Oregon Department Of Education

Oregon Department of Education, a U.S. state government entity headquartered in Salem, operates as a federal grant recipient administering formula and project grants from civilian agencies, not as a prime contractor. The agency acts as a pass-through entity distributing federal funds to local educational agencies, school districts, education service districts, and community-based organizations across Oregon; it also holds one small definitive contract for NAEP state coordinator services.

Oregon Department of Education's federal footprint spans education, child nutrition, juvenile justice, and related social services. The top grantor agencies by award count are the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (255 awards), the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (96 awards for child nutrition programs), the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (70 awards), and the Department of Education Office of Career Technical and Adult Education (23 awards), accounting for 82% of the 645 total awards in the source. By dollar value, the Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences anchors the portfolio with $6.9 million combined potential value across nine awards, including a $3.086 million definitive contract awarded April 1, 2025, for NAEP state coordinator services through March 31, 2035, under firm fixed-price terms. Recent representative work includes a $8.492 million project grant (CFDA 84.411, Education Innovation and Research) awarded August 1, 2026, for Oregon ELEVATE, an early literacy intervention using artificial intelligence tutoring and evaluation, running through July 31, 2031; a $54.763 million formula grant (CFDA 84.027, Special Education Grants to States) awarded July 1, 2026, distributed through sub-awards to eligible local educational agencies; and a $255.443 million National School Lunch Program formula grant (CFDA 10.555) awarded October 1, 2025, providing cash subsidies to support nonprofit lunch service in Oregon schools.

The agency's grant portfolio is heavily concentrated in formula grants representing recurring federal allocations to states under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Child Nutrition Act, and related statutes. Recent annual award volume shows modest decline from 35 awards in 2022 to 18 in 2026 (year-to-date through August), though the dollar value per award has increased substantially; combined obligated dollars across all awards total $15.74 billion against a combined potential value of $6.9 million, indicating that most awards represent multi-year, standing allocations under formula programs. Twenty-six awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating annual recompete or renewal cycles. The agency distributes sub-awards to 27 to 104 local implementing organizations per grant program, naming sub-recipients across rural and urban districts including Portland Public Schools, Salem-Keizer School District, Beaverton School District, and smaller rural districts and education service districts statewide. The agency also receives sub-grant funding from parent entities such as the State of Oregon Office of the Governor, channeling federal allocations through the state system. Oregon Department of Education serves as the designated state education agency administering federal K-12 education, special education, career-technical education, child nutrition, juvenile justice, homeless youth services, and English learner programs, making it the primary state-level intermediary between federal grantor agencies and local Oregon school systems.