WIC Food Expense Formula Grant Award Summary

The Tennessee Department of Health received a formula grant award of $95.9 million from the U.S. 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, 2026, funds supplemental nutritious food expenses for income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five who meet nutritional risk criteria. As the state-designated WIC agency, Tennessee Department of Health distributes these funds to local WIC agencies and clinics throughout all 95 counties to support direct benefit delivery to eligible program participants.

Under the federal-state partnership model, the formula grant provides the foundation for WIC's core benefit delivery operations in Tennessee. The funding specifically addresses the food expense component of the program, which represents the primary direct benefit to participants. Tennessee Department of Health, as an established comprehensive public health agency with substantial experience administering federal nutrition and health programs, maintains the administrative infrastructure necessary to manage program operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and coordinate service delivery across the state's WIC service network.