The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) with funding to carry out WIC outreach, innovation, and program modernization efforts to increase WIC participation and retention, and reduce disparities in WIC program delivery.

As part of the outreach, innovation, and modernization strategy and initiatives, FNS is supporting the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach (CIAO) Program, which, through a cooperative agreement with the program partners, will:

  1. provide technical assistance and funding in two rounds to a minimum of 25 projects to conduct innovative WIC outreach;
  2. apply an implementation science and evaluation framework to identify effective strategies implemented within projects; and
  3. use these learnings to inform a summary report and multiple national resources, including an outreach framework for WIC operators and partners.

Learn more in FRAC’s new fact sheet.