Federal Grant Award Summary

The Mississippi State Department of Health received a $662,621 formula grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service under the WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (CFDA 10.557) awarded on October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2027. This award specifically supports the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors initiative, which provides nutrition education and breastfeeding promotion and support services to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five who meet nutritional risk criteria. The peer counselor program represents a critical component of the broader WIC program's nutrition education and breastfeeding support services delivered across Mississippi.

The funds support the administrative and operational infrastructure necessary to deliver WIC breastfeeding peer counseling services throughout Mississippi, including program staffing, training, and coordination of nutrition education activities focused on breastfeeding promotion. As a formula grant distributed under the federal-state partnership model of WIC, the Mississippi State Department of Health's Finance and Accounts Division will manage the award to ensure effective service delivery to eligible WIC participants across the state's local WIC agencies and clinics.