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Funding Opportunity #
USDA-FNS-WICSPG-FULLMINI-FY2014

WIC Special Project Grants FY 2014

The purpose of the WIC Special Project Grants is to help WIC state agencies develop, implement, and evaluate new or innovative methods of service to meet the changing needs of WIC participants. Section 17(h)(10)(III) of the Child Nutrition Act authorizes funding of special state projects of regional or national significance to improve WIC services. The WIC Special Project Grants are intended to encourage innovative and creative projects that improve the delivery of WIC services and that:

  • Demonstrate national or regional significance;
  • Produce results which have a demonstrable impact and are sustainable in the absence of special funding;
  • Are transferrable to other WIC Programs in the region or nationally;
  • Can be evaluated with measurable results; and
  • Can be replicated by other WIC Programs.

Who May Apply

State agencies that administer the WIC Program may apply. Grants may be awarded to individual WIC state agencies or to a consortium of WIC state agencies, as long as one of the agencies is the designated lead agency.

Funding and Duration

FNS expects to have approximately $2,000,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2014 available for Special Project Grants to WIC state agencies. These grant awards are contingent upon the availability of funding. These projects will be awarded as cooperative agreements.

There are three types of WIC Special Project Grants: Full Grants, Mini Grants, and Concept Paper Development Grants:

Full Grants - FNS anticipates awarding up to four (4) Full Grants for $300,000-$400,000 each, depending on the number and quality of applications received and requested budget amounts. The performance period will be from the date of the award through Sept. 30, 2018. (Note: While all major project activities must be completed by Sept. 30, 2017, Grantees will be required to present project findings to FNS in spring 2018. See Grant Requirements in the Request for Application below for more information.)

Mini Grants - FNS anticipates awarding up to ten (10) Mini Grants for up to $50,000 - $75,000 each, depending on the number and quality of applications received and requested budget amounts. The performance period will be from the date of the award through March 30, 2016. (Note: While all major project activities must be completed by March 30, 2016, Grantees will be required to present project findings to FNS in summer 2016. See Grant Requirements in the Request for Application below for more information.)

Concept Paper Development Grants – FNS anticipates awarding up to four (4) grants for up to $24,500 each depending on the quality of the application(s), the availability of funds, and how much of the FY 2014 funds are used to fund the FY 2014 WIC Special Project Full and Mini Grants.

Application Due Date

The completed application package must be uploaded on www.grants.gov at or before 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Sept. 15, 2014.

Awards

Online Group Nutrition Education Sessions (ONEDS)

State Agency: Arizona
Summary: This Full Grant addresses WIC child retention by developing, implementing and evaluating a series of online facilitated video group chat nutrition education discussions - ONEDS to WIC participants. The opportunity to allow participants to receive their nutrition education through an online discussion with other WIC participants addresses many barriers to participation reported in the literature and previous research studies in Arizona.

Connecticut WIC and Head Start Cross-Program Collaboration Project

State Agency: Connecticut
Summary: This Full Grant addresses WIC child retention by creating a formal partnership between WIC and Head Start (HS)/Early Head Start (EHS) program to promote increased participation and/or retention in both programs, and increase coordination of services for the purpose of enhancing the overall health and welfare of families in Connecticut (CT). The main goals of the collaboration project include strengthening and maintaining a formal partnership between the WIC and HS programs at the state and local levels, implementing and evaluating systems for collaboration between WIC and HS programs, increasing and improving services to families, and evaluating changes in collaboration to identify best practices that result in increased participation and/or retention in both programs.

Good Food and a Whole Lot More: A Recipe to Increase Child Retention and Improve Utilization of the Food Package in the Massachusetts WIC Program

State Agency: Massachusetts
Summary: This Full Grant addresses WIC child retention by designing and implementing a set of expanded interactive nutrition education services that focus on grocery shopping, cooking skills, menu planning, and meal preparation. This project will provide hands-on learning featuring healthy food cooking demonstrations (using portable kitchens) with take-home recipe cards, cooking min-workshops, and grocery shopping tours among other activities focused on procuring and preparing healthy food in a cost conscious manner.

Texting for Retention Program

State Agency: Colorado
Summary: This Mini Grant addresses WIC child retention through a Texting for Retention program (TFR). Text reminders/messages will be sent to WIC participants/caregivers about: scheduling appointment, keeping appointments already scheduled and information about the benefits of WIC participation for children over age one. The project will test this approach with approximately 30,000 participants/caregivers.

The WIC Outreach Project

State Agency: Delaware
Summary: This Mini Grant addresses WIC child retention through a partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware (DE). The project plan is for DE WIC to provide funding to the Food Bank of Delaware to hire a WIC Outreach Coordinator (WOC). The WOC will work to eliminate barriers to retention of children participating in WIC through outreach to WIC-eligible households at community access points such as Early Childhood Education Centers and Health Care Facilities. The outreach will include marketing materials and on-site certification of eligible children. WIC food benefits will be issued at the WIC local agency.

WIC2Five: Using Mobile Health Education Messaging to Support Program Retention

State Agency: Vermont
Summary: This Mini Grant addresses WIC child retention by texting secure mobile health education messages to WIC participants. Parents who opt-in to WIC2Five will receive texts one to two times per week for one year with message content that is age-targeted and focuses on health, nutrition, physical activity and referral information. The content of the messaging that will be used was developed and evaluated in previously funded WIC Special Project Grants (Fit WIC and Brighten My Life with Fruits and Vegetables).

Page updated: November 25, 2024