WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors Formula Grant Award Summary

The Minnesota Department of Health received a Formula Grant award of $1,360,979 from the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC, CFDA 10.557). The award, effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, funds breastfeeding peer counselor services within Minnesota's WIC program. This component of WIC supports income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five by providing trained peer counselors who deliver breastfeeding promotion, support, education, and related services through the state's WIC clinic and community-based service delivery infrastructure.

As part of the federal-state WIC partnership model, the Minnesota Department of Health's Financial Management Division will administer these formula grant funds to support the operational infrastructure and personnel costs associated with the breastfeeding peer counselor program. This funding enables the state to strengthen nutrition education with emphasis on breastfeeding support—a core WIC program component—across local WIC agencies and clinics serving eligible participants throughout Minnesota.