WIC Special Project Grants

Fiscal Year 2011

FNS is expected to set aside up to $3 million for the funding of WIC special projects conducted by WIC State agencies. FNS anticipates funding up to five (5) Full Grants ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 each. Up to four (4) Concept Paper Grants of up to $24, 500 each will be awarded to State agencies. The actual number of Concept Paper and Full Grant awards will depend on the quality of the application(s) and the availability of funds.

Background

FNS awards WIC Special Project Grants to be used for "special State projects of regional or national significance to improve the services of the program." In order to meet the statutory objectives, Special Projects must address issues of critical and timely importance to the WIC program. Furthermore, it is important that projects do not operate in isolation and that the results of the projects are widely disseminated to other State Agencies.

Full Grants

FY 2011 WIC Special Project Full Grants are open for consideration from all WIC-related program areas and may focus on either the general WIC population or specific segments of the WIC population. However, the following focus areas are of particular interest to FNS: 1) Retention of children participating in WIC, 2) Client-centered nutrition education, and 3) Increasing redemption of Cash Value Vouchers (CVV). 

The grants will be awarded as cooperative agreements. Extensive dissemination of the results of successful projects is expected so that other State agencies will have the opportunity to replicate projects and/or learn from the results. The most appropriate grant proposals will be those that: (1) can be replicated in a variety of WIC settings (without changes or with minor changes for the purpose of regional preferences and cultural needs); (2) include a clear implementation plan and appropriate procedures for assessing and describing the "lessons learned" during implementation; and (3) have a rigorous evaluation component. Proposals developed from funding under the FY 2010 WIC Special Project Grant Concept Paper awards automatically meet the focus area criterion for submission.

Concept Paper Grants

In addition to the full grant awards for FY 2011, concept paper funding, begun in FY 1999, will continue to be available in FY 2011. Concept paper funding for FY 2011 will be used to develop a concept paper into a full grant proposal for the FY 2011 solicitation cycle. Concept Paper Grant proposals for FY 2011 will be accepted for consideration on all WIC related program areas as they relate to facilitating cross-program participation between WIC and other assistance programs and services that may benefit WIC participants.

Timeline

Critical dates for the FY 2011 WIC Special Project Grants are as follows:

FY 2011 WIC Special Project Grant Application Package

• Application Package Cover Letter

• Request for Applications for Full Grants (Application A)

• Request for Applications for Concept Paper Development Grants (Application B)

Application For Federal Assistance Forms:

• SF 424

• SF 424a

• SF 424b

Certification Forms:

• Certification Regarding Lobbying - Certification for Contracts, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) and Instructions

Required Forms for State Agencies:

• AD-1047, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

• AD-1048, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions

• AD 1052, Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements, State and State Agencies

WIC Special Project Grant Evaluation Resources

The following guides are provided to assist WIC State Agencies in developing the evaluation component of their proposals:

WIC Special Project Grants Evaluation Technical Assistance Guide: This guide was developed by KRA corporation in 1996 to assist WIC develop evaluation plans for their WIC Special Project Grant applications. The guide was designed to supplement the WIC Evaluation Resource Guide.

WIC Evaluation Resource Guide: This guide was developed by FNS staff in 1991 and is a more general WIC evaluation guide.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Leslie Byrd, Grants and Fiscal Policy Division, via email at leslie.byrd@fns.usda.gov.

Last modified: 03/08/2012