North Dakota Department Of Human Services

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, a U.S. state government entity and division of the State of North Dakota, is the prime recipient of federal grants across health, human services, child welfare, nutrition assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and aging programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The department does not pursue federal contracts and operates exclusively as a grant recipient, with 98% of its award footprint comprising prime grants (1,248 awards) and 2% sub-awards (20 awards), across 37 distinct federal customer agencies.

The department's grant portfolio spans mandatory entitlement programs, formula allocations, and competitive project grants. Representative recent awards include a $795.7 million Cooperative Agreement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CFDA 93.798) for the five-year Rural Health Transformation Program, awarded December 29, 2025, through October 30, 2030, supporting workforce development, population health initiatives, telehealth expansion, and data system modernization across North Dakota's rural health system. The department also received a $3.16 billion block grant from CMCS (CFDA 93.778) for Medicaid medical assistance payments (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026), a $26.7 million block grant from CMCS for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, CFDA 93.767) (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027), and a $39.5 million block grant from the Administration for Children and Families (CFDA 93.558) for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The department also manages formula grants supporting nutrition assistance, child care, child welfare services, vocational rehabilitation, and independent living services, including an $8.22 million State Administrative Matching Grant for SNAP (CFDA 10.561), a $13.8 million Vocational Rehabilitation grant (CFDA 84.126), and a $43.7 million Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program allocation (CFDA 93.568).

Customer concentration heavily reflects the department's role as North Dakota's designated state administrator for federal health and human services programs. The Administration for Children and Families accounts for 342 awards across the portfolio; the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 125 awards; the Administration for Community Living, 103 awards; and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 102 awards. These five top agencies represent 53% of all awards by count. Awards carry minimal individual potential values (combined potential value across all 1,268 awards is $16 thousand, reflecting the source's representation of obligated amounts rather than typical contract ceilings) — the substantive signal is in obligated dollars, which total $42.62 billion across the portfolio, indicating the department's role as a pass-through entity distributing massive federal entitlements to sub-recipients including county governments, tribal organizations, nonprofit providers, and community-based service organizations throughout North Dakota. The department regularly sub-awards grant funding to local entities; recent sub-recipients include North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, Great Plains Food Bank, Community Options For, and multiple county correctional centers and regional district health units.

Award activity has remained stable, averaging roughly 65–70 awards annually over the past five years (2022–2025), with 94 awards reaching completion within the next twenty-four months and thus entering recompete or renewal cycles. The department's footprint is primarily formula-based allocations and mandatory entitlement grants tied to state population and demographic eligibility — not competitive procurements — reflecting its statutory role as the state health and human services agency administering federal programs on behalf of North Dakota's vulnerable populations.