The Agricultural Act of 2014 authorized $200 million for the development, implementation, and evaluation of pilot projects to test innovative strategies to reduce dependency on and increase employment among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. California, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Vermont, Virginia and Washington received grants in March 2015 and began implementing their pilots between January and April 2016. All grantees concluded pilot services by April 2019.
The final summary report presents employment, earnings, SNAP participation, and other outcome findings that cover a 36-month period for individuals enrolled in the pilots by December 2017. It also presents findings from the implementation evaluation and cost-benefit analysis. The report summarizes findings from the 10 pilot-specific final reports. Key findings include:
- Earnings increased in three pilots and employment increased in five pilots for the treatment group compared to the control group.
- An increase in employment did not mean that earnings increased.
- Pilots generally did not decrease SNAP participation or improve food security.
- The cost of pilot services outweighed benefits in most pilots.
Three issue briefs present cross-pilot findings on SNAP E&T program administration, recruitment strategies, and community college partnerships. Key findings include:
- SNAP agencies must take ownership of their E&T programs and provide oversight to ensure proper implementation of policies and procedures by partners and providers.
- Recruiting SNAP participants into E&T programs requires a multifaceted approach.
- Community colleges are an important SNAP E&T provider and lessons from the pilots can help SNAP agencies form successful ongoing partnerships with them.
State Reports
| California | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Delaware | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Georgia | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Illinois | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Kansas | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Kentucky | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Mississippi | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Vermont | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Virginia | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |
| Washington | Pilot Report | Pilot Tables |