Local government or nonprofit organizations interested in providing new employment and training programs may take advantage of $5 million in competitive grant money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

The USDA wants to improve outcomes of employment and training (E&T) services for those who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The USDA appears to be poised to award funding to companies or organizations who want to offer innovative job training approaches – so citizens may secure new jobs and transition off the SNAP program.

“Forty-two percent of SNAP participants live in households where at least one person is working,” Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary, said in a news release. “This is a historic high, and clearly demonstrates that SNAP recipients want to work.”

“The additional grant support USDA is providing to state employment and training programs, along with new tools in the 2014 Farm Bill, will help SNAP recipients build comprehensive skill sets and match them with the good paying jobs they need to be able to move off the program,” Vilsack said.

SNAP E&T services help move work-ready adults into employment, offer re-training opportunities to the recently unemployed and help participants with limited education or low literacy levels achieve milestones that move them closer to economic independence. USDA has made employment for SNAP participants a high priority and has begun working with stakeholders to determine how the SNAP E&T program can be made more effective and efficient.

The USDA says the new Farm Bill will also providing funding for up to 10 three-year pilot projects that help workers find gainful employment, increased earned income, and reduced reliance on public assistance. Pilot projects will target those with low skills, urban and rural communities, opportunities for quick employment, and both mandatory and voluntary E&T programs.

State agencies or private nonprofit groups such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks and other emergency feeding organizations are eligible to apply. This year’s request for applications seeks diverse proposals and suggests focusing on projects that examine office processes and efficiency, using technology to achieve procedural changes to simplify the enrollment processes and customer service.

Grant applications are due in May and awards will be announced in September. The request for applications is available here. The grant funding period ends Aug. 31, 2017.