Randolph Electric Membership Corporation

Randolph Electric Membership Corp, a North Carolina-based non-profit electric cooperative, functions as a federal grant recipient under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy, administering project grants and capital deployment for rural economic development and electrical grid modernization rather than competing for federal contracts as a prime or subcontractor. The cooperative operates tax-exempt under a corporate structure, with 100% of its recent federal award activity concentrated in the grant recipient role.

Randolph Electric's federal footprint centers on two primary grant programs. The Rural Business Cooperative Services within USDA has awarded the cooperative $300,000 project grants under the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.854) on a recurring basis — awards in August 2021, June 2024, March 2025, April 2026, and May 2026. Under these awards, the cooperative serves as an intermediary financial institution, establishing and capitalizing revolving loan funds to distribute zero-interest financing to eligible rural businesses and economic development projects within its central North Carolina service territory. Grant-supported activities include project feasibility studies, business start-up costs, business incubator projects, and other economic development expenses intended to foster rural entrepreneurship and job creation in underserved communities. The Department of Energy has issued two Grid Infrastructure Deployment and Resilience grants (CFDA 81.254) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: a $16.4 million award (January 2025 through December 2028) supporting engineering, design, and deployment of grid resiliency upgrades to improve service reliability and reduce power outages within the cooperative's system; and a follow-on award (October 2024 through September 2029) targeting replacement of 21 miles of deteriorating wooden transmission poles with galvanized steel poles across central North Carolina, reducing outages and mitigating rate increases for disadvantaged communities.

Total federal funding obligated across the cooperative's award portfolio reaches $23.7 million, though reported potential value is stated at $16 thousand — an artifact of the source data's treatment of grant awards. Three awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing recompete or renewal opportunity. Randolph Electric does not maintain a federal contracting posture and holds no parent contract vehicles or teaming relationships with federal prime contractors. The cooperative's federal engagement is limited to grant administration, not federal procurement competition.