The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation's largest domestic food and nutrition assistance program for low-income Americans. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is committed to enhancing the program and aiding participants. As part of these efforts, FNS is pleased to announce the release of the 2024 Fraud Framework Implementation Grant (FFIG) request for applications, aimed at curbing recipient fraud.

USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration share a common goal to improving program integrity in SNAP, and safeguarding nutrition assistance for low-income Americans.

SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant (FFIG)

The SNAP FFIGs offer up to $5 million in grants to empower state agencies to advance projects aligned with the seven components of the SNAP Fraud Framework. With a focus on combating emerging threats like card skimming schemes, state agencies are encouraged to submit proposals geared towards prevention, detection, and mitigation of benefit theft.

SNAP anticipates awarding between $150,000 and $750,000 each to up to 9 awardees in August 2024.

Last year's grant awards showcased innovative projects and impactful initiatives to combat recipient fraud. Review the summary of last year's grant awards for more information.

Application Details

The application period for the SNAP FFIG opens on April 23, 2024, and closes on June 24, 2024.

We encourage all eligible state agencies to explore this opportunity and submit applications to help strengthen SNAP operations and ensure eligible individuals and families receive the vital food assistance they need.

For more information and to apply, please visit Grants.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

Summary

The purpose of the SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant Program is to support state agency efforts to improve and expand recipient fraud prevention, detection, and investigation efforts using the procedures, ideas and practices outlined in the SNAP Fraud Framework.

1. Organizational Management: This objective aims to help states establish and communicate priorities, organize employees, and manage both large-scale and day-to-day processes. Many of the concepts described in this component are the foundation for successful program integrity initiatives.
2. Performance Measurement: This objective offers recommendations encouraging states to consistently capture and analyze their own performance.
3. Recipient Integrity Education: This objective provides targeted integrity education initiatives to help ensure recipients have the necessary information and tools to use SNAP benefits as intended—preventing fraud before it occurs. When producing recipient integrity education materials, states are encouraged to educate the public and applicants about SNAP fraud, rather than emphasize the consequences as a deterrent to applying.
4. Fraud Detection: Here, the SNAP Fraud Framework stresses the importance of proactively detecting fraud from the application process and continuing throughout the recipient’s time in the Program.
5. Investigations and Dispositions: This objective aims to provide states with tools and suggestions to improve fraud case management from initial fraud referral through disposition.
6. Analytics and Data Management: This objective details the necessary people, processes, and technology to launch and maintain an analytics capability. Data analytics can play a valuable role in preventing, detecting, and investigating SNAP fraud.
7. Learning and Development: The final objective contains recommendations for states to invest in training and professional development opportunities to promote employee engagement and to ensure employees are aware of new and emerging trends in fraud.

Eligibility

County or state governments. This grant opportunity is only open to state agencies that administer SNAP, consistent with the SNAP regulatory definition of “State agency” at 7 CFR 271.2. 

For state agencies that are county-administered, a county agency that submits an application must include a letter of commitment or letter of endorsement from the relevant SNAP agency with the application package to be considered for funding. 

States that are county-administered include: California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. FNS will consider only one application per state agency.

Past Awards

For reference, the press release for SNAP Fraud Framework awards made in previous fiscal years can be found at the following links:

• FY 2023 Awards
• FY 2021 Awards
• FY 2020 Awards
• FY 2019 Awards

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation's largest domestic food and nutrition assistance program for low-income Americans. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is committed to enhancing the program and aiding participants. As part of these efforts, FNS is pleased to announce the release of the 2024 SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grants Program (PTIG) request for applications, aimed at supporting efforts by state agencies and their community-based and faith-based partners to develop and implement projects that use technology to improve the quality and efficiency of SNAP application and eligibility determination systems. These grants are particularly timely as many states are struggling to meet critical customer service standards of timely and accurate benefits.

SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grants Program

PTIGs offer up to $5 million in grants to support projects focused on modernizing SNAP customer service and client communication, improving administrative infrastructure and day-to-day operations, or investing in technology to encourage cross-collaboration and cross-enrollment between SNAP and other assistance programs. SNAP anticipates awarding between $20,000 and $2,000,000 each to up to 12 awardees in August 2024.

Last year's grant awards showcased innovative projects and impactful initiatives. View a summary of last year's grant awards.

Application Details

The application period for the SNAP PTIG opened on April 19, 2024, and closes on June 18, 2024.

Eligible applicants include SNAP state agencies, state or local governments, health or welfare service agencies, public health or educational entities, indian tribal organizations (ITOs), private non-profit organizations (such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks, or other emergency feeding organizations).

We encourage all eligible entities to explore this opportunity and submit applications to help strengthen SNAP operations and ensure eligible individuals and families receive the vital food assistance they need.

