Mason County Eastern Schools

Mason County Eastern Schools, a U.S. local government entity and school district headquartered in Custer, Michigan, receives federal grants as a prime recipient (26% of recent awards) and sub-recipient (74%) focused on K–12 education, child nutrition, and school infrastructure. The district does not hold federal contracts and operates exclusively within the grant ecosystem.

The district's customer concentration is heavily weighted toward education and nutrition programs. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education funds 39 awards across the recent footprint, representing the vast majority of prime and sub-award activity. The Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 13 awards, and the Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 contributes 1 award, for a three-agency customer base covering 100% of documented federal funding. As a prime recipient, Mason County Eastern holds three Small, Rural School Achievement Program formula grants from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education—awarded July 1, 2026 (completion September 30, 2027), July 1, 2024 (completion September 30, 2025), and July 1, 2022 (completion September 30, 2023)—each a direct formula allocation to support rural school operations and academic achievement.

The district's sub-recipient work is routed through the Michigan Department of Education, which channels federal awards to Mason County Eastern for Title I, Part A (disadvantaged student support), teacher quality and professional development, ARP ESSER (pandemic relief), and USDA child nutrition and food programs. Representative sub-awards include multiple awards for Title I, Part A program delivery; professional development partnerships with higher-education institutions; USDA meal and nutrition program support; and a January 16, 2025 sub-award from Highland CSB 1, LLC to support the procurement of electric school buses. The district has also received sub-awards supporting Department of Education programs in Michigan, spanning pandemic relief, teacher quality initiatives, and nutrition services.

Award activity has grown modestly from five awards in 2022 to ten in 2026, with 53 total awards across the portfolio carrying $9.2 million in combined obligated dollars. Only one award faces ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, indicating limited immediate recompete exposure. The district's federal funding profile reflects its status as a rural Michigan school district eligible for direct formula allocations and pass-through funding from the state education agency, with no competitive federal procurement activity or contract vehicles.