WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2022 – USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is committed to promoting equity and inclusion through its federal nutrition assistance programs and today, is celebrating advancements made over the past year while acknowledging the long journey ahead. Throughout the past year, the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA have worked side-by-side to provide those in need with better, fairer access to a healthy diet, with a focus on closing gaps in access for historically disadvantaged and underserved populations.

“USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration have placed equity and racial justice at the center of our agenda in all areas, including the federal nutrition assistance programs,” said Stacy Dean, deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services. “We know we have a long way to go, but we are committed to putting in the work necessary to move the needle.”

FNS Administrator Cindy Long also noted that health challenges related to food and nutrition insecurity disproportionately affect communities of color, households with children, and other vulnerable populations.

“At times during the pandemic, Black, Latino and Indigenous adults have been two to three times more likely to report not having enough to eat, and the numbers are even worse among families with children, said Long. “FNS is committed to operating our programs in a way that begins to break down the systemic barriers that have long hindered these communities from obtaining the food assistance they need and deserve.”

Highlights of FNS efforts to advance racial justice and equity since January 2021 include:

Advancing WIC to Better Serve Participants

The Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of the most powerful public health interventions available to reduce stark racial disparities in maternal and child health, while offering today's youngest Americans a head start for a brighter tomorrow. FNS is using $390 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to make sweeping improvements to WIC and the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program to better serve women and children at nutritional risk. FNS is piloting online ordering; expanding electronic benefit delivery, which is replacing paper-based vouchers; and using innovative outreach efforts to reduce disparities in program access, participation and benefit delivery.

Increasing SNAP Benefits, Equity in Program Access

SNAP – the largest federal food assistance program – is one of the most effective tools for helping low-income households access healthy food. SNAP benefits are especially critical for historically marginalized communities and households with children, which are more likely to face hunger. Over the past year, USDA strengthened SNAP and addressed rising food insecurity from the pandemic and other factors through several actions, including:

• Increasing maximum SNAP benefit amounts by 21% through the re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, used to set SNAP benefit levels. The value of the plan had not previously changed since 1975. Households are now better able to afford healthy food, including foods that meet their special dietary needs and cultural preferences.
• Supporting SNAP online shopping, making it easier for households to purchase groceries. In particular, SNAP participants with disabilities who face transportation barriers or have other challenges obtaining healthy foods now have expanded access to the shopping conveniences all people deserve in a 21st century economy.
• Temporarily extending SNAP to certain struggling college students who would otherwise be ineligible to receive benefits. Now, these students have fewer concerns about food assistance as they work towards their degree amid the uncertainties of the pandemic.
• Awarding $5 million in SNAP improvement grants for which recipients must analyze their project's impact on racial equity and inclusion.
• Ensuring SNAP access for eligible immigrants in need by helping states educate residents – especially in communities with large immigrant populations – that receiving SNAP benefits will not impact their permanent resident status.

Strengthening America's Emergency Food System

The pandemic has had devastating impacts on our nation's food systems and economy, highlighting the importance of a resilient and responsive emergency food network. Millions of Americans, a disproportionate number of whom are people of color, have been forced to depend on food banks, food pantries and other local organizations for assistance. In response, USDA has provided significant resources to the emergency food system. FNS is currently accepting applications for a first round of TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grants, which will provide up to $100 million – funded by the American Rescue Plan Act – to improve infrastructure to better reach remote, rural, tribal, low-income and other underserved populations.

Improving Nutrition Assistance, Sovereignty for Tribal Communities

During the Biden-Harris Administration, FNS maintained strong partnerships with tribal nations by convening four consultations on a wide variety of topics pertaining to the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), WIC and SNAP to ensure those food assistance programs continue to serve their populations well. In addition, FNS awarded $3.5 million to eight tribal nations for a project that, for the first time, offers tribes more sovereignty in operating FDPIR in a way that meets their localized needs. The FDPIR Self-Determination Demonstration Project empowers these tribal nations by giving them more options in selecting and purchasing foods for their program that align with their cultural and traditional preferences. Implementation began in October 2021 with some contracts expected to last up to three years.

Expanding Culturally-Appropriate Meal Options for Kids

FNS awarded nearly $5.5 million in Team Nutrition Grants to help 21 states use local foods in their school meals to develop recipes that reflect cultural and regional food preferences. The agency also continues to expand its Spanish language nutrition education and training resources for schools, child care sites and families.

