(Harrisburg, PA, October 9, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today 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), which help participants gain the skills, training, or work experience they need to move toward and into employment. USDA is providing more than $6.7 million in SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants to help four national non-profit organizations expand program capacity to serve SNAP participants and over $3.2 million in SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) Grants to support improved E&T data collection and reporting across five SNAP state agencies.
“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.”
“In every community where Goodwill® operates, we meet people who are determined to develop their skills so they can build their own economic success stories,” said Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International (GII). “The investment from the USDA will play a crucial role in helping Goodwill organizations expand their SNAP Employment and Training programs and give individuals and their families access to educational programs and resources, and job training and employment services to help them during this exceptional time.”
Background
For the first time, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) awarded the SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants to the National Association of Workforce Boards, Goodwill Industries International, American Public Human Services Association, and Roberts Enterprise Development Fund to expand and bolster SNAP E&T by leveraging their large 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 projected to bring on as many as 215 new SNAP E&T providers by 2023.
FNS also awarded the SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) Grants to SNAP state agencies in Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia. 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.
FNS is also preparing to host the first-ever SNAP E&T National Work Forum, which will bring together SNAP E&T stakeholders from across the country to share and learn best practices for promoting and increasing employment among SNAP households. From October 13-15, partners from all sectors will unite to discuss how SNAP E&T can best move participants forward.
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 American’s 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. Follow us on Twitter at @USDANutrition.
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