The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension is ending its 30-year-old FoodWIse nutrition education program and laying off more than 90 people after losing a federal grant.
Extension made the announcement Friday.
The congressional budget reconciliation bill that was signed into law on July 4 eliminated all National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed) funding effective Sept. 30.
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For more than three decades, the FoodWIse program has been providing people with nutrition education and community-based strategies to support healthy eating and active lifestyles by partnering with local schools, food pantries, farmers markets and community centers, according to the Extension. The program reaches more than 133,000 people.
“Extension is currently navigating the difficult process of winding down our SNAP-Ed-funded programming including a layoff notice process for affected employees,” according to a statement. “This is not just a loss of funding — it is a loss of services that have been vital to communities across Wisconsin.”
According to the statement, Extension is looking for potential alternative funding sources.
“We will be sharing information throughout this process and we will be working directly with county boards and local partners over the next few months,” the statement said.
Wisconsin’s congressional democrats, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan, along with Gov. Tony Evers, released a statement on the end of the program.
“Sadly, we are watching vital resources that Wisconsin families rely on to stay healthy and help put food on the table being stripped away — all so Republicans in Congress and President Trump could give out tax breaks for the wealthy,” they said.
“FoodWIse, and the dedicated staff behind it, have proven to be a good investment that helps tens of thousands of Wisconsinites stay well fed and live a healthy life.”
Several other Wisconsin food programs affected
The elimination of SNAP-Ed funding is also affecting other Wisconsin grantees. Those groups include FoodRight Inc., Hunger Task Force, Ho-Chunk Nation Health Center, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council Inc., and Wisconsin Fit Families.
Lisa Kingery, CEO of FoodRight Inc. said federal funding for the program will end Oct. 1, 2026, eliminating 75 percent of FoodRight’s funding.
Every year, FoodRight educates more than 1,200 Milwaukee Public School students on how to cook and appreciate affordable, whole-food, plant-based meals, Kingery said.
The organization also provides take-home meal kits and virtual culinary nutrition education to families, encouraging healthy cooking from scratch.
“Our programs have been shown to increase students’ fruit and vegetable intake and improve their engagement in learning,” Kingery said. “It would be a significant setback to reduce our programming, especially as we are expanding initiatives into cafeterias, working with parents and youth to create more culturally relevant, locally sourced, and student-approved meals.”
Hunger Task Force CEO Matt King said he hopes to secure additional funding for the community nutrition program.
The program has supplied nutrition education curriculum to teachers at Milwaukee Public Schools with high participation in the free and reduced lunch program for the last 15 years.
The curriculum includes classroom lessons, a take-home cookbook and two field trips.
“Because of our passion for nutrition education and commitment to our community, we are working to secure additional funding to continue to offer a robust nutrition education program for children, families, veterans and seniors,” King said.
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