 |
 |
| 10.578 WIC GRANTS TO STATES (WGS) |
| (WIC Grants To States) |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Section 17(h)(10)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended. Section 17(h)(10)(B) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended. |
| OBJECTIVES |
| To provide grants to WIC State agencies for Electronic Benefit Transfer projects and pilots to explore the feasibility both technical and financial of providing WIC benefits electronically. To provide grants to WIC State agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) to fund, implement, and evaluate innovative projects that improve WIC serve provision and impact the nutrition and health of WIC participants. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Project Grants. |
| USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS |
| Grant funds are used to plan, develop and implement pilot projects for WIC EBT. Grant funds are used to improve WIC service provision and impact the nutrition and health of WIC participants. |
| Applicant Eligibility |
| State agencies that administer the WIC Program are eligible to apply for WIC EBT grant funds. States may apply individually or as a coalition of States. |
| Beneficiary Eligibility |
| WIC participants ultimately will receive benefits through EBT. WIC participants will receive improved WIC services. |
| Credentials/Documentation |
| State agencies must administer the WIC Program. Applicants must prove through the grant application process that adequate resources are available for project success. Applicants are required to submit a written proposal, which includes a description of the EBT pilot, budget documents, feasibility studies, cost allocation plans, and other required documents. A properly executed Federal/State agreement between FNS and the State agency is necessary before funds can be allocated. State agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations must administer the WIC Program. Applicants must prove through the grant application process that adequate resources are available for project success. Through a competitive solicitation, applicants are required to submit a written proposal which includes a description of the proposed project, staffing, and budget documents for review by a technical panel. Upon selection for award, a properly executed Federal/State agreement between FNS and the State agency or Indian Tribal Organization is necessary before funds can be allocated. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| State agencies are given a grant solicitation package outlining the process and deadlines related to the grant application process. State WIC agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations are given a grant solicitation package outlining the process and deadlines related to the grant application process. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. |
| Application Procedure |
| Applicants must submit a complete application to FNS by the deadline specified. |
| Award Procedure |
| All applications that meet the published deadline for submission will be screened for completeness and conformity to the requirements as announced in the solicitation package. Grants are awarded by a competitive process via a review panel composed of FNS staff, who make recommendations to selecting officials. |
| Deadlines |
| As specified in the solicitation package. |
| Range of Approval/Disapproval Time |
| About 3 to 6 months. |
| Appeals |
| None. |
| Renewals |
| Not applicable. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| No matching requirements. Grants will be funded based on submitted budget, need for funds and available funding. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| From 3-5 years, depending on project timeline. From 1-3 years depending on project schedule. |
| Reports |
| Progress reports and financial status reports must be submitted as outlined in the cooperative/agreements. |
| Audits |
| In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," State governments that expend Federal financial assistance of $500,000 or more within any fiscal year shall have either a single audit or (in certain cases) a program specific audit made for that year. Audits may be conducted less frequently under conditions specified in A-133. |
| Records |
| State agencies must maintain records as necessary to support the use of EBT grant funds in accordance with the Grant Agreement. Such records must be retained for a period of 3 years after the date of submission of the final report for the fiscal year to which the records pertain, except that if audit findings have not been resolved, the records shall be retained beyond the three year period as long as required for the resolution of the issues raised by the audit. |
| Account Identification |
| 12-3510-0-1-605. |
| Obligations |
| Obligations EBT Grants: FY 07 est not available; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported. WIC Discretionary Grant: FY 07 $14,000,000; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported. |
| Range and Average of Financial Assistance |
| EBT Grants: FY 06 $6,248,922; FY 07 $5,198,828, Range $66,125 to $2,142,315, Average (6) $866,471. WIC Discretionary Grants: FY 06 $20,808,994; FY 07 $2,742,354, Range $20,000 to $390,000, Average (11) $249,3004. |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Successful EBT pilots have been launched in 4 WIC State agencies, with one State, Wyoming, issuing WIC benefits through EBT statewide. Seven other State agencies that were in the process of design and development of WIC EBT projects experienced staffing and budget problems and decided in FY 2006 to cancel their EBT project. Another State, Ohio, found EBT to be too costly and reverted to paper benefit issuance in FY 2005. Successful WIC Special Project Grants have been conducted in many states. Every year, awards a re made to selected States ranging from one to three years. Between FY 1995 and FY 2000, twenty five awards were made to States and ITOs, which have either all been completed or are near completion. Since FY 2001, seventeen more projects have been awarded, most of which are currently in progress. |
| REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE |
| 7 CFR Part 3016, 7 CFR Part 3017, 7 CFR Part 3018. |
| Regional or Local Office |
| See the Food and Nutrition Service Regional Offices listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. |
| Headquarters Office |
| Grants Management Division, Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture, Alexandria, VA 22302. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://www.fns.usda.gov |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| None. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| EBT Projects: The WIC Program is currently operating a successful WIC and Food Stamp joint EBT pilot system using off-line, smart card technology, which allows each participant's food package prescription to be encoded on the smart card chip. The Wyoming EBT system is operational statewide. In addition, several other States are proceeding with EBT projects, including Nevada and the Inter Tribal Council of Nevada (ITCN), which launched its EBT pilot in June 2000; New Mexico began its pilot in FY 2003; Texas began its pilot in FY 2004; and Michigan began its pilot in FY 2005. WIC Special Project Grants: One project currently funded under these grants is testing the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in a WIC clinic setting in North Dakota. The goal of the project is to study the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in nutrition education, and to determine its impact on nutritional behavioral change among WIC participants in North Dakota. A second project seeks to strengthen Massachusetts WIC services by utilizing a behavioral approach to connect with the emotions and values of WIC participants, to help families to adopt healthy dietary, parenting, and physical activity behaviors. A third project is focused on increasing infant breastfeeding among American Indians in Osage County, Oklahoma, as a way of reducing/preventing obesity and diabetes which are highly prevalent in this population. |
| CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS |
| Technical review criteria, which are furnished to all applicants in the grant solicitation package, are used by the review panel to score and rank EBT Grant applications. Technical review criteria, which are furnished to all applicants in the grant solicitation package, are used by the review panel to score and rank grant applications. |
|
General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
|