A Qualitative Evaluation of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program

Published: October 2018

ID #: CAS045

Publisher: Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition

Authors: Parks CA, Stern KL, Fricke HE, Clausen W, Yaroch AL

See more related research

Share

This research describes findings from interviews conducted with grantees of multi-year community-based and large-scale projects funded by the FINI mechanism, as well as with stakeholders who could speak to FINI on a broader level. A total of 22 interviews were conducted with 19 organizations. Key elements addressed in this evaluation include: 1) Best practices and promising findings of HFI projects; 2) Information to inform decisions around the reauthorization of the farm bill this year; and 3) Knowledge gaps and opportunities to pursue that inform program refinement and sustainability.

Read the Report

Age Group: Adults and Families

Keywords: Farmers' markets, Food insecurity, Fruits and vegetables, Rural, Urban

Focus Areas: Food Access, Nutrition Policy & Programs

State: National

Resource Type: Report

Related Research

January 2019

Evaluation of the USDA FINI Program Finds Benefits for Consumers, Farmers and Retailers, and Local Economies

In December 2018, Congress passed a new farm bill which included a reauthorization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program. This brief summarizes the findings of a recent qualitative evaluation of FINI, which concludes that the program has benefits for consumers, farmers and retailers, and local economies. This More

November 2017

Characterizing Multi-Year Community-Based and Large-Scale FINI Projects: Similarities, Differences, and Experiences across Retail Types

The purpose of this project is to collect qualitative information from awardees of multi-year community-based and large-scale projects funded by the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) mechanism. This qualitative information will include program implementation and impact across varying incentive delivery types and venues exploring topics such as redemption rates, volume of sales, and program awareness More

July 2025

State Earned Income Tax Credit and Food Security: Results Among Economically At-Risk Households With Children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the state Earned Income Tax Credit on food insecurity among economically at-risk U.S. households with children and explore differential effects across sociodemographic groups. The authors used an intent-to-treat causal inference design and household-level data from all 50 U.S. states available from the Current Population More