47% of the award portfolio and reflect the county's role as a rural infrastructure and social services administrator. Four awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and present recompete exposure. The county's award portfolio is concentrated in correctional institutions, general government support, police protection, and parole/probation office operations (top NAICS categories), with PSC coding reflecting professional support services, legal services, and housekeeping/guard services.