Title
CONSIDERATION OF A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN, INFANT, & CHILDREN ASSOCIATION (NWA) IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,000 TO PILOT A PROJECT TO INCREASE ENROLLMENT INTO THE WOMEN, INFANT, AND CHILDREN (WIC) PROGRAM THROUGH TARGETED OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF NEW MARKETING MATERIALS FOR THE SEDGWICK COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
Presented by: Adrienne Byrne, Director, Sedgwick County Health Department
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the electronic submission of the grant application, and if awarded, authorize the County Manager to accept the award of the grant and the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this request.
Body
Grant Renewal: No
Never Applied: Yes
Applied; not awarded: No
Grant Summary and Timeline:
The NWA has partnered with the No Kid Hungry organization to create two-four mini-grant opportunities for local WIC agencies throughout the United States that are interested in piloting a change to improve the WIC participant experience. Selected recipients will receive awards between $5,000 and $10,000 each.
Sedgwick County WIC is interested in establishing and implementing a marketing campaign of WIC services that emphasizes the importance of WIC services as a premiere nutrition education service for families rather than a supplemental food assistance program. This grant is an opportunity to pilot new marketing messages and measure the impact on client recruitment as a result of this targeted messaging.
Sedgwick County WIC would implement the change by working with the County in-house art director on a mixed media marketing plan using the new messaging. Once materials are developed, the Health Department would test them in three zip codes (67204, 67207 & 67212) and measure any impact on increases in client recruitment. If successful, the Health Department can continue using the materials developed to promote WIC throughout the County using the WIC budget for printed materials and adding to our FFY 2020 budget a request for dollars for additional marketing.
The desired outcome would be that families see WIC as a professional nutrition health agency:
1. To learn quality nutrition during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, during infancy, and early childhood is directly linked to a healthier life.
2. That WIC employs Registered Dietitians that have expertise in solving nutritional problems.
3. WIC provides families with nutritious foods that assist the clients in meeting their nutritional goals.
4. That healthy habits begin at birth with mothers breastfeeding.
Proposed WIC activities for this grant would follow this timeline:
Occurs: Activity:
Month One 1. Conduct focus groups to gather feedback on WIC messaging.
2. Plan mixed media marketing strategies.
Months Two-Four 1. Develop media materials.
Months Five-12 1. Implement marketing strategies to distribute new marketing materials in neighborhoods within targeted zip codes (67204, 67207 & 67212).
2. Review enrollment data from the three zip code areas.
Month 13 1. Report findings to the grantor.
Financial Considerations:
Grant period starts: May 15, 2019
Grant period ends: June 15, 2020
Source of funding
Grant: $10,000.00
Required Match: $0.00
Required Cash Match: $0.00
Required In-Kind Match: $0.00
Other funding: $0.00
TOTAL SOURCES: $10,000.00
Uses of funding
Operational costs: $10,000.00
Personnel: $0.00
Contractual services: $8,922.00
Operational supplies: $1,000.00
Equipment: $0.00
Indirect administrative costs: $78.00
Capital projects cost: $0.00
TOTAL USES: $10,000.00
Source of matching funds: N/A
Source of other funding: N/A
Budget Authority Adjustment: Establish necessary budget authority in the amount of $10,000 for Calendar year 2019 as detailed on the attached budget form.
Personnel considerations: This application does not include funding for personnel or change the personnel engaged in the project.
Expected measurable outcomes:
By the end of October 2019, WIC will have implemented new media and promotional materials in three zip codes in Sedgwick County.
Requirements from Sedgwick County:
Sedgwick County may be asked to share data regarding increases in clients in targeted zip codes as a result of promotional strategies and to share information on promotional strategies with the National WIC Association.
Alternatives:
To not apply for this funding would eliminate an opportunity to improve WIC branding and marketing materials that could further increase the number of Sedgwick County residents served by the WIC program.
Policy considerations: N/A.
Legal considerations:
The County can apply for this grant pursuant to the County's home rule powers under K.S.A. 19-101 et seq. Pursuant to Section V.A.1.a. of the Sedgwick County Grant Applications and Awards Policy, the County Manager may approve this grant application.