WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors Formula Grant Award Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) awarded the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services a formula grant of $2.13 million under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC, CFDA 10.557) for the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This award specifically supports the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors program, which provides breastfeeding promotion, education, and peer counseling services to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and their infants and young children up to age five who meet nutritional risk criteria.

As the administering state agency, MDHHS will utilize the grant funding to establish and sustain peer counselor services across Michigan WIC clinics and community-based service delivery sites. The program delivers critical nutrition education and breastfeeding support services as core components of the WIC program, with MDHHS serving as the pass-through entity that sub-awards portions of funding to local health departments, community-based organizations, and other service providers for direct program implementation at the community level. The two-year funding cycle enables sustained investment in building peer counselor capacity and infrastructure to support breastfeeding initiation and continuation among WIC-eligible populations throughout Michigan.