FNS Documents & Resources

In September 2020, USDA awarded approximately $3.2 million in Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) grants to five states.  These grants are intended to support the full range of needs state agencies may have related to the development, collection, reporting, analysis and use of SNAP E&T participant outcome data. Among other things, funds can be used for training and capacity building, including efforts to improve E&T data quality; information technology systems development to support the collection, reporting, and analysis of SNAP E&T data; and/or continuous program improvement of SNAP E&T programs. 

The Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill provided FNS with $4 million for the purpose of evaluating state SNAP agencies’ usage of automated income data sources to verify income in determining household eligibility and benefit amounts. FNS will make available $2 million in FY 2020 and $2 million in FY 2021.

The USDA Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center at the University of Kentucky awarded $1.3 million in grants to help reduce child food insecurity by improving coordination among child nutrition programs in 17 rural communities. The funding, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, will help these rural communities implement creative strategies to improve access to nutrition programs for families and children. 

In 2001, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) awarded $3.7 million in grants to 14 organizations in 11 States to improve Food Stamp Program access through partnerships and new technology. These projects generally aimed to improve access among the elderly, immigrants, the working poor, and other hard-to-reach groups. The projects used a variety of approaches, including targeted advertising campaigns through community media outlets, informational web sites, computer-assisted pre-screening for eligibility, and direct application assistance.