For more information and to apply, please visit Grants.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Purpose

The Process and Technology Improvement Grant (PTIG) program supports efforts by state agencies and their community-based and faith-based partners to develop and implement projects that use technology to improve the quality and efficiency of SNAP application and eligibility determination systems. The FY 2024 Request for Applications (RFA) is available on Grants.gov.

Please visit the PTIG webpage for more information on the program and to view past years' awardees.

Critical Dates

Who May Apply

• The 53 state agencies that administer SNAP;
• State or local governments;
• Agencies providing health or welfare services;
• Public health or educational entities; and
• Private nonprofit entities such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks, or other emergency feeding organizations.

Any entity that received a Process and Technology Improvement Grant award in either of the last two fiscal years (FY 2022 or FY 2023) is ineligible to apply this fiscal year (FY 2024). This restriction only applies to the lead entity on the award (i.e., the recipient whose name appears in block 9 of the awarded project’s FNS-529) and not to partner organizations or government agencies on a particular project.

Funding and Duration

Contingent on the availability of funds, FNS intends to award up to $5 million in SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grants once each fiscal year. FNS awards these grants through a competitive process. Grantees are allowed to use the grant funds for the duration of the three-year project period. FNS anticipates awarding between 6 and 12 Process and Technology Improvement Grants.

FNS reminds applicants that the submission of a proposal does not guarantee funding. Funding for approved grants will be provided through the Grant Award/Letter of Credit process, in the same manner as other funds, upon receipt of a properly executed Grant Agreement and subject to the availability of funding. All SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grant funds must be obligated and all activities under the grant must be completed by end of the project period, Sept. 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2027.

If the activities funded under this grant are part of a larger eligibility system project with total projected costs exceeding $6 million, an Advance Planning Document (APD) must be submitted and approved prior to the expenditure of these grant funds.

• APD Guidance Process

If the proposed project funded with this grant benefits other programs in addition to SNAP, then the costs must be allocated appropriately between all of the benefiting programs. This grant funding can only be used for SNAP’s share of the costs.

Application for Federal Assistance Forms

The following forms can be found on Grants.gov:

• SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance
• SF-424A Budget Information
• SF-424B Assurances - Non-Construction Programs
• SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program supports small farmers and their families. Meet one of the Farm to School beneficiaries, Anna Nakamura Knight, a fifth-generation farmer.

Old Grove Orange is the name of Anna’s family farm, where her father Bob Knight is the senior partner and she is the junior partner. Old Grove Orange is also the name of their farmer-led food hub of over 25 farmers, most of whom sell exclusively to local public schools in San Bernardino County, California. It is the oldest food hub in the area and a 2022 Farm to School Grant awardee.

With the award, Old Grove Orange is piloting farm field trips for its local school districts’ child nutrition departments and 2,000 elementary school students. The goal of this project is to increase access to local produce and increase procurement from local producers by stimulating student demand and helping child nutrition directors generate buy-in from parents, administrators, and teachers. The project will also increase access to agriculture education by providing students with an experiential learning opportunity that will increase their exposure to local farms.

According to Farmer Anna, Old Grove Orange is a pioneer of Farm to School in California. With more than 17 years of experience, they have found a model that truly works -- Farmer-Active Farm to School.

“This farmer-centered approach is powered by very active lead farmers and receptive, engaged child nutrition departments,” said Anna. “Our farmers proactively approach school districts and innovate new products in response to school district needs.”

Anna stressed that Farm to School is not possible without farmers, supportive child nutrition services partners, and deep, meaningful relationships. Farm to School and child nutrition programs are the right approach to sustainable and economical farming.

Old Grove Orange’s original client was Yucaipa Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUSD), located about 10 miles east of the farm.

"The truth is, school meals and local farmers are made for each other,” said YCJUSD’s Child Nutrition Director Ann Van Damme. “We want the freshest, most nutritious produce for our students. These are supplied by our local farmers, making us a large one-stop-shop customer for their organization."

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that four school districts in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, and Ohio received awards for their trailblazing and innovative efforts to improve the nutritional quality of meals for their students. This announcement was made in front of nearly 850 school nutrition professionals at the School Nutrition Association Legislative Action Conference during National School Breakfast Week.

These school districts are the first winners of Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards, jointly created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Action for Healthy Kids as part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, also known as HMI. These awards celebrate school districts who embrace opportunities to take their school meals to the next level. HMI is one of several ways that the Biden-Harris Administration is supporting schools to provide kids with nutritious meals that support their health and well-being.

“For many children, school meals are the healthiest, most nutritious meals in their day-to-day lives,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Investing in innovative, high quality school meals that students enjoy is one of many actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to improve nutrition for young Americans. At USDA, we are proud to recognize the schools that are going the extra mile in providing nutritious meals for students and helping them reach their fullest potential.”

