RICHMOND, Va. - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is making up to $31.5 million in funding available to help participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) more easily afford healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement with Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe in Richmond.
"Too many struggling families do not have adequate access to nutritious food," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, a new Farm Bill program, brings together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and fosters understanding of how they might improve the nutrition and health status of SNAP households. Under FINI, applicants may propose relatively small pilot projects, multi-year community-based projects, or larger-scale multi-year projects. Funded projects will test community based strategies that could contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase, supported by effective and efficient benefit redemption technologies, that would inform future efforts.
NIFA will give priority to projects that:
• Maximize the share of funds used for direct incentives to participants
• Test innovative or promising strategies that would contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants, which would inform future efforts
• Develop innovative or improved benefit redemption systems that could be replicated or scaled
• Use direct-to-consumer sales marketing
• Demonstrate a track record of designing and implementing successful nutrition incentive programs that connect low-income consumers and agricultural producers
• Provide locally- or regionally-produced fruits and vegetables, especially culturally-appropriate fruits and vegetables for the target audience
• Are located in underserved communities, particularly Promise Zones and StrikeForce communities.
Applications are due Dec. 15, 2014. NIFA will host a webinar for applicants on Oct. 2 at 2 p.m., EDT.
More information is at www.nifa.usda.gov.[[In-content Ad]]
