Mount Vernon Community School District

Mount Vernon Community School District, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Mount Vernon, Iowa, acts as the prime recipient of federal grant awards focused on youth substance abuse prevention, mental health awareness training, and underage drinking reduction in rural Iowa communities. The district operates exclusively in the grant space — no federal contracts, only project grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The district's grant portfolio centers on community-level prevention and capacity-building work across six rural Linn County communities: Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Springville, Center Point, Alburnett, and Central City. Recent prime grants include a $250 thousand award from SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CFDA 93.492) on September 30, 2026, for the Wellness Coalition of Rural Linn County 2026 Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnerships for Success project, running through September 29, 2031, targeting alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use prevention among youth and young adults ages 18-22 across a service population of 13,395 residents; a $125 thousand CDC Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant (CFDA 93.276) awarded July 1, 2026, for the Mount Vernon and Lisbon Prevention and Awareness Through Healthy Choices Partnership Coalition, running through June 30, 2031, focused on reducing underage drinking and tobacco use; a Mental Health Awareness Training grant from SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services awarded September 30, 2023, with ultimate completion December 29, 2026, serving over 12,000 people across the six-community service area; and a SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention STOP Act program grant awarded September 30, 2023, running through September 29, 2027, addressing underage drinking through enforcement, restorative justice practices, and college-level prevention programming at Cornell College and Kirkwood Community College. Cornell College, located in Mount Vernon, is designated as a significant project partner representing a material portion of the young adult population in multiple initiatives.

The district also receives education sub-grants from the Department of Education, Iowa. Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies sub-awards were received July 3, 2025, and July 2, 2024. A Part B Special Education sub-grant under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act arrived July 7, 2025. These education sub-grants flow from the Department of Education Iowa as prime grantee.

Customer concentration is high within HHS sub-agencies. SAMHSA accounts for five awards across the portfolio, and the CDC contributes three awards, representing 87% of the award count. Total obligated dollars across all fifteen awards (twelve prime, three sub) reach $7.5 million. Two awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete exposure at that horizon.