Through ARPA, USDA received waiver authority to support WIC and FMNP outreach, innovation, and modernization. Waivers are currently available to support WIC online shopping and ARPA funded projects.
This letter provides information to WIC state agencies and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program state agencies on available American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 waivers and a new state agency request process.
WIC staff should reflect the diversity and rich cultural experiences of WIC families. FNS has invested $31.5 million into a 5-year Inter-Agency Agreement with USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to support the WIC workforce.
To make sure that eligible families know about WIC and the benefits it provides, FNS is investing in outreach.
Since FY 2022, FNS has awarded over $9 million in grants to 37 State agencies to support WIC FMNP eSolutions.
We want WIC families to be able to shop simply and conveniently, just like other shoppers. FNS is supporting WIC state agencies as they modernize the shopping experience in store, online, and at farmers markets, through both funding and waivers.
Enrolling in and sticking with WIC helps families get the nutrition and healthcare they need to build a healthier future. FNS is working with state and federal partners to make the WIC journey, from start to finish, a smoother, more fulfilling experience for all participants by modernizing technology and service delivery.
As part of the WIC innovation and modernization efforts to be funded under ARPA, FNS is supporting planning and implementation projects focused on enhancements that improve the WIC participant experience, as evidenced by enhancing the WIC shopping experience, increasing participant enrollment, reducing unnecessary administrative burden for both participants and administrators, including through data matching to streamline enrollment, and retaining eligible participants while improving equity
USDA Funds 36 Projects Aimed at Connecting Families to WIC through Partnership with FRAC as part of Investing in America Agenda
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through a cooperative agreement with USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), has awarded $16 million in subgrants funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to 36 projects aimed at testing innovative outreach strategies to increase participation and equity in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. The WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project, or WIC CIAO, subgrantees include WIC state and local agencies and community-based organizations, including four subgrants led by tribal nations or entities.
"The Biden-Harris Administration is making a difference in the lives of pregnant women, moms, babies and young children by providing proven health interventions through the WIC program,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We’re pleased to work with such a strong and diverse group of subgrant partners across the nation to ensure everyone eligible for WIC can tap into its incredible benefits.”
WIC is one of the most powerful, evidence-based public health programs available, with a long history of improving health and developmental outcomes for children. Yet, only 50 percent of all eligible individuals participate in WIC, a shortfall of almost 6 million moms, babies, and young children missing out on key benefits.
“While our efforts to increase participation among eligible groups appear to be taking hold, we have more work to do,” said Stacy Dean, deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.
The WIC CIAO project aims to expand partnerships with community organizations and use community-level data to develop and implement innovative WIC outreach efforts. For example, projects include co-locating WIC staff at medical offices and partnering with Head Start in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma; developing culturally and linguistically appropriate materials for outreach to communities with large numbers of Middle Eastern and North African residents in Michigan; and increasing retention of Black and Latino families after infants turn one by addressing language, culture, and environmental barriers in Mobile County, Ala.
The full list of grantees and their project details can be found on the hellowic.org project summaries webpage.
“FRAC deeply appreciates the opportunity and support from USDA to ensure this vital program is available and accessible to all who need it,” said Luis Guardia, president of FRAC. “WIC has played an essential role in helping children grow up healthy and ensuring mothers get the support they need before, during, and after pregnancy. But for the program to truly maximize its potential, we need to get 100 percent of eligible individuals enrolled and actively participating. We look forward to working closely with our partners to achieve this important goal.”
Today’s announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is investing in the prosperity and well-being of families and communities and growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out.
These projects are part of a broader strategy to modernize and innovate in WIC to connect more eligible people to the program and serve them well throughout the entire time they’re eligible. FNS has recently invited WIC state agencies to apply for several grant opportunities funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to:
- Improve the WIC shopping experience. This includes improving the in-store experience by making it easier to identify WIC products, streamlining the checkout experience through innovations such as self-checkout and working toward online shopping.
- Make WIC easier to access through technology, such as text messaging, mobile-friendly websites, appointment scheduling and language tools.
- Implement mobile pay in the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program so that participants can more conveniently buy fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
USDA competitively awarded the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Cooperative Agreement to FRAC, which is supported by partners UnidosUS, Native American Agriculture Fund, and Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. Visit hellowic.org to learn more about the WIC CIAO Project and subgrant awardees. Visit WIC Modernization to learn more about USDA’s WIC modernization and innovation efforts in action.