Promoting Fairer Access to Food Assistance in American Territories

To help support nutrition assistance for families hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA provided $2.5 billion to Puerto Rico, $30 million to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and more than $10 million to American Samoa, which allowed the territories to boost monthly food benefits for eligible families. Nutrition assistance for these territories is funded through a block grant. This added financial support ensures that all people in American territories – regardless of race, ethnicity, or background – have better access to healthy food.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow us on Twitter @USDANutrition.

See Also

• Release: Secretary Tom Vilsack Highlights Key Work in 2021 to Advance Equity
• Blog: Advancing Racial Justice through Food Distributions on Indian Reservations

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FNS anticipates awarding up to $20 million to a Grantee (for the purpose of this RFA, this term is used in a general way to include cooperators who are awarded and manage cooperative agreements) to ultimately test the effectiveness of community outreach strategies in increasing WIC participation, especially among underserved populations within a community. This announcement of funding is for a one-time cooperative agreement with an accredited institution of higher education (college/university), nonprofit research entity, or other nonprofit organization.

Related Documents

Webinar

• Cooperative Agreement to Improve WIC Participation and Retention through Community Outreach Webinar (6/29/22)

NEW YORK, March 17, 2022 – During a visit to Columbia University and in celebration of National Nutrition Month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a report detailing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Actions on Nutrition Security (PDF, 755 KB). This report highlights USDA’s commitment to advancing nutrition security, and the consistent access to safe, nutritious food that supports optimal health and well-being for all Americans.

Secretary Vilsack will also give a speech today at Teachers College, Columbia University showcasing the USDA’s robust efforts to tackle nutrition insecurity. The address will underscore USDA’s commitment under the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize bold nutrition security efforts that will help ensure all American children and families have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe and affordable food. The speech will begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time and be livestreamed on usda.gov/live.

Nutrition security (PDF, 203 KB) builds on the important work USDA and its partners are doing to promote food security by increasing the Department’s focus on diet-related chronic diseases -- a leading cause of death in the U.S. Nutrition Security further emphasizes the importance of tackling long-standing health inequities. Research shows communities of color, families with children, and people in more isolated areas of the country, including Tribal communities, are disproportionally affected by the toll of diet-related chronic diseases.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought food insecurity to the forefront of the national conversation and shined a new light on the devastating toll of chronic disease, with an estimated two-thirds of COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. related to diet-related diseases,” said Vilsack. “Across the department we recognize that food and health are inherently intertwined, and we’re leaning into our powerful tools to help reduce chronic disease, advance equity and promote overall well-being. We look forward to working with our stakeholders to achieve this vision.”

“USDA and the Biden-Harris administration are committed to leading the way to a healthier future for all Americans, one nutritious meal at a time.”

The plan outlines USDA’s four-pillar strategic approach to leveraging all its assets to move toward nutrition security for all Americans. These strategies include:

• Meaningful Support: Providing nutrition support throughout all stages of life
• Healthy Food: Connecting all Americans with healthy, safe, affordable food sources
• Collaborative Action: Developing, translating and enacting nutrition science through partnership
• Equitable Systems: Prioritizing equity every step of the way

An integral part of all four pillars is USDA’s nutrition assistance programs, which are the most far-reaching tools available to ensure all Americans have access to healthy, affordable food.  

Broadly, Americans suffer from poor nutrition. When compared to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), the average American diet earns a rating of 59 out of 100 points. Poor diet increases risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and more. Beyond impacts on health, this also has negative effects on productivity, health care costs, military readiness and academic achievement.   

USDA is engaged in several efforts to help improve Americans’ diets, including:

• Modernizing WIC to reach more eligible mothers and their children and better meet their nutritional needs through updated food packages that reflect the recommendations of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the DGA.
• Building on the success of the school meal programs by issuing transitional nutrition standards while engaging with stakeholders to update the standards in a way that reflects the latest science and works for people on-the-ground.
• Helping SNAP participants make the most of their benefits, which were strengthened by the Thrifty Food Plan re-evaluation to ensure SNAP participants can afford a nutritious, practical diet.
• Focusing on nutrition education efforts across all its nutrition assistance programs – including SNAP-Ed, WIC breastfeeding support and promotion, and MyPlate – and ensuring they meet the needs of the diverse audiences they serve.

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.

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WASHINGTON, Mar. 28, 2022 - The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023. The President’s Budget details his vision to expand on the historic progress our country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address—to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out.

