Expanding Community Colleges as SNAP E&T Providers
*** APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED - 1/27/23***
Great news! Because we know you are busy closing out your semesters and getting ready for the holiday season, we are extending the deadline to apply to be a part of this fantastic opportunity to better serve your students.
ACCT was one of two recipients of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training (E&T) National Partnership Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) will join ACCT as partners on this three-year, $1.56 million award.
Project Overview
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) recognizes the important and unique role that community colleges play in helping individuals move toward economic self-sufficiency through education. Through the SNAP E&T National Partnership Grant project, ACCT proposes to increase the number of community colleges that are SNAP E&T third-party providers using three key approaches: building the capacity of state systems, targeting rural institutions, and disseminating SNAP E&T resources to a broad network. This approach will be applied in two separate cohorts consisting of both state systems and rural institutions. Focusing on state systems and rural institutions allows for targeted technical assistance and development of training materials and resources. The combination of these strands will maximize the reach to multiple populations.
ACCT joins Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) to deliver customize technical assistance for a diverse set of state systems and institutions, leading to more third-party providers and lessons learned for the field. The ability to tackle this goal derives from ACCT’s diverse national membership, SJI’s deep knowledge of SNAP E&T, and APHSA’s experience navigating the necessary partnerships in this work. The lessons learned and materials developed will be amplified through broad dissemination to ACCT’s network and the field at large. Our experience from the current National Partnership Grant and the desire to serve diverse populations nationwide inform the project design. ACCT and the project team can serve a multitude of populations and scale the lessons learned from each given the focus. ACCT and our partners are invested in continuing to support the growth and development of SNAP E&T as a program that assists individuals in attaining economic self-sufficiency, improving local economies, and establishing partnerships to build strong programs.
How to Participate
Come join this exciting opportunity to partner with ACCT to provide the ability for your students to move to economic independence. We will be recruiting two cohorts over the three-year project, each consisting of 5 rural institutions and 2 state systems/associations.
Information Session
ACCT hosted a grant information session. Listen to the recording:
INFORMATION SESSION RECORDING
There is a separate application for Rural Institutions and State Systems. The following is a tentative schedule that will apply to this RFA but may change in accordance with ACCT’s needs or unforeseen circumstances. Changes will be communicated by e-mail to all invited respondents. The information virtual informational session is to clarify goals, program design, expectations, and supports.
Timeline :
- Virtual Information Session - RECORDING
- RFA Closes 11:59 PM EDT – January 27th, 2023
- Final Award Notification – February 3rd, 2023
Tentative Cohort Schedule:
- February 2023 – Kick off meeting
- February 2023 – March 2024 – Cohort activities to prepare for provider application
- March 2024 – September 2025 – Ongoing as needed TA
Eligibility Checklist – Rural Institutions (Rural Definitions)
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ACCT member
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Designated as a rural or rural-serving institution based on an existing federal government definition by an agency such as the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, et al.
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Are not a current SNAP E&T third-party provider.
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Are in states that would value the opportunity to engage community colleges to contract as SNAP E&T third-party providers.
Eligibility Checklist – State Systems/Associations
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ACCT member
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State system is not a current SNAP E&T third-party provider.
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Are in states that would value the opportunity to engage community colleges to contract as SNAP E&T third-party providers.
Application Questions
To better facilitate multiple individuals at your system/association and institutions contributing to the application, please see a list of the questions that will be asked. This is not a comprehensive list but represents those where multiple departments would be asked to provide answers. Narrative format questions have word count limits listed. Final answers must be completed and submited through online application portal.
State System/Association Questions
APPLICATION LINKS
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. EST FRIDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 2023
RURAL INSTITUTION APPLICATION