New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University — doing business as Dona Ana Community College — is a Hispanic-serving community college branch of NMSU operating in Las Cruces, New Mexico that receives federal grants in STEM education, postsecondary education improvement, and agricultural research as a prime recipient and research sub-recipient under NSF and Department of Education programs. The institution is a state-controlled, not-for-profit minority institution and 1862 land-grant college; it competes in full-and-open grant programs rather than set-asides and does not hold federal contracts.

Dona Ana Community College's federal footprint centers on undergraduate STEM education, teacher preparation, and student support services delivered through grant awards rather than contracts. Representative prime grants include a $494,815 NSF project grant (CFDA 47.076, Division of Undergraduate Education) awarded October 15, 2026, to implement the Development and Excellence Through Learning Technology Acceleration Program — a Track 1 ITYC project deploying AI-supported three-stage mathematics instruction (diagnostic readiness, accelerated progression, and AI-scaffolded problem-solving pathways) to strengthen lower-level mathematics outcomes and STEM degree completion at two-year institutions through September 2029. A $950,000 Department of Education FIPSE award (December 2022 through December 2025) funds the Basic Needs Empowerment project to address food insecurity, housing stability, and other barriers to student academic success. An NSF-funded $291,659 Experiential Learning STEM Opportunity for Latinos pilot (CFDA 47.076, completed August 2024) deployed undergraduate research engagement and teaching practices to improve mathematics self-efficacy and STEM retention among Hispanic students. A $124,998 NSF grant (April 2023 through March 2024) supported development of STEM teacher education pathways and recruitment strategies in partnership with the main NMSU campus to address STEM teacher shortages in high-need school districts.

Customer concentration reflects concentrated funding from civilian education and research agencies. The top customer agencies accounting for 48% of recent awards include the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (3 awards), the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (2 awards), and the Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (2 awards), with additional activity from the EPA and DHS. By combined potential value, EPA research work anchors 94% of the portfolio. Activity remains modest at two to three awards per year since 2023, with 27 total prime and sub awards across the visible federal footprint and one award reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.

Dona Ana Community College also serves as a sub-recipient on agricultural and water-resources research grants managed by the parent institution. Sub-awards include a 2026 University of California–Davis Specialty Crops Research Initiative subcontract for Fusarium basal rot resistance evaluation in onion cultivars (NMSU Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences), a 2025 UC Davis subcontract supporting educational outreach and graduate student mentoring in water sustainability and soil health management, and a 2024 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology subcontract characterizing produced-water quality and toxicology. The college's grant work serves underrepresented and low-income student populations in the Southwest Borderplex region and contributes research to emerging best-practice models in undergraduate STEM and mathematics instruction at two-year institutions.