FY 23 SNAP Longitudinal Data Project Cooperative Agreement

Description

Congress set forth a legislative measure in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) which amends Section 17(n) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Section 17(n) of the Act enables research on SNAP program administration. The overarching goal of the SNAP Longitudinal Data Project (LDP) is to enable longitudinal research on participation in, and the operation of, SNAP over time and across state lines. Participating states transmit SNAP eligibility, benefit, and demographic information to a secure national-level database where it is made available for longitudinal research. FNS entered an inter-agency agreement with the Census Bureau in order to fulfill the requirements in Section 17(n) of the Act, while minimizing the burden and administrative costs of the projects associated with this grant award.

The fiscal year (FY) 2023 SNAP LDP Grant Program will support states as they develop new efforts, or improve existing ones, to conduct longitudinal SNAP research. There is no single solution or approach required to participate, and each state may require a different approach to enable longitudinal research. FNS acknowledges the need for flexibility to support state participation in the SNAP LDP and therefore aims to support these unique and state specific needs through the grant program. Up to $5 million in grant funding is available in FY 2023 to support state participation.

Eligibility

This grant opportunity is open to the 53 state agencies that administer SNAP. FNS will consider only one application per state agency.

To be eligible, the SNAP administering agencies must have the capacity to provide, on a periodic and ongoing basis, household and participant data derived from their eligibility system and other data sources of the state. Applications for consideration must align with the stated program objectives. Funds from this RFA may not be used to offset costs for existing personnel who are completing activities unrelated to this grant, i.e., the percentage of staff costs attributed to this project must be properly allocated.

FY 23 Awards

• District of Columbia, Department of Human Services – $1,974,400
  District of Columbia, Department of Human Services will standardize their SNAP data to align with the SNAP LDP format in order to create more efficient data analysis, including comparisons across state lines. Additionally, they will establish an internal longitudinal database supporting state research and evaluation initiatives aimed at improving service delivery.
• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services – $2,250,000
  Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (KY) will standardize their SNAP data aligning with the SNAP LDP format. They will create a new data warehouse that enables SNAP longitudinal research and the development of dashboards on SNAP participation. The dashboards will provide longitudinal data analysis capabilities and display information specific to the user, to include summary data, trends, and generic distributions.