Indian Hills Community College

Indian Hills Community College, a state-controlled Iowa institution of higher learning headquartered in Ottumwa, operates as a prime recipient of federal grants focused on workforce development, STEM education, and student support services. The college does not hold federal contracts; its federal footprint consists entirely of grant awards and sub-awards, with 96 of 99 awards (97%) executed as a prime recipient and 3 as a sub-recipient under other grantees.

The college's customer concentration reflects its postsecondary education mission. The Office of Postsecondary Education leads by award count (20 awards), followed by the National Science Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration (7 awards each), the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (5 awards), and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing and Rural Business Cooperative Services (3 awards combined). These five agencies account for 42% of all awards. The top PSC categories are Education/Training—Tuition/Registration/Membership Fees (34 awards) and Books and Pamphlets (5 awards), reflecting the college's role as a direct service provider and curriculum developer rather than a contract vendor.

Recent grant work spans workforce pipeline development and technical education expansion. The college holds a $1.45 million Economic Adjustment Assistance Project Grant from the Economic Development Administration (award date January 2023, completion July 2026) to equip a new career and technical education wing at its Centerville campus in advanced manufacturing, agriculture, construction, healthcare, and transportation. Under the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Program, Indian Hills received a Project Grant (award date October 2023, completion September 2026) to redesign its cybersecurity and systems administration AAS program, including procurement and operation of a cyber range and a capture-the-flag competition for rural students. The college also holds an NSF STEM scholarship grant (award date November 2021, completion October 2027) supporting at least 48 low-income students across ten STEM programs with faculty mentoring and peer support. Under the Office of Postsecondary Education, the college operates multiple TRIO programs including Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Educational Opportunity Center (all award dates September 2021–2022, completions through August 2026), and as of September 2025 holds a $352,044 Student Support Services Project Grant (CFDA 84.042) serving disadvantaged students through August 2026. Most recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration awarded the college a project grant (award date December 2025, completion September 2028) to recruit and enroll at least 14 students in its Commercial Driver's License Program.

In its sub-recipient role, Indian Hills receives pass-through funding from the Iowa Department of Education under Perkins V postsecondary career and technical education (CFDA 20.658) and participates as a consortium partner with Des Moines Area Community College on a competency-based education (CBE) adoption project for Industrial Maintenance Technology programs. Activity has remained modest and stable over the past five years, ranging from two to four awards per year, with five awards facing ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months.