Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University, operating through its Kellogg Conference business unit, is a tax-exempt private university and the world's only standalone institution for deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing students, functioning as both a federal grant recipient (90% of recent awards) and subcontractor on federally funded research and infrastructure projects. The institution does not hold prime federal contracts but receives federal grants across educational, health research, and disability-related programs, competing exclusively in full-and-open and set-aside-eligible categories with no SBA business-development designations.

Gallaudet's federal footprint centers on applied and basic research in deaf and hard of hearing health, linguistics, cognitive science, and accessibility technology, grounded in its bilingual (American Sign Language and English) mission. Recent representative prime grant work includes a $599,978 award from SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CFDA 93.532) to develop the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Child Resilience Center, providing trauma-informed prevention and evidence-based treatment adaptation for deaf youth nationwide through September 2031; a $1.5 million Save America's Treasures grant from the National Park Service (CFDA 15.929) for physical preservation and structural stabilization of the historic Circle of Signers Building in Washington, DC, with mandatory dollar-for-dollar non-federal match requirements through April 2029; a $3.75 million five-year cooperative agreement from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to establish the National Beacon Center for Early Language System Accountability and Data, addressing gaps in early hearing detection and intervention systems for deaf and hard of hearing children; and an NSF-funded Master of Science program in Accessible AI developed jointly with Rochester Institute of Technology, creating curriculum for AI developers who design systems accessible to deaf users and training 100 graduate students including 25 funded fellows through February 2031.

Customer concentration is heavily research-agency driven. The National Science Foundation leads by award count (17 awards including divisions of Information and Intelligent Systems and Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences), followed by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (18 awards), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the National Institute on Aging, the National Eye Institute, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The top five funding agencies account for 32% of awards by count. Dollar concentration is far lower and fragmented: Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Department of Labor, and Veterans Health Administration (Veterans Integrated Service Network 5) top the potential-value ranking but collectively represent only 8% of combined potential dollars, reflecting the predominantly research-grant portfolio composition with typical sub-$500,000 per-award magnitudes.

Gallaudet's federal vehicle footprint is minimal. The institution holds two task orders under Indefinite Delivery Contract 75FCMC23D0004 and one under 75FCMC18D0047; it also maintains one task order on Federal Supply Schedule GS10F164BA for $10,000. These vehicles account for fewer than five percent of awards. The overwhelming majority of recent work flows through direct grants rather than IDV or GWAC-based task orders.

Activity has grown markedly: four awards in 2022, nine in 2023, twenty-two in 2024, declining to ten in 2025 and three in 2026 (through late September). Nine awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. The institution's award portfolio is heavily front-loaded toward research, training, and conference support (NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates sites, doctoral dissertation research, international conference accessibility), with minimal contract execution outside the Kellogg Conference venue-rental channel.

In its subcontractor role, Gallaudet delivers subject-matter expertise and community engagement work. The Mitre Corporation engages Gallaudet as a sub on its Collaboration of Expertise (COE) contract supporting the FCC's Telecommunications Relay Services program, focusing on standards development, quality metrics, and testing of TRS access for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind users (awards dated July 2023, September 2024, August 2026). Gallaudet also serves as a sub-recipient on research grants from Langston University (Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Equity), the University of Washington (AccessComputing broadening participation in computing), the University of Pittsburgh (accessible AI and biomedical informatics), and Harvard College's Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, conducting recruitment, technical assistance, and deaf-centered research training. Federal grant sub-awards represent approximately 10% of the portfolio.

The institution's NAICS composition reflects its educational and conference mission: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools dominates (20 awards), followed by Hotels and Motels (7 awards related to venue rental), Translation and Interpretation Services (5 awards), and caterers (3 awards). The Kellogg Conference unit's two prime federal contracts are purchase orders: a $16,584.70 January 2024 award from VA Veterans Integrated Service Network 5 for off-site venue rental (completion January 2025) and a $20,000 February 2022 award from the Smithsonian Institution for services supporting the SAAM Musical Thinking exhibition (completion June 2023). Gallaudet does not pursue federal IT, logistics, or professional services work outside research and accessibility domains.