The Economic Contribution of University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) Spending to the State of Arizona

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service allocates SNAP-Ed funding to the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), bringing money into the state economy. The AZDHS then grants competitive funds to the University of Arizona (UA) Cooperative Extension. Since 2002, the share of total competitive grant funds awarded to the UA has increased significantly, as indicated in Figure 1. Since 2012, the UA Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed program has managed approximately 40% of Arizona’s allocation of SNAPEd funding. SNAP-Ed Economic Contributions to Arizona The funding brought to the state of Arizona through the SNAPEd program contributes to the Arizona economy in a variety of ways. The SNAP-Ed program uses the federal funds it obtains for nutrition and physical activity outreach education, policy, and systems development for people and communities receiving or eligible to receive SNAP. Purchases made for conducting this work generate economic activity throughout the state. These purchases include resources such as curricula, teaching materials and supplies, food demonstration equipment and ingredients. The program also contributes to the economy by employing local residents to deliver the program to SNAP and SNAP eligible participants. Yet, the contribution of SNAP-Ed spending to the state economy extends beyond these direct effects. Based on the tenet that all industries in the economy are linked together, SNAP-Ed program spending generates a ripple of economic