The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program | USDA NIFA FINI 008053

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP)

What is the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP)?

GusNIP is a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant opportunity focused on helping low-income households buy and eat more fruits and vegetables. It does this by funding projects that provide targeted financial incentives at the point of purchase and by supporting clinically connected produce prescription models designed to improve diet quality and reduce food insecurity.

What outcomes is GusNIP trying to improve?

Based on the opportunity description, GusNIP aims to improve diet quality and increase fruit and vegetable intake, reduce food insecurity, and potentially lower healthcare use and related costs through nutrition-focused interventions and coordinated community systems.

What are the two main project types funded by GusNIP?

GusNIP funds two main types of projects:

• Nutrition Incentive grants, which increase fruit and vegetable purchases by SNAP participants through incentives (often matching dollars or bonus benefits) when fruits and vegetables are purchased.
• Produce Prescription grants, which support projects that provide prescriptions or vouchers for fruits and vegetables to eligible participants, typically tied to health and nutrition goals and often paired with nutrition education.

How do Nutrition Incentive grants work in practice?

Nutrition Incentive projects are designed to increase fruit and vegetable purchases by SNAP participants using incentives at the point of purchase. These projects must operate through SNAP-authorized retailers (firms) and follow SNAP rules and operating requirements.

How do Produce Prescription grants work in practice?

Produce Prescription projects increase fruit and vegetable purchases by providing incentives at the point of purchase for participants eligible under produce prescription rules referenced in the RFA. These projects are often clinically connected and may include nutrition education. If the model uses SNAP spending to earn incentives, it must operate through SNAP-authorized firms and comply with SNAP requirements.

Does GusNIP require partnerships across different sectors?

Yes. The opportunity emphasizes coordination across sectors and encourages partnerships connecting food retailers, community organizations, healthcare providers, and public agencies so nutrition support is easier to access and more effective for intended participants.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to government agencies and nonprofit organizations as defined in the authorizing statute (7 U.S.C. 7517). Applicants must clearly demonstrate they meet the government or nonprofit requirement in their application.

What kinds of organizations are listed as examples of eligible entities?

The opportunity provides examples that include emergency feeding organizations, agricultural cooperatives, producer networks or associations, community health organizations, public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, buying clubs, SNAP-authorized retailers (firms), and state, local, or tribal agencies.

What happens if an applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements by the deadline?

The description states that missing eligibility requirements by the deadline can lead to exclusion from consideration, so eligibility documentation and alignment with the government/nonprofit requirement need to be clear and complete in the application.

What are the core requirements for a Nutrition Incentive grant project?

A Nutrition Incentive project must be structured to increase fruit and vegetable purchases by SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase. It must operate through SNAP-authorized firms, comply with SNAP rules and operating requirements, and incorporate effective and efficient benefit redemption technologies that are replicable.

What does "SNAP-authorized firms" mean for project operations?

For projects that require SNAP integration (including Nutrition Incentive projects and Produce Prescription designs that use SNAP spending to earn incentives), the project must operate through retailers that are SNAP-authorized and must comply with SNAP rules and operating requirements.

What does the "equal terms and conditions" requirement mean?

The opportunity notes that projects must ensure the same terms and conditions apply to purchases made with SNAP benefits and GusNIP incentives as apply to purchases made by shoppers who are not SNAP recipients. This is described as a federal requirement intended to prevent differential treatment at retail.

Are there technology requirements for delivering and redeeming benefits?

Yes. Projects are expected to include effective and efficient benefit redemption technologies that are replicable. The program emphasizes practical systems that can scale and be adopted by other communities without having to reinvent the process.

What evaluation and data-sharing obligations come with GusNIP funding?

Applicants must agree to participate in a comprehensive GusNIP program evaluation and to collect and share required project data with the Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE).

Who is NTAE and what role does it play?

NTAE is described as the Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center. GusNIP grantees are required to share project data with NTAE as part of the program’s evaluation and national learning goals.

Why does GusNIP emphasize standardized data and a central data system?

The opportunity highlights system-building goals that include aggregating common data sets through a central system to measure outcomes, identify best practices, and pinpoint where programs can be improved.

Does the opportunity include training and technical assistance for applicants and grantees?

Yes. The description notes broader program goals that include providing training and technical assistance to applicants and grantees, alongside evaluation and data aggregation efforts.

Does GusNIP have goals related to states with historically low participation?

Yes. The opportunity references supporting growth in states with historically low participation as part of its broader system-building approach.

Are there additional experience or capacity expectations for certain grant types?

Yes. For certain GusNIP grant types (including produce prescription and other named categories in the notice), applicants must show relevant experience and capacity, such as demonstrated experience reducing food insecurity in the community and/or experience with SNAP, depending on whether SNAP benefits are part of the produce prescription design.

What kind of administrative and management capacity must applicants demonstrate?

Applicants must show they can realistically manage a federal award, including implementing the project as proposed, maintaining fiscal accountability, collecting and reporting data, and producing required reports and supporting documentation.

What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The source information lists an award ceiling of 500000.

What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?

The opportunity number is USDA NIFA FINI 008053, and the CFDA number is 10.331.

Who is the issuing agency for this grant opportunity?

The issuing agency is USDA NIFA (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture).

What was the original closing date listed in the source details?

The original closing date listed is 2021-04-29.

Is GusNIP framed only as a local intervention, or also as a national learning effort?

It is framed as both. The opportunity describes GusNIP as a direct community nutrition intervention (incentives and produce prescriptions) and a national learning effort supported by standardized evaluation, required data sharing, and an emphasis on replicable models and best-practice identification.

Does the notice mention anything about separate NTAE cooperative agreements?

Yes. The description notes that separate NTAE cooperative agreement applications would be invited again in FY2022 when the existing cooperative agreement ended, underscoring that evaluation and technical support functions are treated as key infrastructure for the national program.