The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has selected the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) in partnership with the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) for a FY 2020 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training (E&T) National Partnership Grant. Selected through a competitive process, this three-year grant totals $2.1 million and kicked off on September 30, 2020.

The purpose of the SNAP E&T National Partnership Grant is to support funding to national nonprofit organizations with affiliate networks that provide SNAP E&T to SNAP recipients. SNAP E&T services help SNAP recipients increase skills through training and supportive services that enable them to secure employment and career pathways forward.

Utilizing the grant funds, APHSA will deliver training and technical assistance (TA) through national membership and affiliate organizations to develop and increase members’ organizational capacity to provide quality, skill-based, employer-driven E&T to SNAP recipients. APHSA’s work complements ongoing state-level TA from FNS by building on successful partnerships across key national networks of current and potential E&T providers, including state and local SNAP agencies, community colleges, community action agencies, and state workforce systems. The project will leverage SNAP E&T subject matter experts to translate and adapt TA across systems to increase understanding, improve coordination, and scale E&T partnerships.

ACCT will serve as a liaison to the nation’s community and technical colleges throughout the country to deliver training and technical assistance to develop organizational capacity to become third-party SNAP E&T providers. ACCT will enlist community college participants, support training and technical assistance, and share lessons learned with the community and technical college sector. 

“ACCT is excited to be a part of this important and unprecedented partnership,” said ACCT President and CEO, J. Noah Brown. “Recent research published by ACCT and others has demonstrated the importance of removing educational barriers for individuals who experience food insecurity. This initiative offers a direct solution to build capacity for community colleges and support SNAP participants who receive critical education, training, and support services to improve their economic well-being.” 

“We are thrilled to receive this grant,” said APHSA President and CEO, Tracy Wareing Evans. “An integral part of a thriving community is the ability for people to access jobs that provide family supporting wages. This grant will directly impact our members’ ability to work in partnership with educators, employers, and community leaders to create the conditions for social and economic mobility.” 

NCAP is a national hub that links the nation’s 1,000+ Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to each other—and to community leaders working for solutions that connect people to greater opportunity. NCAP is a leading provider of training and technical assistance to 1,000+ local CAAs, and will support efforts to engage more local CAAs in marrying SNAP E&T services with existing programs like Head Start, weatherization, emergency food and housing services, and job training and placement services.

When national, state, and local leaders tap into these agencies’ experiences, they can promote workable solutions that connect more families to opportunity. “The Community Action network is well-positioned to lead in the area of meeting families’ nutritional needs and helping them achieve a foundation for long-term family success through employment,” said NCAP President and CEO Denise Harlow. “Our network touches millions of families each year who face multiple challenges. By blending and braiding programs like Head Start, SNAP, and education, training, and employment programs, we can meet the whole family’s needs, rather than just help them stay afloat.” 
 

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The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is a bipartisan, nonprofit membership organization representing state and local health and human services agencies through their top-level leadership. Through a member network and three national Collaborative Centers, APHSA seeks to influence modern policies and practices that support the health and well-being of all children and families and that lead to stronger communities. APHSA connects its members to national policymakers and human-serving organizations across a wide circle of stakeholders in the health and human services sector, as well as key partners in education, housing, employment, and others. APHSA also helps members build more capacity for their teams through access to professional education and development
conferences, technical expertise, publications, and their Organizational Effectiveness practice. To learn more about APHSA, please visit www.aphsa.org.

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. Follow ACCT on Twitter @CCTrustees.

The National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) is a national nonprofit membership organization that links the nation’s 1,000+ Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to each other and leaders working toward solutions that connect Americans to greater opportunity. Using comprehensive service approaches that use funding from the Community Services Block Grant, Head Start, LIHEAP, SNAP and Weatherization Assistance, CAAs are able to reach vulnerable children and families in 99% of America’s counties