Thomas County Airport Authority

Thomas County Airport Authority, a U.S. county-level airport authority headquartered in Thedford, Nebraska, receives federal infrastructure grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to design, construct, and operate airport facilities. The organization acts as a prime recipient of federal grants (100% of recent awards); it does not pursue federal contracts and carries no SBA set-aside designations.

Thomas County Airport Authority's federal funding comes exclusively from the FAA's airport infrastructure grant portfolio. Recent activity centers on a multi-phase hangar construction project at Thedford Municipal Airport. The Authority received a $236,989 FAA project grant (CFDA 20.106, Airport Improvement Program) on August 4, 2025, to fund the design phase of an 8,500-square-foot sponsor-owned aircraft storage hangar, with an ultimate completion date of August 3, 2029. A companion $115,789 IIJA-funded project grant (CFDA 20.106) followed on July 14, 2025, for Phase 1 design activities. On June 1, 2026, the Authority received two construction-phase grants: a $732,684 formula grant under CFDA 20.116 (Airport Improvement Program) and a $466,316 project grant under CFDA 20.117 (Airport Infrastructure Grants), both carrying an ultimate completion date of May 31, 2030. The hangar project is designed to generate revenue through aircraft storage operations and enhance the airport's financial self-sustainability. Prior grant work included a June 2022 runway guidance system installation project (runway end identification lights and precision approach path indicators) and an August 2021 American Rescue Plan Act economic relief grant for pandemic-related operational costs. The Authority also received a $277,000 grant in July 2021 to update the airport's layout plan and narrative study.

Customer concentration is minimal: all fifteen awards originate from the FAA Central Region, with no diversification across other federal agencies. Combined obligated funding across the entire award portfolio reaches $10.4 million, reflecting the Authority's role as a rural airport infrastructure recipient rather than a federal contractor or vendor. The organization's grant activity has averaged two awards per year over the past five years, with no involvement in federal contracting vehicles, IDIQs, GWACs, or sub-award arrangements.