Department Of Education Iowa

Department Of Education Iowa, a child entity of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and a U.S. state government agency, operates exclusively as a federal grant recipient. The agency administers more than 630 federal education and child nutrition formula grants issued by the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related federal agencies; it receives no federal contracts and does not serve as a subcontractor. The organization is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, and carries no SBA certifications or set-aside designations — all work is unrestricted full-and-open federal funding flowing to a state educational agency in its statutory role as pass-through administrator.

Department Of Education Iowa's federal grant footprint reflects its statutory mission as Iowa's state educational agency. The agency manages K-12 education formula grants across more than two dozen federal programs: Title I Part A Basic Grants to Local Educational Agencies (CFDA 84.010) ($50.9 million awarded July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027), Special Education Grants to States under IDEA Part B (CFDA 84.027) ($50.0 million, July 1, 2026), and the National School Lunch Program (CFDA 10.555) ($86.9 million for FY 2025–26, and $160.7 million for FY 2025–26 under a second tranche). The agency also administers early intervention and special education grants for infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities through the Special Education-Grants for Infants and Families (CFDA 84.181, $5.0 million July 2026) and Special Education Preschool Grants (CFDA 84.173, $4.4 million July 2026). Beyond special education, the agency distributes funds for English Language Acquisition (CFDA 84.365, $4.8 million July 2026), Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (CFDA 84.287, $7.8 million July 2026), and student support and academic enrichment (CFDA 84.424, $8.1 million July 2026). Child nutrition administration is substantial: the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CFDA 10.558) carries formula allocations exceeding $1.2 million annually; the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (CFDA 10.582) funded $3.5 million for FY 2025–26. The agency also received a $2.318 million definitive contract from the Institute of Education Sciences effective April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2035, for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) State Coordinator services, the sole prime contract award in the source data.

Customer concentration is extreme and statutory. The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education dominates by award count (254 awards, 86% coverage across the top customers), anchored by Title I, special education, charter school, literacy, migrant education, homeless youth, and career-technical education programs. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 180 awards combined across child nutrition programs (National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable, Child and Adult Care Food, Farm to School, and Team Nutrition programs). The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services issued 72 awards for IDEA Part B, Part C (infants and toddlers), and preschool programs. The Office of Career Technical and Adult Education and the Office of English Language Acquisition round out the top tier. The EPA Region 7 awarded voluntary lead testing grants to schools and child care facilities (CFDA 66.444, $295 thousand October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028). These grantor relationships reflect Iowa's statutory allocation formulas under IDEA, ESEA Title I, child nutrition acts, and related federal K-12 education statutes; concentration is not discretionary but mandated by law.

Award volume has held steady over five years — 30 awards in 2022, 25 in 2023, 26 in 2024, 30 in 2025, and 18 through October 2026. The combined potential value across all awards in the source stands at $6.9 million, but obligated dollars total $10.83 billion, a signal that reported potential values on formula grants are highly conservative and do not reflect true program scope. The discrepancy arises because formula grant awards are often renewed annually in cycles; the source captures many overlapping and sequential awards at the same or similar dollar levels. Twenty-seven awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and face annual recompete or continuation-award decisions, a standard statutory recompete cycle for K-12 education formula grants. The agency distributes all federal allocations to sub-recipient school districts, Area Education Agencies, community-based youth organizations, and child care sponsoring organizations across Iowa; it functions as the state's administrative pass-through entity rather than an operator of direct services.

Federal grant recipients named across the source include dozens of Iowa school districts (Des Moines Public Schools, Cedar Rapids Community School District, Dubuque Community School District, Iowa City Community School District, Davenport Community School District, among others), Area Education Agencies (Heartland AEA, Mississippi Bend AEA, Prairie Lakes AEA, Grantwood AEA, Great Prairie AEA, Northwest AEA, Green Hills AEA), community-based youth organizations (Youthport, Boys and Girls Club of the Cedar Valley, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, Siouxland Human Investment Partnership), and specialized providers (Athletics for Education and Success Inc., Homes of Oakridge Human Services). The agency sub-awards portions of Title I, special education, English language acquisition, and student support programs to these entities on a formula or competitive basis, often with 21 or more sub-recipients per grant cycle. The organization does not maintain prime contractor relationships; all federal work flows inbound as grants to the state education agency.