GusNIP NTAE Center awards $900,000 in Grants for First-time GusNIP Applicants
13 DECEMBER 2023 | OMAHA, NE – The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE) awarded a total of $900,000 to 41 organizations across 23 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. This round of funding focused on providing capacity building support for organizations preparing to apply for a GusNIP award from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for nutrition incentive (NI) or produce prescription (PPR) grants.
This grant opportunity aims to increase the reach of the GusNIP program by providing additional support to communities not currently being served by such programming. Grants awards of up to $25,000 will support initiatives that enhance organizational capacity to apply for future GusNIP NI or PPR grants. Awardees are funding capacity building initiatives, like grant writing support, financial systems updates, coalition building, and strategic planning. Each of these activities is vital to not only a competitive GusNIP application, but a successful application that centers community voices. By investing in applicants and helping them to build strong foundations for GusNIP proposals, the NTAE Center is facilitating more equitable access to funding across underrepresented geographies and communities.
“We are thrilled to have been able to provide this new opportunity to organizations interested in GusNIP and appreciate USDA NIFA’s partnership in creating this opportunity,” notes Erica Christensen Raml, senior director of nutrition incentives at Fair Food Network.
Fair Food Network will administer these grants, as a leading partner for the Nutrition Incentive Hub created by the GusNIP NTAE Center. The Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE) is supported by Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant no. 2019-70030-30415/project accession no. 1020863 and grant no. 2023-70414-40461/project accession no. 1031111 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
For more information about the Nutrition Incentive Hub, please visit their website.
The following are selected awardees of the Capacity Building and Innovation Fund:
Banco de Alimentos (Carolina, Puerto Rico) was awarded $8,000 to undertake strategic planning activities including reviewing best practices in program design and building partnerships to develop a GusNIP nutrition incentive project proposal in FY23. With a robust strategic plan and clear vision, they will be able to demonstrate for the positive impact that a GusNIP award would have to improve access to affordable, fresh fruits and vegetables for Puerto Rican families.
Common Threads (Austin, TX) will split their $25,000 award equally with their partner Royally Fit, a proudly minority-, woman-, veteran-, and disability-owned and family-operated organization. These funds will support strategic planning meetings with healthcare and local food partners to develop a GusNIP proposal for a produce prescription model that promotes that promotes nutrition education and holistic health. This award will also allow Royally Fit to hire a grant writer to lead the application effort and support Common Threads’ staff to oversee the process.
Nourish Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) will invest their award of $25,000 into hiring for three strategic positions to increase capacity for a future GusNIP nutrition incentive application. These positions include an experienced grant writer, an accountant to improve grant tracking systems, and a consultant to convene current and potential incentive program practitioners across Tennessee. All these efforts together will increase the likelihood of a successful statewide nutrition incentive program should they receive a GusNIP grant.
Salmon Valley Stewardship (Salmon, ID) was awarded $20,680 to support their Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program, focusing primarily on three priorities: strategic planning; supporting coalition building and peer to peer learning; and de-centering and decolonizing this work to be more inclusive, respectful, and supportive of non-white, BIPOC-led food sovereignty needs. Ultimately, this capacity-building support will result in the strategic development of a GusNIP project proposal that is both sustainable and successfully meets the needs of their community.
See a complete list of all Capacity Building and Innovation Fund awards for this funding cycle.
Learn more about our previous Capacity Building and Innovation Fund Awards:
The Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE) is supported by Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant no. 2019-70030-30415/project accession no. 1020863 and grant no. 2023-70414-40461/project accession no. 1031111 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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About the Nutrition Incentive Hub
The Nutrition Incentive Hub is a coalition of partners created by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (GusNIP NTAE Center), which supports nutrition incentive projects, including SNAP incentives, and produce prescription projects.
The GusNIP NTAE Center is led by Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. In partnership with Fair Food Network, they assembled the Nutrition Incentive Hub, a coalition of evaluators, researchers, practitioners, and grocery and farmers market experts from across the country dedicated to strengthening and uniting the best thinking in the field to increase access to affordable and healthy food to those who need it most. The GusNIP NTAE Center is funded through a cooperative agreement and is supported by Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant no. 2019-70030-30415/project accession no. 1020863 and grant no. 2023-70414-40461/project accession no. 1031111 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
About Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition
The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition is a nonprofit research institute providing expertise in measurement and evaluation to help develop, enhance, and expand programs focused on healthy eating and active living, improving food and nutrition security and healthy food access, promoting local food systems, and applying a health equity lens in all we do. With expertise in public health nutrition, we are dedicated to building measurement strategies to assess the impact of innovative health-related programs. We work nationally and internationally, partnering with other nonprofits, academia, government, and private foundations to conduct research, evaluation, and scientific strategic planning.
About Fair Food Network
Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit and investor that grows community health and wealth through food. We transform how resources flow through the food economy for a more fair and resilient future. Our approach integrates policy advocacy that brings proven solutions to scale, partnerships that increase our collective impact, and investments in food organizations and businesses that serve their communities. We’re building a world in which everyone has access to healthy choices, economic opportunity, and a resilient environment. We believe that when we start with food, everything else is possible.