Resource Library

FRAC’s Food Fuels Futures: Expanded SNAP Eligibility Reduces Hunger Among College Students research brief — informed by interviews with college students — sets forth reasons why SNAP student eligibility expansions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were so vital to college students and why decision-makers should build on these lessons and eliminate the “work-to-eat rule” so that more college students can focus on learning rather than being distracted by hunger. 

Leveraging CACFP for Farm to Early Care and Education: Growing Wins Across Early Childhood and Food System Sectors aims to assist states in combatting child hunger by exploring options to boost the Child and Adult Care Food Program by leveraging Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE). 

The permanent, nationwide Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) Program is set to begin in summer 2024. On December 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their Interim Final Rule (IFR) outlining program requirements and processes. Check out FRAC’s new resource for an in-depth summary of the IFR. 

States can now apply to participate in the Medicaid Direct Certification Demonstration Project and bring the same benefits of direct certification to children, families, and schools through Medicaid. The deadline for state RFP applications is January 15, 2024. Learn more in FRAC’s new fact sheet. 

The Summer EBT Program would reduce summer hunger in your state or territory. Learn more about the benefits of Summer EBT to your state or territory in our new Summer EBT State Fact Sheets. 

By providing benefits to purchase food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is vital to supporting the nutrition, health, and well-being of people experiencing homelessness. New temporary SNAP time limit exemptions went into effect September 1 — including for people experiencing homelessness — pursuant to the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act. Ensuring that the time limit exemptions for the newly exempt people experiencing homelessness are implemented effectively is an important strategy to improve their access to SNAP. Learn more in this new fact sheet from FRAC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Opportunity Starts at Home. 

By providing benefits to purchase food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is vital to supporting the nutrition, health, and well-being of young adults who are exiting foster care. Even so, too many of these eligible young adults miss out on SNAP. On September 1, new temporary SNAP time limit exemptions went into effect including for young adults, 18 to 24 years of age, who have left foster care, pursuant to the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).1 Ensuring that the new time limit exemption for young people with experience in foster care is implemented effectively is an important strategy to improve their access to SNAP. Learn more in FRAC’s new fact sheet.

By providing benefits to purchase food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is vital to supporting the nutrition, health, and well-being of military veterans. New temporary SNAP time limit exemptions went into effect September 1, including for veterans (e.g., people with military experience regardless of the conditions of their discharge or release) pursuant to the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act. Ensuring that the time limit exemptions for the newly exempt are implemented effectively is an important strategy to improve veterans’ access to SNAP.

This brief examines recent standards-setting initiatives within the healthcare sector regarding screening for food insecurity and other health-related social needs. It offers recommendations for anti-hunger advocates to leverage screening efforts to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling to put food on the table.

There are two pathways for children to be deemed eligible to receive benefits through the Summer EBT Program, which is set to begin in summer 2024. The first is through automatic issuance, and the second is via a Summer EBT application. This resource outlines these pathways as well as frequently asked questions.

The 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) showed a clear path to dramatically cutting hunger and poverty — the central
root cause of hunger — among households with children. These essential benefits for children and their families were
lost when the CTC expired in December 2021. This brief provides key information anti-hunger and nutrition stakeholders
need to know about the 2021 expanded CTC, its impact on households with children related to hunger, food spending,
and poverty — including new state-level data — and opportunities to take action to make permanent an expanded and
more inclusive CTC at the federal and state level.

A significant number of children missed out on nutritious suppers and snacks offered by the Afterschool Nutrition Programs, according to FRAC’s latest report, Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation – October 2021 and October 2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the fiscal year 2024 cost-ofliving adjustments (COLA) for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including updates to maximum allotments, deductions, and income eligibility thresholds, which are effective October 1, 2023. Learn more in FRAC’s new research brief. 

The Hot Foods Act (H.R. 3519/S. 2258), championed by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), would allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be used at grocery retailers to purchase hot foods products that are ready for immediate consumption. Learn more in FRAC’s new fact sheet. 

The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which offers the lowest of the four major food plans the federal government uses, sets the maximum amount of food dollars Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants can receive. Despite a long overdue update of the TFP in 2021, the plan still leaves SNAP participants short of the benefit amounts sufficient for food for the entire month. This research brief explains why SNAP should switch from the TFP model to the more equitable Low-Cost Food Plan to equip participants with fuller plates and improved health and well-being.