WIC Grants To States (WGS) (10.578)
WIC Grants To States (WGS) (Assistance Listing 10.578) is run by the Food and Nutrition Service, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $72.8 million in 154 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $472,638 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $223,428. Half of the 154 awards fell between $51,068 and $613,215, and they ranged from $2,000 to $19.6 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$72.8 million
- Grant awards154
- Typical award$223,428
- Awarded in FY 2025$28.1 million
- Size rank906 of 1824
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements, project grants (discretionary)
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $9.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $28.1 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 906th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 103% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 36 states and territories.
What the program funds
To assist WIC State agencies, through grants and cooperative agreements, in making improvements and/or enhancements to the delivery of program benefits and services to participants. These grants and cooperative agreements include the following: 1. WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Grants (discretionary) are provided to WIC State agencies to implement or maintain effective breastfeeding peer counselor programs. Combining peer counseling with the on-going breastfeeding promotion and support efforts in WIC agencies has the potential to significantly impact breastfeeding rates among WIC participants. The Food and Nutrition Service’s long-range vision is to institutionalize peer counseling as a core service in WIC. A portion of these funds may be used to award breastfeeding performance bonuses. These incentives build upon WIC’s longstanding efforts to promote and support breastfeeding and are intended to recognize and award State agencies that have demonstrated successful breastfeeding promotion and support efforts. 2. WIC Infrastructure Grants (discretionary) are provided to WIC State agencies for infrastructure projects that support national and regional priorities to improve the delivery of program benefits and services to participants. 3. WIC Technology Grants which include WIC Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and Management Information System (MIS) Grants were provided to WIC State agencies for the implementation of WIC EBT systems and/or to transfer a viable MIS. These grants included: (1) WIC EBT Implementation (non-competitive) Grants to support EBT planning or implementation projects through the Advanced Planning Document (APD) process; (2) WIC State Agency Model (SAM) Amendments (non-competitive) Grants to support WIC State agencies in the SAM Users Group; (3) WIC SAM Transfers Grants (non-competitive) to complete planning activities and have an approved Alternatives Analysis document justifying a SAM as their choice of system transfer; (4) WIC Management Information Systems (MIS) Implementation (non-competitive) Grants to implement a transfer MIS or are upgrading or enhancing their current MIS; (5) WIC SAM Product Management Office (PMO) (non-competitive) and SAM Maintenance and Enhancement (M&E) Grants for the support and management of the SAM change control process, including prioritization of enhancements, User Group governance, and maintenance and operation of the State agency MIS core code.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
State agencies that administer the WIC Program are eligible to apply for WIC Grant to States funds. States may apply individually or as a coalition of States for WIC EBT and MIS technology funds. States may apply individually for WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling, Special Project, Innovation, and Infrastructure grants.
What the money can and cannot pay for
WIC Technology Grant funds are used to plan, develop, and implement projects for WIC MIS updates/transfers and EBT processing. Grant funds are used to enhance and improve WIC service provision using technology which will have a positive impact on the nutrition and health of WIC participants. WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Grants are used to administer peer counseling programs based on research-based components of a successful peer counseling program as identified by FNS in the WIC Breastfeeding Support (formerly Loving Support) model. This includes salary, office space and supervision of peer counselors. The use of funds for activities outside of the State agency's approved implementation plan or that are not supported by the WIC Breastfeeding Support model are not authorized. WIC Infrastructure Grants are used to plan, develop, and implement approved special State projects of regional or national significance to improve the program services.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Deadlines
Deadlines vary by grant as specified in the NOFO.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
FY 2023: 14 WIC Infrastructure projects were funded ranging from $33,603 to $2,098,900. FY 2023: 78 State agencies received BFPC grants ranging from $38,883 to $13,478,522. FY 2023: 15 State agencies received Breastfeeding Performance Bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $561,751. FY 2023: 7 WIC SAM M&E and SAM PMO, grants ranging from $244,329 to $1,951,072 were awarded, for a total of $4,656,887. FY 2024: 8 WIC SAM M&E and SAM PMO grants ranging from $106,665 to $2,842,965 were awarded, for a total of $8,619,071. FY 2024: 2 EBT grants were issued for a total of $4,240,871 to the final 2 WIC State agencies that will implement EBT statewide. FY 2024: 81 State agencies received BFPC grants ranging from $39,272 to $13,373,075. FY 2024: 15 State agencies received Breastfeeding Performance Bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $1,526,436.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: $88 million in WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling (BFPC) grants were awarded to 78 State agencies, including 48 States, Washington DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and 25 Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, WIC Grants To States (WGS) (10.578) awarded$72.8 million across 154 grant awards, an average of $472,638 per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 59% of the money, nonprofits 29% and tribes 12%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 110 | $43.8 million | 59% |
| Nonprofits | 2 | $21.2 million | 29% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 42 | $8.8 million | 12% |
By state
16 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 6 | $25.6 million |
| Utah | 9 | $9.6 million |
| North Dakota | 3 | $6.3 million |
| West Virginia | 8 | $6.0 million |
| Oklahoma | 19 | $4.4 million |
| Maine | 6 | $4.2 million |
| Missouri | 5 | $4.0 million |
| Connecticut | 3 | $3.7 million |
| South Dakota | 5 | $2.6 million |
| Nebraska | 3 | $1.9 million |
| District of Columbia | 2 | $1.8 million |
| Alabama | 4 | $1.7 million |
| New York | 2 | $1.5 million |
| Kentucky | 4 | $1.2 million |
| California | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Maryland | 2 | $1.0 million |
| Iowa | 1 | $976,541 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | $902,424 |
| Minnesota | 3 | $856,566 |
| Colorado | 3 | $850,511 |
| Wyoming | 4 | $571,206 |
| Washington | 1 | $561,751 |
| Michigan | 1 | $556,339 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | $540,300 |
| Montana | 2 | $378,838 |
| Mississippi | 2 | $348,592 |
| Hawaii | 4 | $330,879 |
| North Carolina | 2 | $330,647 |
| Indiana | 1 | $304,999 |
| Vermont | 3 | $275,556 |
| Idaho | 1 | $160,898 |
| American Samoa | 1 | $88,355 |
| Guam | 1 | $88,296 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 2 | $35,761 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $22,620 |
| Florida | 1 | $10,107 |