Federal Grant Award Summary: WIC Administrative Expenses

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) received a Formula Grant award of $308,654,009 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC, CFDA 10.557) for the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This funding supports WIC administrative expenses, which encompass the operational infrastructure necessary for CDPH to administer the WIC program statewide and distribute allocated funds to local WIC agencies serving eligible participants across California's 58 counties and 61 local health jurisdictions.

Through this prime award, CDPH distributes funding to 48 sub-awardees—including county health departments, local health agencies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, tribal health organizations, and community-based service providers—that deliver direct WIC services to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five determined to be at nutritional risk. Sub-recipient organizations provide core WIC program components including supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education with emphasis on breastfeeding promotion, health care referrals, and social services coordination. The administrative funding structure enables CDPH to support program management, eligibility determination systems, food instrument issuance and redemption processing, nutrition education delivery, civil rights compliance, and fair hearing procedures across California's decentralized WIC service delivery network.