The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) are agencies of USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.

FNS works to end hunger and obesity through the administration of 15 federal nutrition assistance programs including WIC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and school meals.  In partnership with State and Tribal governments, our programs serve one in four Americans  during the course of a year. Working with our public, private and non-profit partners, our mission is to increase food security and reduce hunger by providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthful diet and nutrition education in a way that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence. No American should have to go hungry.

We are committed to ensuring access to healthy and safe food for those participating in our programs including expecting mothers; infants and children in child care and school; low-income families going to food banks; local farmers markets; and local supermarkets.  These are investments that support education, health care, and a competitive workforce.

We are committed to the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars through aggressive efforts to reduce and prevent fraud and increase efficiency.

To apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), you must fill out an application and return it to a local SNAP office. Each State has a different application.

You can use the “Step 1”  SNAP pre-screening tool to find out if you may be eligible for SNAP benefits and how much you could receive. However, the pre-screening tool is not an application for SNAP benefits. An application for SNAP must be made through the local office.