What is WICShop+?
WICShop+ is an all-in-one site that provides resources, webinars, and other technical assistance to help strengthen and expand WIC online shopping projects that work to increase equitable access to online shopping options for WIC participants.
Through WICShop+, we provide:
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Tailored Information about WIC Online Shopping
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1-on-1 Support
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Resources to Help Get Involved in WIC Online Shopping
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Webinars and Training
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Peer Learning Discussion Boards
WIC Online Shopping Grant
In 2020, the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) was awarded a WIC Online Shopping Cooperative Agreement Grant by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS). The overarching goal of the WIC Online Shopping Grant is to establish a framework, define recommendations, and develop resources for WIC State agencies and their partners to implement and expand WIC online shopping projects. Grant activities align with FNS’s WIC Modernization efforts.
The WIC Online Shopping Grant includes multiple activities, including WICShop+. The Center will conduct a study to test these implementation strategies while also tracking and measuring effectiveness outcomes.
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The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact funds sub-grant projects that implement WIC online shopping to explore key factors related to successful implementation and to understand real life implementation experiences. The first sub-grant opportunity, released in 2021, funded four sub-grant projects to develop and implement WIC online shopping. The second sub-grant funding opportunity closed on May 9, 2024. Additional sub-grant funding will be announced over the next few years.
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Based on the formative research, the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact developed a WIC online shopping implementation guide in 2021, the Blueprint for WIC Online Shopping. Using lessons learned from the sub-grant projects, the Center released an updated version of the Blueprint in 2024 and plans to update the Blueprint more frequently to ensure lessons learned are shared with the WIC community as quickly as possible.
Explore the Blueprint for WIC Online Shopping Projects →
The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact will continue to leverage lessons learned from the sub-grant projects, guidance from the Center-facilitated WIC online shopping expert working groups, and additional research and evaluation findings to develop tailored resources that support the expansion of WIC online shopping. The Center will also generate specific resources for small, tribal, and rural vendors and farmers and farmers’ markets. All resources will be hosted on WICShop+, an all-in-one resource site developed by the Center to provide a central location for WIC State agencies and their partners to find resources and technical assistance on WIC online shopping.
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The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact conducted formative research to gather input on factors that are important for successful WIC online shopping and to understand barriers that inhibit implementation of WIC online shopping. Through this research process, the Center engaged diverse partners including WIC-authorized vendor representatives, EBT processors, WIC State agency staff, e-commerce representatives, and other WIC or online shopping experts. For more information, view the Center’s publications:
The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact is currently conducting a study with Small, Tribal, and Rural Vendors, and Farmers and Farmers’ Markets (STRFM) to identify perceptions, experiences, and barriers to implementing WIC online shopping. The study included a brief survey in Fall 2023 that asked small, tribal, and rural vendors, and farmers and farmers’ markets about their awareness, interest, and feasibility of WIC online shopping implementation. In addition, those who completed the survey, along with external WIC and online shopping experts, will participate in a workshop to discuss potential barriers and solutions to WIC online shopping.
To continue engaging partners, the Center is convening a series of working groups comprised of WIC partners and professionals with content or technical expertise in specific topic areas that need further exploration, ideation, and clarification to develop specific resources and documentation to support WIC online shopping expansion.
About us.
The WIC Online Shopping Grant is a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) and the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact, formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition.
Center for Nutrition and Health Impact
The Center for Nutrition and Health Impact, formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, is an independent nonprofit research organization providing research, evaluation, and partnership in nutrition-related programs including childhood obesity prevention, food insecurity, and local food systems. The Center is a remote team geographically dispersed throughout the U.S., with strong roots in Omaha, Nebraska. For more information on the Center, visit centerfornutrition.org.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service
The United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service aims to increase food security and reduce hunger in partnership with cooperating organizations by providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthy diet and nutrition education in a manner that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence. For more information on FNS, visit fns.usda.gov.