U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on October 9th that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award $10 million in grants to strengthen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training programs (SNAP E&T).
This program helps participants gain the skills, training, or work experience they need to move toward and into employment.
The USDA is providing more than $6.7 million in SNAP E&T Grants to help four national non-profit organizations. These grants will help to expand program capacity to better serve SNAP participants.
They plan to expand and bolster SNAP E&T by leveraging their extensive networks to train new third-party providers. Grantees will use the funds to develop materials, train subject matter experts, and work with member or affiliate organizations to expand SNAP E&T. Grantees are on track to bring on as many as 215 new SNAP E&T providers by 2023.
They are also granting over $3.2 million for the improvement in E&T data collection and reporting across five SNAP state agencies.
These grants will empower awardees with the capabilities to better understand which E&T services and strategies are most effective in moving SNAP participants toward a brighter future. The five SNAP state agencies will use grant funds to:
Automate their data processing;
Improve data analysis and presentation through web-based, cutting-edge information technology systems; and
Integrate new, information-rich datasets with E&T participant data.
“As the U.S. economy continues to reopen, now is the time to reorient our programs to connect with families and stand beside them with the tools necessary to overcome barriers and inspire hope,” said Secretary Perdue. “President Trump has made it clear he stands with the American worker and programs like E&T help ensure Americans are equipped with the skills to be successful in today’s labor market. These grants will ensure USDA and its partners are providing folks not only with access to adequate nutrition but also with pathways to economic stability and long-term success.”
These efforts are part of USDA’s ongoing commitment to SNAP E&T and support Secretary Perdue’s vision for how USDA’s nutrition assistance programs can help families take one step forward each day to be better off than the day before.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage Americans’ agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.
