Fort Mcdowell Yavapai Nation

Fort Mcdowell Yavapai Nation, doing business as Grants And Contracts Department, is a federally recognized tribal government located in Fort McDowell, Arizona, that acts as a direct federal grant recipient across a portfolio of community development, infrastructure, environmental, and public safety programs. The Nation receives federal funding as a prime recipient only—no subcontract activity or federal contracting work—and operates entirely within the federal grant landscape, with one minor exception of a $6,300 purchase order from the U.S. Forest Service for land rental services awarded in July 2024.

The Nation's federal funding portfolio spans thirty distinct customer agencies, with grant activity concentrated among the Department of Health and Human Services (particularly the Office of Child Care and Administration for Children and Families), the Environmental Protection Agency and EPA Region 9, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Federal Highway Administration, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Department of Justice. The top five funding agencies by award count account for 52% of recent awards: HHS Administration for Children and Families leads with seventeen awards, followed by EPA with fifteen awards, EPA Region 9 with fourteen awards, the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science with nine awards, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services with eight awards. Combined potential value across all awards is modest at $38 thousand, though the Nations has obligated $58.4 million across recent awards—a ratio reflecting the heavily grant-funded nature of tribal government operations where potential and actual values diverge significantly.

Recent grant work reflects the Nations priorities in child care delivery, environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and infrastructure resilience. The Nation holds a $1.75 million Child Care and Development Block Grant (CFDA 93.575) from HHS Office of Child Care running through September 2028, alongside a $186,526 Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds award (CFDA 93.596) for the same period, establishing it as a lead agency for child care subsidies and quality improvement across tribal service areas. Environmental grants include a $800,000 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) project grant (CFDA 66.039) from EPA Region 9 for equipment replacement, awarded March 2026 through November 2027; a $223,241 Water Pollution Control State, Interstate, and Tribal Program Support grant (CFDA 66.419) from EPA Region 9 for water quality monitoring beginning October 2025; and a $166,667 Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants award (CFDA 66.460) for watershed management and best management practices. The Nation received a $343,980 Bureau of Reclamation grant (CFDA 15.519) for irrigation well rehabilitation and a $399,440 grant for pump and motor replacement on six irrigation wells. Justice sector work includes a $900,000 COPS Office Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing grant (CFDA 16.710) for community policing capacity, awarded October 2024, and $251,383 from the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside program (CFDA 16.841) for victim services. The Nation also holds Homeland Security Grant Program funding of $1,084,736 (CFDA 97.067) from FEMA for counter-terrorism and preparedness activities, a Special Diabetes Program for Indians cooperative agreement from HHS, and multiple library and cultural preservation grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, including support for Yavapai language digitization and a Yavapai Language Revitalization grant (CFDA from Administration for Native Americans).

Activity has fluctuated modestly over the past five years—nine awards in 2022, eight in 2023, thirteen in 2024, nine in 2025, and one in 2026 through the current date. The Nation faces fifteen awards completing within the next twenty-four months, representing upcoming recompete activity primarily in child care, environmental, and transportation grant programs. The Nations federal posture is entirely grant-focused, with no federal contracting prime awards, no IDV seats, and no subcontracting relationships—it functions as a direct tribal government recipient managing federal assistance for community programs, infrastructure, and services for tribal members and the broader Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation reservation community.