USDA Announces $1 Million In Food Stamp Outreach Grants

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Nancy Johner today announced the availability of at least $1 million in grants for public and private nonprofit community and faith-based organizations to improve awareness of USDA’s Food Stamp Program for low-income households. Specifically, these grants will target the two most significantly underserved populations in the Food Stamp Program, seniors and Hispanics.

“Those in need also need to know if they qualify for food stamps, how the nutritional guidance can help their well-being,” said Johner. “Public and private, faith-based and community groups all serve an important role in the President’s commitment to educate those in need about USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs.”

The Food Stamp Program, administered by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), is the cornerstone of federal nutrition assistance programs and provides crucial support to needy households. The program serves more than 26 million people each month, and currently reaches about 65 percent of those who are eligible for benefits.

Seniors represent 9 percent of total participants and Hispanics represent 19 percent of total participants in the program. In addition to directly helping individuals and families, food stamp benefits provide a boost to local economies since every dollar in new food stamp benefits generates nearly twice that in community spending.

The overall purpose of food stamp outreach is to inform and educate potentially eligible low-income persons about the nutrition benefits of the program, the eligibility rules and how to apply.

State and local food stamp offices and for-profit organizations are not eligible for these grants. Applicants will be eligible to receive up to $75,000 per grant. The grant period will range from 1 to 2 years, depending on the project.

USDA encourages community and faith-based organizations to participate in this competition for grants. Checklists, templates, tools and lists of resources to assist potential applicants complete their proposals can be found online at http://www.grants.gov or on the FNS website at http://www.fns.usda.gov.