The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the requests for application (RFA) for both the nutrition incentive and produce prescription grants funded through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).
In this phase, non-profits and government agencies will pull together applications to receive nutrition incentive and/or produce prescription funding. And while this is the first step in the funding cycle, with applications due on June 30, 2022, it presents an opportunity for retailers to get ahead of the ball.
One of the most important aspects of successfully implementing a nutrition incentive or produce prescription project is the successful partnership between retailers and the grantees receiving the funding. So, in this phase of the cycle, retailers can play one of two roles:
In both cases, retailers should be doing everything they can to make sure they are as prepared as possible to efficiently offer nutrition incentives or produce prescriptions to their customers.
This initial phase of the cycle may involve retailers less than others down the line, but it presents an opportunity to be proactive in the formation of these projects which offer retailers a chance to positively affect their communities, increase their produce sales, and build a more loyal customer base.
To read more about the funding cycle, visit this page on our website. If you would like to learn more about how to get involved in the GusNIP program, feel free to email our team at incentives@nationalgrocers.org.
