Brightwater Health

Brightwater Health, a nonprofit organization based in Duluth, Minnesota, is a prime recipient of federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services, with a secondary footprint as a sub-recipient of state and local pass-through grants for homeless assistance and mental health services. The organization does not hold federal contracts; its federal funding flows entirely through grants under HUD's Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267) and HHS mental health and runaway-youth initiatives.

Brightwater Health's grant portfolio centers on permanent supportive housing for persons with disabilities, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, case management, counseling, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) infrastructure serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness, persons fleeing domestic violence, and youth. Recent prime awards include HUD CoC Project Grants with award dates spanning from July 2023 through April 2026, with a representative example of $191,282 awarded January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 under HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. The organization also delivers behavioral health crisis response and Lived Experience Deficit Care (LADC) services under a sub-award from the City of Duluth, Federal Mental Health Block Grant services as a sub-recipient from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and Runaway and Homeless Youth services as a sub-recipient from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward HUD's CoC Program, which accounts for 46 of 79 total awards across the source window. The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration contributes 24 awards (predominantly through the Minnesota Department of Human Services as the pass-through grantee). The remaining 9 awards distribute across HHS Administration for Children and Families and state-administered federal sub-awards. The organization operates as a prime recipient on 48 awards (61% of the footprint) and as a sub-recipient on 31 awards (39%), primarily flowing through Minnesota and Wisconsin state agencies. Activity has remained stable at seven to nine awards per year across the 2022–2025 period, with three awards recorded to date in 2026. Two awards reach completion within the next twenty-four months. The organization's obligated federal dollars total $9.8 million across the award portfolio, reflecting grant reimbursement rather than contract value structures.