Dallas Independent School District

Dallas Independent School District Special Revenue Funds Management Division, a U.S. local government entity and school district located in Dallas, Texas, operates as a federal grant recipient and, occasionally, a federal contract prime. The division receives the vast majority of its federal funding through sub-grants (84% of 232 recent awards) passed down from state education agencies and federal departments, with a smaller footprint of direct prime grants and one purchase-order contract. The district does not compete on the open federal contractor market; it receives federal dollars through formula grants, project grants, and sub-awards structured for K-12 educational and support services.

The district's prime federal footprint is sparse but concrete. It holds a $1.1 million purchase-order contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Integrated Service Network 17) awarded May 1, 2024, for offsite overflow parking supporting the Dallas VA Medical Center — 550 dedicated parking spaces and temporary material and equipment storage with an ultimate completion date of April 30, 2029, awarded on a sole-source basis. On the grant side, DISD received a $4.66 million project grant from EPA Region 6 under the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program (CFDA 66.049) on January 14, 2025, to replace ten non-zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in the district's fleet with zero-emission vehicles, including charging infrastructure and workforce development through December 31, 2026. The district also holds direct formula grants from the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Indian Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies program (CFDA 84.060) — $118,156 awarded July 1, 2026, and $131,660 awarded July 1, 2025, supporting education for American Indian and Alaska Native students, and a $336,500 project grant under the School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) initiative (CFDA 84.184) awarded August 1, 2025.

Customer concentration shows heavy dependence on federal education pass-through funding. The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 80 awards, and the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 59 awards — together representing 85% of recent awards by count. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (27 awards), the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (25 awards), and the Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition (7 awards) round out the active set. By dollar value, the DVA parking contract ($1.1 million potential value) and HHS ACF awards ($1 million combined potential value) anchor the largest single items, but Education and Agriculture sub-awards dominate the volume and represent the operational footprint.

The sub-grant portfolio spans K-12 education, special education, English learner services, homeless youth support, career and technical education, and child nutrition. Primary sub-awardees are the Texas Education Agency (serving as pass-through for Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, IDEA-B, Career and Technical Education Perkins grants, and principal leadership pathways), the Texas Department of Agriculture (Child Nutrition Program grants and state fruit initiatives), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (refugee minor services), and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (ventilation interventions and emergency protective measures). Recent sub-awards include Title I Part A improving basic programs for low-income students, Title III supporting English language learners, IDEA-B formula and preschool grants for students with disabilities, Title IV student support and academic enrichment funding, McKinney-Vento homeless youth education support, and Career and Technical Education program development. Award activity has tracked between 30 and 49 awards per year over the past five years, with 12 awards recorded year-to-date in 2026.

The combined potential value figure of $2.1 million across all 232 awards reflects only the ceiling value on the VA parking contract and EPA vehicle grant; the actual obligated dollars are $1.81 billion — a structural artifact of how formula and sub-grants flow through the district as a K-12 LEA receiving federal pass-through allocations. Recompete risk over the next twenty-four months involves only two awards reaching ultimate completion. DISD operates primarily as a compliance-driven recipient of federal education and nutrition funding for its students and schools, not as a federal service contractor.