Crab Orchard Community School District 3

Crab Orchard Community School District 3, a rural public school district headquartered in Marion, Illinois, receives federal education grants as a prime recipient from the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program (formula grant, CFDA 84.358), and acts as a sub-recipient on awards passed through the Illinois State Board of Education. The district does not hold federal contracts; its federal engagement is exclusively grant-based, structured as a local government entity serving K–12 students in a designated rural and small-school category.

Crab Orchard's federal funding footprint is narrow and concentrated. Two federal agencies account for 100% of recent awards: the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (30 awards) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (2 awards). As a prime recipient, the district has drawn five consecutive formula grants under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program, awarded annually on July 1 in fiscal years 2022 through 2026, with ultimate completion dates spanning September 30, 2023 through September 30, 2027. In its role as sub-recipient, Crab Orchard receives pass-through funding from the Illinois State Board of Education for Title I programs (supporting instructional staff and materials for at-risk students), special education (salaries, supplies, equipment, and training for students with disabilities ages 3–21), mental health and school-climate initiatives (addressing chronic absenteeism and mental health access), and pandemic-relief activities under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) programs funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Sub-awards document instruction and intervention in core content areas, enrichment and recreation programs, professional development, parent engagement services, and residential-cost reimbursement for students with disabilities.

The district's combined obligated federal dollars across all awards total $2.9 million. Activity has accelerated modestly — from one award in 2022 to six in 2025 — driven entirely by formula-grant renewals and state pass-through sub-awards. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal near-term recompete exposure. Crab Orchard's federal role is that of a small rural school system accessing formula entitlements and state-administered categorical grants for K–12 instruction, special education, and student support services, with no exposure to competitive federal procurement or contractor teaming relationships.