SNAP-EdCommunity Partnership Funding

July 2015Ryan Johnson, Assistant Program Director

Jackie Billhymer, Project Coordinator

Extension MissionMake a difference by connecting community needs and University resources to address critical issues in Minnesota.

University of Minnesota Extension Health and Nutrition Programs improve food literacy, physical activity, and healthy food access for Minnesotans to promote health and reduce disparities using University resources and proven educational and engagement strategies.

SNAP EducationSNAP-Ed is a federal program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. The goal of SNAP-Ed is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy choices within a limited budget and choose active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate.

SNAP EducationSNAP-Ed has broadened its approach to include activities that promote changes in policies, systems, and environments that enable individuals to make healthy food and physical activity choices. In addition to direct nutrition education, SNAP-Ed implementers must also:•Influence multiple organizational and institutional levels.

– For example, a SNAP-Ed Educator might offer nutrition education classes to children in a school where 50 percent or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and to adults through a Community Action Agency. In addition, the SNAP-Ed Educator might also serve on the school wellness committee and work with the local food shelf to find ways to provide healthier foods.

•Use community and public health approaches.– For example, an Extension Educator may collaborate with food policy councils to

improve access to healthy foods for people living on limited financial resources. At the same time, a SNAP-Ed Educator may provide technical assistance to a worksite that employs a high number of SNAP participants and that wants to establish policies for offering healthier foods in vending machines.

IntroductionThe SNAP-Ed Community Partnership Funding initiative is a chance for the Extension SNAP-Ed program to learn from partners throughout the state about ways to incorporate policy, system, and environmental changes within organizations and communities to promote healthy eating and active living.

Why?This funding provides a unique opportunity to step back and assess where, how, and with whom SNAP-Ed staff work in community settings to effect the greatest positive changes in healthy eating and active living for SNAP-eligible persons.

Projects funded through this initiative will help guide future SNAP-Ed work.

How?• Contract with organizations (or a group of organizations/coalition)

through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process• Organizations will work with Extension SNAP-Ed staff to develop and

implement strategies for combining education with changes in policies, systems, and environments.

• Combined approaches are intended to break down barriers and pave the way for families with limited financial resources to make healthy food and physical activity choices.

• Tools will be developed to measure and document the success of projects.

Expectations• Community partners are expected to develop models for collaborative

planning and delivery of SNAP-Ed programming by fall 2016.• Community partners will model processes for assessing community

needs, building partnerships, planning projects, and/or piloting projects. • Over a 6 to 12-month period, each community partner will work with

other organizations and individuals, including SNAP-Ed staff, to develop one idea that shows promise for improving conditions in order to facilitate healthy eating and/or increased physical activity among residents with limited financial resources.

• Each idea, or model, must incorporate at least two levels on the Spectrum of Prevention AND at least one of those levels must involve PSE change (levels 4, 5, or 6).

Spectrum of PreventionTogether, we will strengthen individual knowledge and skills, promote community education, educate providers, foster coalitions and networks, change organizational practices, and influence policy.

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Benefits to Community Partners• Financial: Funding for carrying out your work as it intersects with the

purpose of this RFP.• Social: An opportunity to demonstrate your leadership in making

communities healthier places for Minnesotans with limited financial resources.

• Support for future opportunities: Technical assistance for evaluation from Extension staff, which may be used to support further projects and funding.

How?• 10–20 contracts statewide• $25,000–$100,000• 6–12 months• A project brief and a full proposal are both required.• Feedback will be provided on the project brief to inform the full proposal.• Awards are based on availability of SNAP-Ed funding.

Project BriefsProject briefs must be received by 5 p.m. on July 20, 2015, but applicants are encouraged to submit briefs as soon as possible so Extension staff can provide feedback in a timely manner. Project briefs must be submitted through an online form available at http://z.umn.edu/communitypartnership.

Note: Be sure to save a copy of your project brief before submitting the online form.

ProposalsFull proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on August 24, 2015. Send proposals to Jackie Billhymer, billh002@umn.edu. The proposal document must be no more than 10 pages excluding attachments. The full proposal must be presented in one PDF document, with consecutively numbered pages. Text must be no smaller than 11-point font.

Please review pages 7–10 of the RFP for instructions on how to complete the proposal.

Who?• Funding open to current SNAP-Ed partners and new partners although

collaboration with Extension SNAP-Ed staff is required.• Projects will be funded throughout the state.• A Community Partner may be the lead organization representing a coalition

or collaborative and may be a:– government agency – non-profit organization– non-profit member-based organization– non-profit educational institution– faith-based organization

• SNAP-Ed staff will work with the organizations that are awarded contracts.– SNAP-Ed Educators– SNAP-Ed Regional Coordinators– Extension Educators– Extension Evaluation Team

Extension SNAP-Ed Staff• SNAP-Ed Educators deliver classes to improve food literacy, food

access, and food skills through partnerships with multiple agencies. SNAP-Ed Educators promote PSE changes to support SNAP-Ed participants in making the healthy choice the easy choice.

• SNAP-Ed Regional Coordinators supervise SNAP-Ed Educators and develop relationships and partnerships with agencies. Regional Coordinators also promote PSE changes.

• Extension Educators work to bring about PSE changes by:• Providing support to partners and colleagues in efforts like farm to school, school

gardens, active school day, healthy foods in child care, farmers markets, and healthy food environments in food shelves.

• Providing training for school foodservice professionals, classroom teachers, and child care providers.

• Supporting the Extension SNAP-Ed program with content expertise.• Coordinating regional food networks.

When?• July 20, 5 p.m. — Project Briefs Due• August 3 (no later than) — Project Briefs feedback provided• August 24, 5 p.m. — Full Proposals Due• September 11 (no later than) — Projects selected• October — Target for contracts to begin• November 17 — Kick-off Meeting for organizations selected and SNAP-

Ed staff• April 7–8, 2016 — Workshop for organizations selected and SNAP-Ed

staff

ResourcesAvailable at http://z.umn.edu/communitypartnership•Request for Proposals•Project Brief questions•Project Brief submission form•Project Examples•Regional Food Access Profiles•SNAP-Ed information•Spectrum of Prevention information•PSE 101 webinar•Minnesota Food Charter information

QuestionsRyan Johnson

joh04518@umn.edu / 651-431-3854

Jackie Billhymerbillh002@umn.edu / 612-624-6739

http://z.umn.edu/communitypartnership

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