The four awardees—Clear Lake Community School District in Iowa; Sandy Valley Local School District in Magnolia, Ohio; Petersburg School District in Alaska; and Regional School Unit 89 in Stacyville, Maine—along with 260 other small and/or rural school districts also received HMI grants last summer to enhance the nutritional quality of their school meals.

“Action for Healthy Kids would like to congratulate Clear Lake Community School District, Sandy Valley School District, Petersburg School District, and Regional School Unit 89 on the progress they’ve made in their nutrition programs this year,” said Rob Bisceglie, CEO of Action for Healthy Kids. “We applaud the staff who have worked hard to prepare fresh, appealing and delicious meals for their students.”

Learn About the Awardees

Clear Lake Community School District (Iowa) is recognized as a “Lunch Trailblazer” for reducing sodium in their menu items through creative strategies such as sourcing low- or no-sodium products, increasing the use of fresh local foods, and enhancing flavors with custom spice blends. “We’ve been hosting monthly taste tests for our students, which feature locally grown foods,” said Julie Udelhofen, food service director, Clear Lake Community School District. “These events are a wonderful opportunity to introduce our students to new produce items as well as show our students that their opinions matter to us.”

Sandy Valley Local School District (Ohio) is recognized as a “Lunch Trailblazer” for successfully lowering sodium in school lunches by procuring fresh and/or frozen meat and produce and selecting lower sodium foods for menu items. Their Student Council and Social Justice teams act as an advisory board by evaluating new school menu items and gathering feedback from their peers. The school district also conducts district-wide taste tests to gauge student interest in different scratch cooking options. “We are trying to incorporate more scratch cooking into [our] menus” says Tina Kindelberger, food service director at Sandy Valley Local School District. “Students have loved some of our new reduced sodium menu items, including the chicken queso chowder and buffalo chicken melt.”

Petersburg School District (Alaska) is receiving the “Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals” award for their commitment to creating scratch and semi-scratch foods that incorporate local and culturally relevant ingredients like moose meat, carrots, herring eggs, and kale. “We recently had the Petersburg Indian Association come into the culinary classes to help the students prepare moose roasts and a moose stock gravy,” says Carlee Johnson McIntosh, food service director, Petersburg School District. “Then, we had a lunch taste testing of the moose roasts and moose gravy for our students.”

Regional School Unit 89 (Maine) is receiving the “Innovation in Preparation of School Meals” award for incorporating more scratch cooking into menu items, such as homemade sub rolls using their oatmeal bread recipe, homemade croutons, pickles and roasted chickpeas. RSU 89 has also partnered with local farm Keep Ridge Farm in Benedicta to source produce like squash, onion, eggs, carrots and kale. They host monthly taste tests allowing the student body to determine what the next new menu item will be. “At our annual Thanksgiving meal, we featured Keep Ridge Farm roasted squash, local farmer Steve Crouse’s potatoes that we boiled and mashed, and turkey from USDA Foods in our homemade gravy and homemade stuffing,” said Denise Tapley Proctor, food service director at RSU 89. “The meal was well received by the community, and the reactions of our kids make us love the change in direction our school is making to more scratch cooking.”

For more information about the awardees, please visit the HMI Awardee Spotlight webpage.

Additional Background

These awards spotlight innovative practices, student and community engagement activities, and strategies schools have used to provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Schools can apply for awards in a range of categories that recognize their efforts to reduce sodium and added sugars in school meals, provide nutrition education, and involve students and families in meal planning.

The Recognition Awards application is available on the HMI website. USDA and Action for Healthy Kids recently streamlined the application process to make it easier for school nutrition professionals to apply. School districts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands are eligible to apply for the Recognition Awards if they participate in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis over a two-year period ending June 30, 2025.

School districts and others interested in learning more can join an HMI Recognition Awards Informational Webinar on Wednesday, March 6, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET.

USDA established the HMI Initiative as part of its commitment to investing in the future of our nation’s children. This initiative empowers schools to continue serving delicious, healthy meals, while giving students the critical nutrition they need to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential. The HMI initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions toward implementing the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

“We’re seeing incredible efforts and innovative accomplishments by school nutrition professionals, as they provide their students with healthy, nutritious meals,” said USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long. “The benefits of school meals to children are undeniable, and we are committed to doing our part to support school meal programs nationwide.”

About USDA

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under 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.

About Action for Healthy Kids

Action for Healthy Kids is dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by bringing together and mobilizing educators, families, and other key stakeholders to help children lead healthy lives. Through its core programming and family-school partnerships, Action for Healthy Kids has impacted more than 20 million children in 55,000 schools nationwide to address systemic challenges in underserved communities. To learn more about its growing network of volunteers and champions, visit: actionforhealthykids.org.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.