WIC admin expenses

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded the Maryland Department of Health $47.99 million on October 1, 2025, under the WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (CFDA 10.557) to fund WIC administrative expenses for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

This formula grant supports Maryland's state-level administration of the WIC program across the state. The Maryland Department of Health, through its Medicaid Division, receives the award and distributes funds to local agencies that deliver supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five determined to be at nutritional risk. The program also funds referrals to health and social services.

Under the WIC program structure, state agencies are required to submit a state plan to USDA Food and Nutrition Service no later than August 15 of each fiscal year, with approval determination made within 30 days of submission. State agencies retain full and complete records of program operations, including financial operations, food delivery systems, certification, nutrition education, and civil rights procedures, for three years after submission of the final fiscal year report, or longer if audit findings remain unresolved.