Close to $15 Million in Funding Available for Innovative Outreach That Connects More Families to WIC

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Request for Subgrant Applications Due Sept. 6

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2024 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (the Center, formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition), Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI), and UnidosUS, today announced a Request for Application for subgrants for the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project (WIC CIAO).

Approximately $14.8 million will be awarded in this round of funding to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) State and local agencies, including Indian Tribal Organizations, and nonprofit entities and organizations. Funding will help subgrantees develop, implement, and evaluate innovative outreach strategies to increase WIC awareness, participation, and benefit redemption, and reduce disparities in program delivery. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on September 6, 2024.

WIC is a federal nutrition program that provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding counseling and support, and health care and social service referrals for pregnant and postpartum individuals, infants, and children up to age 5. The federally funded program has been shown to provide wide-ranging benefits, including longer, safer pregnancies with fewer premature births and infant deaths; improved dietary outcomes for infants and children; improved maternal health; and improved performance at school, among others. In addition to health benefits, WIC participants showed significant savings in health care costs when compared to nonparticipants.

Despite evidence that WIC contributes to healthy outcomes, only 51 percent of WIC-eligible individuals participated in the program in 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with funding to carry out WIC outreach and modernization efforts to increase participation in the program. USDA FNS is supporting WIC CIAO through a cooperative agreement with FRAC in collaboration with the Center, IFAI, and UnidosUS. This marks the second round of subgrants, following a $16.2 million award distributed in 2023 among 36 projects around the country.

Significant technical assistance will be provided throughout the application process to organizations in underserved communities that may have limited resources and/or capacity. Technical assistance will be provided to all subgrantees throughout the subgrant period.

Interested organizations can learn more about the WIC CIAO funding opportunity and how to apply at hellowic.org/request-for-applications.

For application questions or technical assistance, please email [email protected].

 

About Food Research & Action Center
The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

About Center for Nutrition and Health Impact
The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (the Center) is an independent research institution providing expertise in measurement and evaluation to develop, enhance, and expand public health programs. The Center works nationally and internationally, partnering with other nonprofits, academia, government entities and private foundations. Visit the Centers’ website at centerfornutrition.org and follow on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) focuses on putting tribal sovereignty in food sovereignty, promoting tribally driven solutions to revitalize and advance traditional food systems and diversified economic development throughout Indian Country. IFAI provides Tribal governments, producers, and food businesses with educational resources, policy research, and strategic legal analysis as a foundation for building robust food economies. Visit indigenousfoodandag.com to learn more, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.