(NAFB) – USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Tuesday announced $5 million in competitive grants are available to enhance efficiency and access in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The SNAP Process and Technology Improvement multi-year grants seek to improve the experience of SNAP participants by enabling grantees to update inefficient or ineffective processes or use technology to streamline operations. The application process also requires grant applicants to demonstrate how their initiatives will affect SNAP with respect to equity and inclusion.

Stacy Dean, USDA’s deputy undersecretary for food, says, “FNS is deeply committed to improving SNAP so that all Americans can get the healthy food they need,” Previous grantees have used funding for SNAP improvements such as making mobile applications easier to use, implementing live call centers, or creating automated text messaging notifications to remind households of key actions required to maintain benefits.

The application process is open now, and the three-year grants will be announced this fall.