Department Of Military Affairs Montana

The Department Of Military Affairs Montana, doing business as Starbase Montana, is a U.S. state government entity and child of the Montana Department Of Public Health that functions as a federal grant recipient and prime contractor, delivering emergency management, disaster response, homeland security, and military support services to federal agencies with no set-aside designation across its footprint. The organization operates from Fort Harrison, Montana, and acts predominantly as a pass-through entity for federal grant programs rather than as a traditional federal contractor.

Starbase Montana's capability portfolio centers on state and local emergency management coordination, disaster recovery and mitigation, National Guard facilities operations and maintenance, STEM youth education, hazmat preparedness, cybersecurity capacity building, and nonprofit security enhancement. As a grant recipient, the organization receives direct federal funding and distributes sub-awards to counties, municipalities, tribal entities, nonprofits, and other state departments across Montana. Representative grant work includes a $34.2 million Cooperative Agreement with the Montana National Guard (CFDA 12.401) for Army National Guard facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization running through September 30, 2026; a $6.06 million Emergency Management Performance Grants award from FEMA (CFDA 97.042) for all-hazards preparedness across state and local levels, also ending September 30, 2026; a $6.034 million Homeland Security Grant Program award (CFDA 97.067) for prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery mission areas distributed to local jurisdictions; and a $2.031 million State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program award (CFDA 97.137) supporting governance structures and security controls across state and local governments, with completion targeted for August 29, 2029. Additional FEMA-funded work includes $1.537 million for Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery expansion (CFDA 64.203), $1.8 million for Nonprofit Security Grant Program awards (CFDA 97.008), and multiple disaster recovery grants under the Disaster Grants — Public Assistance program (CFDA 97.036). On the prime contract side, Starbase Montana holds a small federal contract footprint including a $34,387.67 firm-fixed-price purchase order with the National Park Service Intermountain Region for front-end loader recovery from Yellowstone National Park flooding and a $42,272.13 definitive contract with FEMA for law enforcement officer services in Helena, Montana.

Customer concentration is heavily concentrated within FEMA grant programs and the National Guard. The top five funding agencies by award count account for approximately 90% of awards: FEMA Headquarters Financial Assistance Awards leads with 136 awards, the Department of the Army National Guard with 70 awards, FEMA (general) with 52 awards and $47 thousand combined potential value, the Department of the Army Montana Army National Guard with 42 awards, and the Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration with 12 awards. This concentration reflects Starbase Montana's core role as Montana's state emergency management authority and National Guard support entity. By potential value, the National Park Service Intermountain Region ($48 thousand across two awards) and FEMA ($47 thousand across 52 awards) carry the highest documented dollar magnitudes in the source, though the organization's true grant dollar exposure is far larger — the combined dollars obligated across all 348 awards total $2.45 billion, reflecting the pass-through nature of federal grant administration where Starbase Montana receives and re-distributes congressionally directed federal funding.

Activity volume has remained moderate and stable over recent years — 23 awards in 2022, 30 in 2023, 21 in 2024, 26 in 2025, and 3 recorded through the first five months of 2026 in the source snapshot. Thirty-two awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete opportunity for successor organizations should any grants or contracts be rebid. The organization's subcontractor footprint is minimal; Starbase Montana acts as a sub-recipient on a single federal contract sub-award with the State of Montana Department of Health and Human Services for community nursing home pharmacy services (February 2023), and on multiple federal grant sub-awards distributed from the Montana Department of Military Affairs as pass-through management costs and emergency protective measures under FEMA disaster assistance programs.

Starbase Montana's grant work is heavily concentrated within FEMA programs (Disaster Grants — Public Assistance, Emergency Management Performance Grants, Homeland Security Grant Program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, Nonprofit Security Grant Program, State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, Flood Mitigation Assistance, and National Dam Safety Program), National Guard military operations and maintenance cooperative agreements under CFDA 12.401 and the STARBASE youth education program (CFDA 12.020), and smaller allocations from the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Cemetery Grants Program, CFDA 64.203), the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness, CFDA 20.703), and the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment. The organization's structure as a state agency child of the Montana Department of Public Health positions it as the designated state administrative agency for pass-through federal disaster assistance, emergency preparedness, and security grants across Montana.