Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the metro washington region…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the metro washington region incentive program coalition will leverage untapped collective potential to improve stewardship of snap and snap incentives by building incentive program reciprocity across borders, fostering public & private marketing collaboration, and standardizing data and financial management with at least 110 farmers markets and community-supported agriculture initiatives (CSAS). Currently, regional incentive program operations are isolated from one another and frequently duplicative, resulting in low snap and snap incentive redemption, and a lack of substantive data on the region as a whole despite the highly transient borders between virginia, DC, and maryland. A multi-sector effort is needed to improve program efficacy. The coalition will identify and address regional food access disparities, increase snap processing capacity at farmers markets and CSAS, and improve the dietary quality of participating snap consumers by increasing fruit and vegetable (F & V) purchases and consumption. Over 4 years, this project will increase F & V purchases for 20,000 snap households with $1,180,000.00 in incentives. The coalition utilizes collective marketing and outreach to reach snap shoppers and increase repeat purchases, while engaging agencies and community partners to reach vulnerable populations across borders. The coalition also brings incentive program operators together to collectively analyze and improve program operations, marketing, fundraising, and more.external evaluator george mason university analyzes program operations and feedback from snap participants in order to improve program efficacy and individual direct-to-consumer (DTC) experiences. This project aligns and advances gusnip objectives, specifically: maximize funds for direct incentives to participants; coordination with multiple stakeholders; use DTC sales marketing; test promising strategies to contribute to our understanding of how best to increase purchases of F & V by snap participants, to inform future efforts; located in underserved communities; and provide local F & V.