Mesabi East Schools

Mesabi East Schools, a Minnesota public school district headquartered in Aurora, operates as a federal grant recipient (30% of recent awards) and sub-recipient (70%) under education and child nutrition programs. As a U.S. government entity and local educational agency, Mesabi East does not compete for federal contracts; its federal footprint is composed entirely of grants from the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture.

Mesabi East's customer concentration is narrow and stable. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education funds nine of ten recent awards (100% coverage by dollar value), while the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for one. The district receives funding through two primary federal grant programs: Indian Education Formula Grants to LEAs (Local Educational Agencies), which constitute the bulk of recent prime-recipient awards, and a Child Nutrition Division project grant for farm-to-school supplemental work. The two most recent prime awards are Indian Education Formula Grants dated July 1, 2026 (ultimate completion June 30, 2027) and July 1, 2025 (ultimate completion June 30, 2026), both formula grants from OESE. A third prime award, the CN Farm to School Supplemental project grant from the Child Nutrition Division, completed on June 30, 2024, with an award date of July 18, 2022.

Mesabi East also receives sub-grants from the Minnesota Department of Education, which serves as the prime grantee. Seven sub-award passthrough awards from Minnesota DOE are distributed across 2023, 2024, and 2025, identified by award numbers such as 000-401-2023, 000-414-2023, 000-414-2024, and 000-401-2024. These sub-awards represent the district's role as a sub-recipient within Minnesota's state education infrastructure.

Activity is modest and episodic. Total federal awards sum to ten over the past several years, with combined dollars obligated at $595 thousand. The annual pattern shows one award in 2022, one in 2023, four in 2024, three in 2025, and one in 2026. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete exposure. Mesabi East's federal footprint reflects its role as a small rural school district receiving formula and project grants for Native American education support and child nutrition initiatives, with the majority of activity flowing through Minnesota's state education department as the initial federal recipient.