Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP)

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) brings together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems. The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program competitive grant programs are authorized under 7 U.S.C. 7517, for fiscal years 2019 through 2023 with mandatory growth in annual funding from $45 million to $56 million to be appropriated over 5 years.

The 2018 Farm Bill allows the Secretary to provide funding opportunities to conduct and evaluate projects providing incentives to income-eligible consumers to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables and prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables. By bringing together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems, GusNIP projects help foster understanding to improve the health and nutrition status of participating households, facilitate growth in underrepresented communities and geographies, as well as collect and aggregate data to identify and improve best practices on a broad scale.  

GusNIP builds on the foundation of the Healthy Incentive Pilot (HIP) and the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) grant program. Since it was established in 2019, GusNIP has provided over $270M in funding to 197 projects throughout the U.S.

GusNIP is one of NIFA’s key grant portfolios prioritizing nutrition security. USDA’s four pillar approach to nutrition security includes Pillar 1: Meaningful Support, Pillar 2: Healthy Food, Pillar 3: Collaborative Action, and Pillar 4: Equitable Systems. GusNIP contributes to all four pillars. USDA’s nutrition security efforts contribute to the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health through Integrating Nutrition and Health.

GusNIP includes three competitive grant programs, which are described briefly below:

GusNIP Competitive Grant Programs

GusNIP - Nutrition Incentive Program
Nutrition Incentive Program– develop and evaluate projects to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives at the point of purchase among income eligible consumers participating in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands, in addition to income-eligible consumers participating in the USDA Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.

GusNIP - Produce Prescription Program
Produce Prescription Program– conduct projects that demonstrate and evaluate the impact of fresh fruit and vegetable prescriptions to increase procurement and consumption of fruits and vegetables, reduce individual and household food insecurity, and reduce healthcare usage and associated costs.

GusNIP - National Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Centers Program (NTAE )
Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Centers Cooperative Agreements– offer training, technical assistance, evaluation, and informational support services to potential applicants, nutrition incentive projects, produce prescription projects, and to GusNIP as a whole.