Higher Educ Department

Higher Educ Department, a state-controlled institution of higher learning and child entity of the State of New Mexico based in Santa Fe, operates as a federal grant recipient (95% of recent awards as prime recipient) under workforce development and education programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The department does not hold federal contracts; its federal footprint is exclusively grant-funded.

Higher Educ Department's grant portfolio concentrates in two capability areas: adult education and literacy services, and healthcare workforce development through loan repayment. The Adult Education—Basic Grants to States program (CFDA 84.002), administered by the Department of Education's Office of Career Technical and Adult Education, anchors the largest recent awards, including a $10.4 million formula grant covering July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023, a $5.2 million formula grant from July 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024, and a $5.1 million formula grant from July 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. These grants fund local adult education and literacy services—workplace literacy, family literacy, English language acquisition, and integrated English literacy-civics education—distributed to local educational agencies and community colleges across New Mexico. The department also administers healthcare loan repayment grants under the Grants to States for Loan Repayment program (CFDA 93.165) from the Bureau of Health Professionals, providing educational debt relief to physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health professionals, registered nurses, and pharmacists who commit to practicing in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. A $268,331 project grant to the department runs through June 30, 2029 and targets annual placement of approximately 30 health professionals in underserved areas statewide. The department also received a project grant from the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education for the New Mexico Longitudinal Data System (running September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2025) to support data-driven decision-making in education and workforce systems.

Customer concentration is narrow and heavily weighted to the Department of Education. The top five funding agencies represent 83% of awards, led by the Department of Education's Office of Career Technical and Adult Education (17 awards), the Department of Education's Advisory Committee for Student Financial Assistance (16 awards), the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (12 awards), and the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (11 awards), with the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs rounding out the active set at 6 awards. Activity has remained stable at two to three awards per year over the past five years, with only three awards facing ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months. As a grant sub-recipient, Higher Educ Department receives sub-awards from the New Mexico Health Care Authority and the New Mexico Department of Finance & Administration for adult education and high school equivalency programs.