Kings County

Kings County is a small rural county located in California's Central Valley, serving a population of approximately 150,000 residents across 87,000 square miles. Despite its limited general fund budget, the county has been actively engaged in securing federal grant funding to support critical public safety, social services, and community development initiatives. As a local government entity registered with SAM.gov since February 2007, Kings County functions as both a prime grantee and fiscal agent for various federal programs, leveraging federal resources to address unique regional challenges including proximity to the Mexico border, significant drug trafficking corridors, and the presence of three state prisons and major commercial enterprises.

Kings County's federal grant portfolio demonstrates substantial investment in public safety and human services across multiple federal agencies. The county has received direct prime grants totaling over $2.3 million from the Department of Justice, including the COPS Hiring Program ($250,000 awarded October 2025 through September 2030) to expand law enforcement capacity, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Formula Grant ($368,809 awarded October 2024) to combat violent crime and transnational drug trafficking, substance abuse disorder treatment coordination funding ($1,298,120 awarded October 2022), body-worn camera equipment ($413,000 awarded March 2022), and patrol vehicle acquisition support (July 2023). Additionally, Kings County serves as a conduit for numerous sub-grant awards distributed through California state agencies including the Department of Social Services, California Department of Public Health, Department of Transportation, Office of Emergency Services, and State Employment Development Department. The county administers or receives funding for programs spanning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), foster care and child welfare services, adoption assistance, WIC nutrition services, immunization programs, CalFresh employment and training, infrastructure improvements including bridge rehabilitation and roadway projects, emergency management and homeland security preparedness, victim services for violent crime survivors, and workforce development initiatives. These grants reflect Kings County's comprehensive approach to addressing regional public safety threats, supporting vulnerable populations, and maintaining critical infrastructure through coordinated federal-state partnerships with agencies such as Wellpath and Heritage Health Solutions serving as community partners.