Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA FINI 009750
The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Competitive Grants Program is a mandatory USDA grant opportunity run by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that supports and evaluates projects designed to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among people participating in federal nutrition assistance programs. The core idea behind the program is to make healthier foods more affordable and appealing at the moment people are buying groceries by offering incentives at the point of purchase. These incentives are specifically intended for USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and for USDA Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) participants in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In practice, this generally means projects that add immediate purchasing power for produce when an eligible customer uses benefits, thereby nudging purchases toward fruits and vegetables.
This opportunity is listed under the funding opportunity title "The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Competitive Grants Program" with the funding opportunity number "USDA NIFA FINI 009750." It falls under the Agriculture funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 10.331. The award instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity category is mandatory, meaning the program is backed by required funding rather than being purely discretionary. The public posting date for this opportunity was February 2, 2023, and the original closing date for applications was May 4, 2023.
In terms of funding scale, the program is set up to support a limited number of relatively large projects. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $15,000,000, and the agency anticipated making about 15 awards under this cycle. That combination suggests a competitive process aimed at supporting substantial, well-developed projects that can operate at meaningful scale and generate usable evidence about what works. A key element is not only implementing incentive strategies, but also evaluating them, which implies applicants are expected to measure outcomes such as fruit and vegetable purchasing behavior and related impacts tied to the incentives.
Eligibility is noted broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in a separate eligibility section of the full announcement. This phrasing typically signals that eligibility may extend beyond a single applicant type and could include multiple kinds of organizations depending on the detailed rules in the official notice. The administering agency is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specifically NIFA, which is the USDA branch that commonly manages competitive grants supporting food systems, nutrition, and agricultural research and implementation efforts.
Overall, this grant opportunity is centered on improving diet quality among low-income households by using direct, purchase-based incentives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, while building a stronger evidence base through evaluation. The geographic coverage is broad and explicitly includes U.S. territories with SNAP as well as areas served by NAP, making it one of the larger federal efforts aimed at increasing produce purchases through benefit-linked incentives at the checkout point.Apply for USDA NIFA FINI 009750
- The Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Competitive Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.331.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 02, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 04, 2023. (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 $15,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Competitive Grants Program
What is the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Competitive Grants Program?
The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Competitive Grants Program is a mandatory USDA grant opportunity administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It supports and evaluates projects designed to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among people participating in federal nutrition assistance programs.
What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?
The main goal is to make fruits and vegetables more affordable and appealing at the moment people buy groceries by offering incentives at the point of purchase, with a focus on increasing produce purchasing among eligible nutrition assistance participants.
How do GusNIP projects typically increase fruit and vegetable purchases?
Projects generally provide incentives at the point of purchase that add immediate purchasing power specifically for fruits and vegetables when an eligible customer uses their benefits. The intent is to nudge purchasing behavior toward healthier options during the transaction.
Which nutrition assistance participants are the intended beneficiaries?
The incentives are specifically intended for USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and for USDA Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) participants in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
What is the geographic scope of this opportunity?
The opportunity covers SNAP service areas in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and NAP service areas in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
What does it mean that incentives are offered at the "point of purchase"?
It means the incentive is applied during the grocery transaction itself (at checkout or purchase time), so the customer receives the benefit immediately as they are buying fruits and vegetables.
Is this program focused only on implementation, or also on evaluation?
It is focused on both. A key element of the program is not only implementing incentive strategies, but also evaluating them. This implies applicants are expected to measure outcomes related to fruit and vegetable purchasing behavior and other impacts tied to the incentives.
What kinds of outcomes are applicants expected to measure?
Based on the program description, evaluation is expected to include outcomes such as fruit and vegetable purchasing behavior and related impacts that can be tied to the incentives.
What is the official funding opportunity title?
The funding opportunity title is "The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Competitive Grants Program."
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA FINI 009750.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 10.331.
What is the funding activity category?
The funding activity category is Agriculture.
What type of award instrument is used?
The award instrument type is a grant.
What does it mean that the opportunity category is "mandatory"?
"Mandatory" indicates the program is backed by required funding rather than being purely discretionary.
Who administers this grant program?
The administering agency is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
When was this opportunity posted?
The public posting date for this opportunity was February 2, 2023.
What was the original application closing date?
The original closing date for applications was May 4, 2023.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $15,000,000.
How many awards were anticipated under this cycle?
The agency anticipated making about 15 awards under this cycle.
What does the funding scale suggest about the competitiveness of the program?
The combination of a high award ceiling and an anticipated limited number of awards suggests a competitive process aimed at supporting substantial, well-developed projects that can operate at meaningful scale and generate usable evidence about what works.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in a separate eligibility section of the full announcement. This suggests eligibility may extend beyond a single applicant type and could include multiple kinds of organizations depending on the detailed rules in the official notice.
Does the description specify exactly which organization types qualify under "Others"?
No. The description notes that more detail is provided in a separate eligibility section of the full announcement.
What is the underlying approach the program uses to improve diet quality?
The program aims to improve diet quality among low-income households by using direct, purchase-based incentives that increase fruit and vegetable purchasing, while also building a stronger evidence base through evaluation.
Is the program limited to SNAP, or does it include other benefit programs?
It includes both SNAP and NAP, with SNAP coverage in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and NAP coverage in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
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