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Grants help SNAP participants buy more fruits and vegetables

Last year, SNAP helped put healthy food on tables of 44 million Americans.

August 9, 2017

3 Min Read
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USDA's Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive will provide 32 grants totaling $16.8 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants increase their fruit and vegetable purchases.

The program is operated by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“These grants help provide low income families with the resources they need to consume more nutritious food. Last year, SNAP helped put healthy food on the tables of at least 44 million Americans, including 19 million children,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “This builds on the successes of health-related incentives, with many of the projects being conducted at farmers markets. At the same time, we’re also helping to strengthen local and regional food systems.”

FINI is a joint program between NIFA and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP and is responsible for evaluating the impact of the variety of types of incentive programs that are deployed by FINI grantees. The program brings together stakeholders from different parts of the national food system to improve the nutrition and health status of SNAP households. The awards under FINI represent a variety of projects, including relatively small pilot projects, multi-year community-based projects, and larger-scale multi-year projects. 

Grants being announced, by state, include:

FINI Pilot Projects (up to $100,000, not to exceed 1 year): 

  • East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, Oakland, California, $76,697

  • Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Sacramento, California, $63,494

  • The Kenny Family Foundation, Wilmington, Delaware, $45,000

  • Presence Health, Chicago, Illinois, $100,000

  • Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, Des Moines, Iowa, $99,587

  • Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Red Lake Nation, Minnesota, $78,188

  • Capacity Builders, Inc., Farmington, New Mexico, $26,478

  • Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, $99,997

  • Janus Youth Programs, Inc., Portland, Oregon, $94,566

  • Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council, Johnson City, Tennessee, $94,211

  • Richmond City Health District, Richmond, Virginia, $98,108 

Multi-year community-based projects (up to $500,000, not to exceed 4 years):

  • Community Services Unlimited Inc., Los Angeles, California, $500,000

  • Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, Woodland, California, $500,000

  • FRESHFARM Markets, Inc., Washington, District of Columbia, $250,000

  • Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta, Georgia, $250,000

  • The Food Basket, Inc., Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, $500,000

  • Heritage Ranch Inc., Honaunau, Hawaii, $500,000

  • VNA Health Care, Aurora, Illinois, $488,090

  • The Experimental Station: 6100 Blackstone, Chicago, Illinois, $487,197

  • Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation, Whitesburg, Kentucky, $307,916

  • Crossroads Community Food Network, Inc., Takoma Park, Maryland, $112,403

  • Together We Can, North Las Vegas, Nevada, $500,000

  • The Fortune Society, Inc., New York City, New York, $498,000

  • Reinvestment Partners, Durham, North Carolina, $398,960

  • Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, Youngstown, Ohio, $498,880

  • Nurture Nature Center, Easton, Pennsylvania, $267,394

  • Rhode Island Public Health Institute, Providence, Rhode Island, $299,844

  • Grow Food d/b/a Viva Farms, Mount Vernon, Washington, $488,758

Multi-year large-scale projects ($500,000 or greater, not to exceed 4 years):

  • California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California, $3,944,573

  • Community Farm Alliance, Inc., Berea, Kentucky, $602,159

  • Fair Food Network, Ann Arbor, Michigan, $3,500,000

  • The Food Trust, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $987,500

Among the grant recipients this year, The Experimental Station 61St Street , located in an underserved neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, will increase the affordability of fruits and vegetables sold in Illinois Farmers Markets for Illinois SNAP clients. The project aims to expand the SNAP Double Coupon Program incentive to an additional 80 Illinois Farmers Markets and direct-to-consumer venues. Currently, the project has funded almost 90 farmers markets and direct-to-consumer venues statewide and facilitated thousands of SNAP shoppers to purchase almost $500,000 of additional fresh and healthy foods with the Double Value Coupon incentives. More than 22,000 low-income Illinois residents will benefit from affordable access to the region’s freshest fruits, vegetables and other healthy goods.

Source: USDA

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