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Board hears district grant report showing $15M in awards and post‑COVID funding decline
Summary
Board members were told the district received slightly more than $15 million in grants last fiscal year (about $3 million competitive), with most funds paying staff; leaders warned COVID-era spikes are declining and asked staff to flag DOE-origin funds that may shift.
The Fargo Board of Education on Wednesday reviewed the district’s 2025 grant opportunities report and was told the district was awarded a little over $15 million in grant funding last fiscal year, most of it from entitlement grants and more than $3 million from competitive awards.
Dr. Steiner, Presenter, introduced the item and asked Jackie, Staff member, to summarize the packet. Jackie said, "so for last fiscal year we were awarded a little over $15 million in funding. The majority of that is from our entitlement grants... and then we had a little over three million in competitive grants that we applied for which were for literacy communities and schools, adult ed and refugee and mental health services as well." Jackie added that most grant dollars are used for salaries and benefits of instructional and support staff and for professional learning and student well‑being services.
Board member Robin Nelson, Committee member, urged staff to mark which grants originate with the U.S. Department of Education and which come from other federal agencies because funding streams can shift. Robin said, "Most of these do—87% of these funds do come through the federal government... I would like to... asterisk some of these that do come from the DOE but also Office of Juvenile Justice, HHS, Department of Labor, and... EPA," and asked staff to track which funds might move to other departments or return to states.
Jason Nelson, Committee member, asked about year‑to‑year scale after noting the district reported roughly $28 million in federal grants in 2024 compared with about $14 million in 2025. Staff attributed that decline mainly to the end of COVID‑era ESSER funding and said most programmatic adjustments needed to absorb the change have already been made.
Board members praised the district’s grant writer and staff for a complex process that includes application, procurement, implementation and reporting. The board did not take action on the report beyond discussion; staff said they will include clearer source flags in future grant materials so the board can monitor funds tied to specific federal agencies.