These efforts are part of the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health which was released in conjunction with the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years, hosted by President Biden on Sept. 28, 2022.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov and follow on Twitter.
The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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USDA Announces Funding Availability to Expand Meat and Poultry Processing Options for Underserved Producers and Tribal Communities
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of up to $125 million through two new grant programs that will create more options for meat and poultry farmers by investing in independent, local meat and poultry processing projects that increase competition and enhance the resiliency of the food supply chain.
These new grant programs, the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program and the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program, are part of the broader $1 billion American Rescue Plan investment by the Biden-Harris Administration to expand processing capacity for small and midsized meat and poultry processors.
“This is the latest step in USDA’s transformational work to fill gaps and help small and underserved producers market their products, support thriving local and regional food systems by investing in processing capacity that’s closer to farms, and alleviate major bottlenecks in food and agricultural supply chains,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Importantly, we’re also taking steps to increase the overall availability of protein from indigenous animals like bison, reindeer and salmon, which have been the backbone of tribal food systems for generations.”
Since July 2021, for example, USDA has worked with 30 businesses to expand their operations through Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Project grants and has helped many more work towards a federal grant of inspection through Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants. More information on USDA’s work to fulfill this commitment can be found at usda.gov/meat.
About the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program
This new grant program will provide up to $50 million to improve tribal nations’ food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by developing and expanding value-added infrastructure related to meat from indigenous animals like bison, reindeer or salmon. The program will fund projects that focus on expanding local capacity for the harvesting, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling or distribution of indigenous meats.
“This is a historic investment to support indigenous food supply chains by enhancing community food sovereignty and traditional harvesting methods,” said USDA Office of Tribal Relations Director Heather Dawn Thompson. “Tribal nations have clearly articulated their priorities to USDA over the last two years, and this program directly responds by focusing on species and activities which have historically not had significant access to funding in federal programs.”
“For too long, Native American farmers and ranchers have been asked to produce more to meet increasing demand across the country and around the world, while they and the tribal communities they come from have struggled to see their fair share of the benefits,” said USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small. “Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is proud to offer this investment in tribal nations’ food chain resiliency as a part of USDA’s broader efforts to restore indigenous food ways. By expanding and enhancing local processing capacity, these projects will provide culturally appropriate food and community food security to tribal communities.”
Eligible applicants are Indian tribes, as defined by the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, as well as wholly-owned arms and instrumentalities, and joint or multi-tribal government entities. USDA partners with tribal-serving organizations on projects to reimagine federal food and agriculture programs from an indigenous perspective and inform future USDA programs and policies.
More information is available on USDA’s Indigenous Animals Grants webpage. Applications will be accepted through July 19, 2023.
About the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program
The Local Meat Capacity Grant program will provide up to $75 million in grants to fund innovative projects designed to build resilience in the meat and poultry supply chain by providing producers with more local processing options and strengthening their market potential. This grant program is targeted to support meat and poultry processors with smaller-scale projects, with a goal to increase processing availability and variety for local and regional livestock producers.
“Local and regional meat processing is an important part of a resilient food supply chain. It not only provides producers with diverse processing options in their areas, but it also adds infrastructure, income and jobs in communities and provides more choices for consumers,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “These Local Meat Capacity grants will provide local livestock and poultry producers with more and better options by modernizing, diversifying, and decentralizing processing capacity. As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s comprehensive approach to transforming the food system from farm to fork, this program complements other USDA grant programs building capacity along the supply chain, like the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, by providing targeted support for meat and poultry processors with smaller-scale projects.”
The Local Meat Capacity Grants will fund both expansion and equipment-only projects through a competitive grant process. USDA encourages applicants to engage with livestock producers, especially small and underserved ranchers.
More information is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Local MCap webpage. Applications will be accepted through July 19, 2023.
Both grant programs are aligned with USDA efforts to:
- Ensure equitable access to USDA programs and benefits from USDA-funded projects and support the policies of Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.
- Contribute to the resilience of the food and agricultural supply chains through support for diversified, value-added agriculture and support the policies of Executive Order 14017 on America’s Supply Chains.
- Promote competition in the food system and support the policies of Executive Order 14036 on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.