SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants | USDA FNS SNAP 20 ETNPG

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FNS SNAP 20 ETNPG

The SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants opportunity is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) under CFDA 10.561 (Food and Nutrition). It is designed to strengthen the national capacity of nonprofit workforce organizations to help expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) network, specifically by enabling more local or regional affiliates to become SNAP E&T third-party providers. Rather than paying for frontline services to participants, the program focuses on building the systems, staff capacity, and practical know-how that national organizations can deliver to their member or affiliate network so those members can partner with State SNAP agencies and operate SNAP E&T services effectively.

FNS planned to make approximately $5 million available in total, with an expected six awards and an award ceiling of $3,000,000. The funding is aimed at nonprofit national organizations that have broad member or affiliate networks and that already work directly in workforce development for low-income and low-skilled individuals, including people who receive SNAP. A key requirement is demonstrated expertise: the applicant must show that, through one or more member or affiliate organizations, it has real experience delivering SNAP E&T services, and that across multiple members or affiliates it has a track record of helping low-income and low-skilled individuals move toward economic self-sufficiency. In other words, applicants are expected to bring both SNAP E&T-specific credibility and evidence that their network can translate workforce programming into improved economic outcomes.

Grant funds are restricted to creating new organizational capacity for training and technical assistance (T&TA) that the national organization will provide to its member or affiliate organizations. This includes funding for new staff roles and the infrastructure needed to deliver T&TA at scale. The intent is to help member or affiliate organizations understand how to become SNAP E&T third-party providers and how to run high-quality SNAP E&T components in coordination with State SNAP agencies. Allowable activities are largely "capacity-building and knowledge-sharing" efforts, such as organizing conferences or meetings for network members, creating peer-to-peer learning communities or networking platforms, producing practical tools like toolkits, checklists, and curricula, sharing best practices through webinars or site visits, and providing professional development to member or affiliate staff.

The technical assistance topics envisioned by FNS cover both the policy side and the operational side of SNAP E&T. This includes training on SNAP E&T policy and program fundamentals, clarification of the role of State SNAP agencies in administering SNAP E&T, and guidance on the information technology, administrative, fiscal, and other infrastructure that organizations typically need to function as third-party providers. It can also include helping affiliates assess organizational strengths and gaps related to SNAP E&T readiness, as well as instruction on how to handle core service delivery elements that SNAP E&T providers commonly manage, such as case management models and participant reimbursements. Beyond compliance and administration, the grants also support sharing best practices in employment and training services that effectively serve SNAP participants and help them progress toward economic self-sufficiency.

There are clear limitations on what the money can and cannot pay for. Funds cannot be used to provide direct services to participants, cannot be used to support existing organizational activities, and cannot be used for routine, ongoing operating costs. The funding must be tied to new capacity specifically created to deliver SNAP E&T training and technical assistance to the organization’s network, with the end goal of increasing the number and readiness of affiliates that can operate as SNAP E&T third-party providers in partnership with states.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number USDA FNS SNAP 20 ETNPG. Eligible applicants include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) and certain other entities as described in the opportunity’s eligibility clarification. The opportunity was created on June 22, 2020, with an original application closing date of July 22, 2020.

• The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service in the food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.561.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 22, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FNS SNAP 20 ETNPG

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