Published November 20, 2025

Summer 2025 marked the second year of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT). The program, also known as SUN Bucks, provides families with $120 in grocery benefits for each school-age child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.  Thirty-seven states, five Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), and all five U.S. territories participated this past summer.  

When schools close for summer, millions of children miss out on nutritious meals they rely on during the school year. Traditional summer meal programs are designed to support children’s health and learning, but barriers such as transportation, location, and availability often limit participation, contributing to higher levels of hunger during the summer. Summer EBT is a complement to traditional summer meal programs, a way to bridge that gap and keep children fed while they are not in school and is a proven method to decrease food insecurity and increase nutrition during the summer months. 

In July 2025, Congress passed the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1), which includes historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These cuts will have ripple effects on all of the child nutrition programs, including Summer EBT. As more children lose access to SNAP, hunger will increase, making the Summer EBT program even more vital to keeping children fed in the summer when they cannot access school meals. This makes it critical that all states run Summer EBT. 

The deadline for states to opt in to Summer EBT for summer 2026 is coming up quickly. In 2025, 13 states elected not to participate in the program, leaving federal benefits on the table. Two states — Alabama and Utah — opted into the program for 2025 after not participating in 2024; however, two other states — Indiana and Tennessee — opted not to run the program for a second year. None of the current nonparticipating states has indicated that they will be opting in for summer 2026, meaning 10.1 million children will miss out on these critical nutrition benefits for another year. 

Key Dates to Operate Summer EBT  

  • January 1, 2026: States, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations must submit a Notice of Intent by January 1 to operate the program in summer 2026.   
  • February 15, 2026: States, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations, must submit a final Plan for Operation and Management (POM). After approval of the POM, states can begin drawing down benefit funds.  

Encourage Your State to Participate in Summer EBT in 2026 

Now is the time to encourage your state to participate in Summer EBT. Thirteen states — Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming — have not yet indicated that they will participate in 2026. If you live in one of these states, here are some ways to encourage your state to participate:   

  • Call your state Representatives and urge them to support Summer EBT implementation.  
  • Call your Governor’s office and urge them to support and adopt the program.  

Resources to support your advocacy can be found in FRAC’s Summer EBT Communications Resource Center. FRAC is also available to connect and support your Summer EBT advocacy efforts. Please reach out to Kelsey Boone at kboone@frac.org. 

To find out more about Summer EBT, visit FRAC’s Summer EBT website.