Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, a federally recognized Indian tribal government based in Mashpee, Massachusetts, receives federal grant funding as a direct recipient across health, education, transportation, environmental, and economic development programs — operating primarily as a grant recipient (98% of recent awards) rather than as a federal contractor. The Tribe holds no prime federal contracts and operates no contract vehicles; its federal engagement centers on direct awards from domestic agencies and formula-based tribal set-asides under programs designated for Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities.

The Tribe's customer concentration spans 45 distinct federal agencies, with heavy weighting toward social services and aging programs. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families leads by award count (95 awards across three program lines: Child Welfare Social Services, Promoting Safe and Stable Families, and Kinship Navigator programs), followed by HHS Administration for Community Living (19 awards in Older Americans Act Title VI nutrition and caregiver support), and the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (17 awards in Indian Education Formula Grants, CFDA 84.060). The Federal Transit Administration has issued multiple formula grants for tribal transportation operations and capital purchases. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs funds victim services through the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program (CFDA 16.841) and children's justice initiatives. Environmental stewardship work flows through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Recent representative awards include $200,000 from the Federal Transit Administration (CFDA 20.509) for an ADA-compliant shuttle van purchase (May 2026), $140,218 from the Department of Education for Indian Education Formula Grants (July 2025), $122,960 from HHS Administration on Aging for supportive and nutrition services for tribal elders (April 2026, CFDA 93.047), $149,444 from the EPA under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CFDA 66.046) for greenhouse gas emission reduction planning through September 2027, and $113,139 for tribal transportation operations and maintenance (September 2025, CFDA 20.509). The Tribe also holds a $448,231 Children's Justice Act formula grant for child victim services (October 2021 through September 2024) and a $410,246 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside project grant for culturally relevant victim services.

Grant work is concentrated in social safety-net and community development domains. The Tribe serves as a direct recipient for child welfare, kinship navigation, family preservation, and caregiver support formula grants administered by HHS Administration for Children and Families — all recurring awards with multi-year terms. Education grants support culturally responsive instruction, teacher retention, and Native language preservation (a $399,801 project grant to restore Wampanoag language fluency through the master apprentice model, June 2022). Transportation grants fund both capital acquisitions and operational maintenance for tribal transit serving medical, dental, social service, and cultural gatherings. Economic development grants from the Economic Development Administration support aquaculture and shellfish farming workforce training and equipment upgrades. Environmental grants include both ongoing tribal environmental capacity-building and targeted climate action planning. The Tribe received a $149,444 EPA cooperative agreement to develop Priority and Comprehensive Climate Action Plans with near-term and long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets, including solar feasibility analysis and workforce planning. Justice grants address victim services, child abuse prevention, and substance abuse treatment; the Tribe holds a multi-year Tribal Opioid Response project grant (SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, through September 2029) providing peer recovery support, medication-assisted treatment coordination, residential program assistance, and culturally tailored prevention.

Five grant sub-awards route through state and institutional prime recipients — the Tribe received sub-awards from the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety (Byrne JAG law enforcement grant, November 2025), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Santuit Pond nutrient reduction, October 2025), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for oil spill disaster preparedness related to tribal coastal aquaculture operations and for youth science education addressing environmental challenges (March and January 2024). The Tribe also subcontracts environmental and health research through MIT partnerships addressing tribal coastal resilience and climate adaptation.

Federal contract work is minimal — two small purchase orders (combined value $39,153) from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) programs (FY 2025 and FY 2026, $32,000 and $33,000 respectively), and a $7,152 purchase order from the National Park Service for tribal archaeological monitoring services (August 2023). A $11,847 NPS purchase order for tribal archaeological monitoring at Cape Cod National Seashore (May 2022) and a $10,000 NOAA purchase order for Native intern educational services (June 2022) complete the contract footprint.

Activity has declined in recent years — 18 awards in 2022, falling to four awards in 2026 through May — though nineteen awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing $33,000 in combined potential recompete exposure across formula and project grants. Obligated dollars ($124.2 million) substantially exceed combined potential value across recent awards, reflecting the Tribe's execution of multi-year grants awarded in prior years now flowing to completion or extension. The Tribe does not compete under federal small business set-asides (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB) in its federal role — as a federally recognized tribal government, it operates under programs specifically designated for Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities, including Indian Education Formula Grants, Older Americans Act tribal title grants, and the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside from the Crime Victims Fund.