Tarleton State University

Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University System based in Stephenville, Texas, is a public land-grant educational institution that acts as a federal grant recipient (78% of recent awards as prime recipient) conducting applied research, workforce development, and student support services across agricultural, environmental, health, and educational domains. The university does not hold federal contracts or contract vehicles; all federal work flows through grant awards from civilian agencies.

Tarleton's customer base spans 41 distinct federal agencies, with concentration among civilian grantor agencies. The top five grantor agencies by award count represent 46% of recent awards, led by the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (15 awards), the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (11 awards), the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 (10 awards), the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (9 awards), and the National Science Foundation (8 awards). Combined potential value across all awards stands at $17.9 million, though obligated dollars total $130.3 million—reflecting a portfolio of mature, funded awards with spending running well ahead of potential-value ceiling estimates.

The award portfolio demonstrates substantial applied research and education delivery capability. Representative prime-recipient work includes a $300,000 three-year NIFA project grant (CFDA 10.326) launched September 2026 to build baseline field data on woody plant encroachment in Texas savanna-grassland working lands and integrate satellite and GIS analysis to assess woody cover change drivers over two decades, with integrated education and training components strengthening the natural resources workforce pipeline. A $464,502 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute project grant (CFDA 93.837) funds construction of an interactive three-dimensional computer model of left atrium electrophysiology to investigate atrial fibrillation mechanisms, with sub-awards to Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston System for clinical and imaging expertise. A $408,000 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke project grant (CFDA 93.853) supports meta-transcriptomic assessment of chronic respiratory exposure to cobalt-based nanomaterials using microfluidic three-dimensional lung models, providing undergraduate research opportunities in biomedical sciences. Tarleton also delivers three TRIO Student Support Services program grants totaling $544,728 (CFDA 84.042) addressing retention, academic success, and transfer outcomes for low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities. A $200,000 Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant (CFDA 93.912) from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy funds establishment of the Rural Mental Health Network across three Texas HRSA-designated rural counties in partnership with Comanche County Medical Center, ACCEL Health, and the Center for Life Resources.

The university operates as a sub-recipient on 26 awards (22% of portfolio), including collaborative research sub-awards with Texas Tech University System and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on water quality modeling, watershed management, and data collection; with Prairie View A&M University on energy and environmental sustainability research; and with Montana State University on equine gene-doping detection methods. Recent sub-awards include environmental data analysis for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (October 2025–July 2025 awards covering National Lakes Assessment and National Rivers and Streams Assessment reporting, Cow Bayou watershed modeling, Upper Oyster Creek dissolved-oxygen TMDL allocations, and Mill Creek recreational use attainability analysis), pecan-cracking equipment procurement under a Texas Department of Agriculture grant (November 2025), and Small Business Development Center management through Texas Tech University System (April 2026).

Activity has grown year over year from 6 awards in 2022 to 17 in 2025, with 3 awards recorded through September 2026. Thirteen awards carrying completion dates within the next twenty-four months face recompete risk. The portfolio centers on NAICS categories including Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (4 awards), Testing Laboratories and Services (3 awards), and Computer Systems Design Services (3 awards), with PSC concentration in R&D (applied research/exploratory development), professional engineering/technical support, and education/training delivery. Tarleton maintains one parent vehicle—IDC 533151200017—with three task orders. The university's grant footprint reflects its mission as a rural-serving institution with capacity in agricultural research, natural resources management, workforce development, and health sciences aligned with regional and USDA strategic priorities.