Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University, a Historically Black College and University headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a public state-controlled institution of higher education that serves as a prime recipient on federal grants (91% of recent awards) and as a sub-recipient on collaborative grant projects. The university conducts federally funded research, administers STEM education and workforce development programs, and manages grant-making initiatives, with particular emphasis on serving underrepresented and underserved populations in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and public health.

The university's federal grant footprint spans 72 distinct agencies and reflects deep concentration in research and education funding. The Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration leads by award count (73 awards, $32 thousand combined potential value), reflecting fellowship and training program support; the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (43 awards) dominates the portfolio through multiple STEM pathways, student support services, and institutional strengthening grants; the National Science Foundation (32 awards) anchors collaborative research; and the National Institutes of Health (11 awards) funds biomedical and health equity research. By potential-value ranking, NASA Johnson Space Center anchors the portfolio with four awards valued at $6.2 million combined, followed by NASA's Shared Services Center ($1.7 million across 10 awards). The top five customer agencies account for 51% of awards by count and 55% of combined potential value, signaling concentrated customer relationships despite the wide agency footprint.

Texas Southern University's recent grant activity shows volatility rather than sustained growth — 15 awards in 2022, rising to 31 in 2023, then declining to 21 in 2024, 14 in 2025, and 8 awards in 2026 (most recent awards awarded as of September 2026). Twelve awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $750 thousand and represent recompete exposure. The university's combined dollars obligated across all awards ($797 million) substantially exceeds combined potential value ($14.4 million), indicating that the potential-value figures likely capture ceilings or grant-program maximums rather than full project budgets, while obligated amounts reflect actual spending to date.

Capability concentration reflects the university's HBCU mission and research strategy. Representative prime grant work includes a $9.997 million Department of Army STEM Educational Program (SMART) award through August 2031 supporting merit-based scholarship administration and DoD internship coordination for STEM undergraduates; a $4.917 million initial grant under the EPA Region 6 Inflation Reduction Act to serve as a regional grantmaker distributing $51.682 million in sub-awards for environmental justice and community resilience projects; a $750 thousand NASA Cooperative Agreement for STEM engagement and student learning opportunities connected to NASA's mission; and a $3.212 million Department of Education Title III, Part F Strengthening HBCU Program grant through September 2027 supporting institutional capacity and academic enhancement. NSF research grants include a $396.807 thousand award on quantum information science and policy implications, a $442.951 thousand award on ruthenium complex chemistry for underrepresented STEM students, and a $200 thousand award on computer vision curriculum and research infrastructure. The university also holds research grants from the Department of Energy NNSA ($964 thousand on advanced manufacturing of tungsten alloys), the Air Force Research Laboratory ($2.25 million for scientific machine learning in materials science through September 2026), and the National Cancer Institute on collaborative cancer research and disparities through partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine.

The university acts as sub-recipient on collaborative research and education grants anchored by prime institutions. Recent sub-award partners include Baylor College of Medicine (cancer research, maternal health disparities, community engagement cores), the University of Texas at San Antonio (air pollution and environmental justice analysis), the University of Houston System (herbal medicine pharmacokinetics, promotion and tenure research), New York University (innovative interchange design research), Florida A&M University (HBCU Collider Consortium), and Duke University (COVID and flu testing feasibility in underserved communities). These sub-awards typically position Texas Southern University faculty and researchers in leadership roles — as principal investigators, core leads, and technical advisors — conducting field research, community engagement, data collection, or specialized analysis aligned with the university's research capacity in public health, environmental science, criminal justice, and STEM education.

The university's federal grant activity centers on four capability domains. First, STEM education and workforce development: supporting undergraduate research experiences, summer programs, general chemistry laboratory reform using project-based learning, computer vision curriculum development, atmospheric sciences training partnerships, and graduate education in biophysics through collaboration with Rice University's Center for Theoretical Biological Physics. Second, health disparities and public health research: conducting cancer research, maternal and infant environmental health investigations, HIV and substance-use prevention in minority communities, and studies of mycophenolate mofetil side effects and intestinal drug metabolism. Third, environmental justice and climate resilience: analyzing air quality disparities in marginalized communities using remote sensing, examining climate risk in underserved neighborhoods, and operating as a regional grantmaker for community-based organizations pursuing environmental and climate resilience projects under the Inflation Reduction Act. Fourth, research infrastructure and institutional development: building digital scholarship capacity, supporting museum and cultural heritage initiatives, developing online platforms for quantum information science research, and strengthening graduate education and institutional research infrastructure through Title III grants and NSF Integrative Activities awards.

The university's federal contracting posture differs sharply from its grant work. The source lists no federal contract awards as a prime contractor and identifies no government-wide acquisition vehicles or contract IDVs on which the university holds positions. The three named indefinite delivery contracts (one Army contract, two Air Force contracts) show negligible activity: two task orders totaling $20 thousand in combined potential value across five years. This reflects Texas Southern University's character as an educational institution conducting grant-funded research rather than a federal contractor providing goods or services on traditional procurement vehicles. The university does not compete under set-asides and does not pursue federal contracting as a line of business; its federal engagement is entirely grant and cooperative-agreement based.