Nutrition Incentive Program RFA Released

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program has released the 2022 RFA for Nutrition Incentive grants. Applications will be due June 30, 2022. In a change this year, the program has split the RFAs for Nutrition Incentives and for Produce Prescriptions (produce incentives that include a health care partner) into two separate packages. Produce Prescriptions have not yet been posted.

GusNIP had delayed releasing the RFA from the originally planned date of December 15, 2021, to allow time for incorporating stakeholder feedback. Adjustments to the program are especially relevant now, as Congress prepares to debate the 2023 Farm Bill, which will set program funding and guidance for the next 5 years. 

Nutrition Incentive programs focus on SNAP (3SquaresVT) and expanding participants’ ability to purchase fruits and vegetables. The program models eligible in 2022 include:

• Participants purchase fruits and vegetables with SNAP benefits, then receive incentives that are redeemable only for the purchase of fruits and vegetables.

• Participants purchase any food eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, then receive incentives that are redeemable only for the purchase of fruits and vegetables.

• Participants purchase fruits and vegetables with SNAP benefits, then receive incentives that are redeemable for any SNAP eligible food.

This year’s RFA increases the preparatory work for data collection and program evaluation before submitting a grant application. New requirements include a consultation session of approximately 1 hour with the technical assistance and evaluation (TAE) center at the Nutrition Incentive Hub, and a letter of support from the TAE Center to be submitted with the application. 

In complement to the ongoing adjustments to GusNIP, the Nutrition Incentive Hub has been expanding its information resources. Most of these resources are available to any nutrition incentive program, not only GusNIP grantees. This work includes the launch of a new national CSA community of practice, hosted by FairShare CSA Coalition and the Farmers Market Coalition. It will meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 1pm EST for 6 months. The group plans to address the following topics:

• Customer Recruitment and Education (May/June)

• Backend Logistics and Administration (July/August)

• Determining SNAP Payment Schedules for CSA (September/October)

Participation is intended for active CSA incentive programs on a first come, first serve basis. Registration is available online.

To read more about the GusNIP grant program, including an opportunity to sign up for informational webinars for this year’s grant RFA, please visit their site.