Sullivan County

Sullivan County, doing business as Sullivan County Commissioners Office, is a U.S. local government entity (county) in Laporte, Pennsylvania that receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient for emergency watershed protection and infrastructure improvement projects, and as a sub-recipient on food assistance and hazard mitigation programs administered by the Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The organization does not hold federal contracts and operates entirely within the federal grant ecosystem.

Sullivan County's funding footprint is modest and concentrated in disaster recovery and agricultural assistance. The county has received 23 total federal awards since 2013, with four as prime recipient (17%) and nineteen as sub-recipient (83%). Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $2.9 million. The top customer agencies by award count are the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (4 awards), the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (3 awards), and the Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service (2 awards), accounting for approximately 48% of all awards. The remaining 52% is distributed across six additional customer agencies, indicating broad but thin engagement across federal programs.

Sullivan County's prime grant work centers on emergency watershed protection. The county received a $719,025 Cooperative Agreement from the Natural Resources Conservation Service under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (CFDA 10.923), awarded January 5, 2026, for streambank stabilization at five designated sites (SU-25-001 through SU-25-005) to address watershed impairments and prevent erosion-related damage to critical infrastructure and residential areas. Completion is scheduled for August 15, 2026. Sullivan County also received a prior Cooperative Agreement from NRCS under the same program, awarded May 11, 2022, for financial assistance to design and install emergency watershed protection measures under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with completion in February 2023.

As a sub-recipient, Sullivan County administers grant funds flowing from state and federal agencies to local projects and programs. Notable sub-awards include hazard mitigation grant funds from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (March 2023, December 2022) for sub-awardee distribution; sewer system improvement projects in Sonestown (November 2023, September 2023, combined approximately $920,000); the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) from the Department of Agriculture Pennsylvania (awards in October 2021, March 2023, September 2023, April 2024); and American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services flowing through the Pennsylvania Department of Education for library and community recovery (January 2026). The county acts as fiscal and administrative intermediary for most sub-awards, managing compliance, cost-sharing, and pass-through funding to local nonprofits, municipal systems, and victim service providers. Activity has remained relatively stable at five to six awards per year from 2021 through 2023, declining to two awards in 2024 and resuming with one award in 2026. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.