The purpose of this funding is to enhance the impact of nutrition education for low-income families and youth in micronesia through the expanded food and nutrition education program (efnep)

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the College of Micronesia Land Grant Program $109,266 under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (CFDA 10.514) on October 1, 2025.

The recipient will hire and train professional and paraprofessional peer educators to deliver direct nutrition education to low-income families with young children, youth and children in kindergarten through 12th grade, and young adults with limited financial resources across the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Peer educators will be recruited from indigenous target populations to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness. The program aims to empower participants with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for maintaining nutritionally sound diets, with expected outcomes including improvements in diet quality and physical activity, enhanced food resource management and food safety practices, and increased access to sufficient healthy food through direct means or food assistance programs.

The award runs through September 30, 2030. Eligible recipients under EFNEP are limited to 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions; the College of Micronesia qualifies as a 1862 Land Grant College. The assistance type is a formula grant, which allocates funds to eligible institutions according to a statutory or regulatory formula rather than through competitive selection.

The program will focus on hiring and training both professional and paraprofessional (peer educator) staff to deliver direct nutrition education and support other relevant efforts, including the integration of supportive technology. Whenever possible, peer educators will be recruited from the indigenous target population to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness. Efnep primarily serves two key low-income groups: families with young children, including parents and caregivers responsible for feeding children, and youth and children from kindergarten through 12TH grade. Additionally, young adults with limited financial resources are also a focus, as they may soon assume parenting responsibilities. The core mission of efnep is to empower these low-income families and youth with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for maintaining nutritionally sound diets, ultimately leading to personal development and the improvement of overall family nutrition and well-being. Participation in efnep is expected to lead to measurable improvements in diet quality and physical activity through the adoption of federal dietary guidelines and physical activity recommendations, improved food resource management skills, including the ability to purchase, grow, or otherwise acquire, prepare, and store food that meets nutritional needs, better household food safety and sanitation practices, and increased access to sufficient healthy food, whether through direct means or food assistance programs. Community involvement in efnep is expected to foster increased collaboration, strengthening connections between programs, organizations, and community groups to address participant needs and bolster universities' capacity to support efnep's core areas, and enhanced coordination between universities and communities to achieve local and state priorities related to efnep's mission.