“The President’s budget provides USDA with the tools needed to support a vibrant, revitalized, and prosperous rural America. It contains transformational investments that will help rural communities build resilience to the climate crisis, increase landscape resiliency to the impacts of climate change, create more and better markets for our hardworking producers, bolster access to healthy and affordable nutrition for families, help connect all Americans to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet, strengthen USDA’s efforts to build equitable systems and programming, and position the United States to be a leader in Agricultural Research. It will also help many of USDA’s agencies rebuild capacity after years of staff losses, strengthening the Department so we can better perform our duties and serve the American people. This budget proposal is a statement of intent that underscores President Biden’s commitment to the success of rural Americans and their communities.”

The Budget makes critical investments in the American people that will help lay a stronger foundation for shared growth and prosperity for generations to come. At USDA, the Budget would:

Invest in climate resilience and U.S. agriculture’s ability to be part of the climate solution

As part of President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to confronting the climate crisis, the Budget proposes $1.177 billion in funding to address climate change across private, working agricultural land. The Budget proposes $1 billion to support agricultural producers and landowners to undertake conservation and climate-smart practices on agricultural lands. The Budget builds on the $618 million investment to protect and restore watersheds made in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by proposing an additional $135 million for these efforts.

The Budget also builds on the $5.5 billion investment in the U.S. Forest Service made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to reduce the risk of wildland fire, restore ecosystems, and protect communities. It proposes increases of $285 million for forest restoration activities on National Forest Service lands and $5 million for Forest Inventory and Analysis. The Budget includes $390 million in additional funding to ensure ongoing support for President Biden’s direction that no firefighter is paid less than $15 per hour, hire additional firefighters, increase their pay, and convert more firefighters from temporary to permanent. These changes support USDA's ability to confront the wildland fire crisis due to longer fire seasons associated with a changing climate.

Prioritize consistent access to safe, nutritious food for all Americans

USDA’s core nutrition programs are the most far-reaching, powerful tools available to ensure that all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background, have access to healthy, affordable food. The Budget proposes $111 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a budget level that supports 43.5 million Americans per month. It maintains funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) at $6 billion. In 2023, an average of 6.4 million low-income women, infants and children are expected to participate in the program each month. The budget also proposes to continue the provision of enhanced Cash Value Benefits (CVBs) through 2023 to ensure that all participating women and children have access to the scientific-based recommended level of fruits and vegetables thereby improving health outcomes as well as program retention.

Build stronger rural economies

The President’s Budget invests $935 million in rural America. It builds on the $65 billion investment made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make high-speed internet available to all Americans, bring down high-speed internet prices across the board, and provide technical assistance to rural communities seeking to expand broadband through an additional $113 million over the 2022 enacted level for Reconnect to provide access to quality broadband to rural residents and address challenges for Tribal communities. Access to high-speed internet serves as an economic equalizer for rural America while creating high-paying union jobs in rural America. The Budget also provides $300 million to bring affordable electric power to rural residents, Tribal communities, community facilities, schools and medical institutions that perform critical services each day. The Budget also provides $1.9 billion and includes a requirement that funding for construction, preservation or rehabilitation will be targeted to projects that improve energy or water efficiency, implement green features, and addresses climate resilience.

Develop more and better markets for U.S. agricultural products

USDA is working to transform the nation’s food system by making it fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient and by building new markets at home and abroad. The Budget builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to create a fairer, more competitive and more resilient meat and poultry supply chain by providing more than $10 million for oversight and enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act. It also provides support to the Food Safety and Inspection Service to help small and very small processing facilities by reducing user fees. The Budget also provides money to support innovation in agriculture and livestock industries, including $22 million for the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives, for example, which supports dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing and distribution of dairy products.

Ensure underserved groups can more fully access and participate in USDA programs and services

Since day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has taken bold, historic action to root out generations of systemic racism, to deeply integrate equity in decision-making and policymaking, and to build equitable systems and programming inclusive of all of its employees and the American people. The Budget supports ongoing efforts to help agricultural producers and landowners resolve heirs’ land ownership and succession issues by proposing a program level of more than $60 million. In this Budget, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture proposes more than $315 million for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI), an increase of more than $53 million above the 2021 Enacted level. The Budget also proposes $39 million for the Rural Partners Network – a renewed and expanded initiative to leverage USDA’s extensive network of county-based offices to help people in high poverty counties, including energy communities.

The Budget makes these smart investments while also reducing deficits and improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook.

For more information on the President’s FY 2023 Budget, please visit: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget.

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