Kawerak, Inc.

Kawerak, Inc., a federally recognized tribal consortium based in Nome, Alaska, operates as a non-profit recipient of federal grants and a prime awardee across transportation, environmental remediation, early childhood education, health services, and economic development programs serving 20 federally recognized tribes across the Bering Strait, Norton Sound, and Yukon regions of western Alaska. The organization holds no federal prime contracts but operates extensively as a federal grant recipient (78% prime awards) and sub-recipient (22% of recent awards), with established relationships across 53 distinct federal customer agencies.

Kawerak's federal footprint concentrates in formula and project grants. The Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration dominates by award count with 28 prime grants focused on tribal transportation infrastructure—road construction, bridge rehabilitation, maintenance, and connectivity in remote Alaska Native communities. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families places 50 awards anchored by a $17.352 million five-year Head Start grant (CFDA 93.600) for American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood education through December 2030, with additional formula grants for child welfare social services (CWSS) and promoting safe and stable families (FPSS). The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service carries 60 awards, predominantly Child and Adult Care Food Program sub-awards routed through the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. The Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 maintains a substantial portfolio including a $2.806 million Cooperative Agreement (CFDA 66.965) for remediation of contaminated ANCSA lands at two Elim, Alaska sites through December 2027, a $178,125 State and Tribal Response Program grant (CFDA 66.817) for brownfields assessment and cleanup throughout the Bering Strait region, and multiple solid waste and environmental capacity-building awards. The Denali Commission places 25 grants for regional infrastructure, energy, and community development, including a $10 million Regional Energy Upgrades award (CFDA 90.100) through December 2031, a $14.248 million Wales to Tin City road construction project, and a $1.2 million Shaktoolik community streets resilience initiative. The Economic Development Administration awarded $624,874 for the Kawerak Region Critical Energy Infrastructure Recovery Project (CFDA 11.307) through March 2028 and $4.630735 million for reindeer enterprise expansion in Savoonga through May 2027.

Kawerak holds specialized federal grant roles in public safety, substance abuse prevention, and victim services. The Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded $1.9 million (CFDA 16.596) for a new public safety building in Nome addressing critical infrastructure gaps where 85% of existing spaces fail standard requirements, $900,000 (CFDA 16.587) for violence against women victim safety services through the Office on Violence Against Women continuation award, $546,354 (CFDA 16.731) for tribal youth wellness programming, and $260,000 (CFDA 16.841) for child advocacy center operations. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds a $5.8 million Circle of Hope mental health and substance abuse intervention project addressing suicide and opioid crises in the region and the Bering Strait Opioid Response Initiative through September 2029. The Federal Highway Administration awarded $1.756 million for the Native Village of Shaktoolik evacuation road project (CFDA 20.205) and $17.320136 million under the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (CFDA 20.938) for advancing connectivity in the remote Bering Straits region through December 2028.

Kawerak's energy development footprint includes geothermal and renewable resource work. The Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy awarded $397,351 for design of a direct-use geothermal district heating and cooling system at Pilgrim Hot Springs (CFDA 81.087). The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service provided $600,000 (CFDA 10.859) for high energy cost community energy infrastructure development through May 2027. The Bureau of Indian Affairs funded geothermal tribal utility development capacity grants and feasibility studies exceeding $1.7 million historically. The Department of Interior Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs awarded an unspecified amount for the Unaatuq geothermal energy project with a 65-kilowatt binary power plant planned for Pilgrim Hot Springs through December 2027.

Kawerak operates as a sub-recipient on federal awards through state and university prime grantees. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development routes recurring Child and Adult Care Food Program meals and cash-in-lieu awards across multiple tranches (60 documented sub-awards from 2023 onward). The State of Alaska placed sub-awards for multipurpose community building projects in Gambell, Teller, Shishmaref, Shaktoolik, and Elim communities. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium flows health-related federal funding to Kawerak for climate resilience research collaboration (NOAA CRRC) and fiscal-year gap funding. University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Missouri, and Oregon State University route research sub-awards for arctic change science, indigenous knowledge holder engagement, and flood adaptation studies. Rural Alaska Community Action Program and the Intertribal Agriculture Council pass through funding for community food security and broadband initiatives.

Federal grant activity has grown substantially. Awards increased from 16 in 2022 to 53 in 2024 before moderating to 41 in 2025 and 26 in 2026 year-to-date (August 2026). Eighteen awards carry ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete exposure. Combined potential value across all 379 awards (prime and sub) totals $637.4 million in obligations against a $1 million reported ceiling, reflecting the source's treatment of obligated balances. The vendor's award portfolio spans environmental consulting, scientific and technical consulting, social advocacy, and research services across remote Alaska Native communities. Kawerak maintains no federal contract prime position; the organization operates exclusively in the federal grant ecosystem, with no presence on GWACs, IDIQs, or agency task-order vehicles. The organization's teaming and sub-recipient role brings exposure to state, university, and nonprofit prime grantees managing federal pass-throughs.