The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today a $100 million investment in grants to support states, Tribal Nations, and U.S. territories in implementing SUN Bucks, a new permanent program aimed at assisting families in purchasing groceries for their children during the summer months. SUN Bucks, also referred to as Summer EBT, is part of USDA’s broader Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids (SUN Programs), which seek to reduce costs for families and enhance food and nutrition security when school meals are unavailable.
The SUN Bucks initiative provides a $120 grocery benefit per eligible school-aged child in participating states, redeemable at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other authorized retailers. The USDA projects that once fully implemented, the program will serve over 30 million children across the country.
“Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, USDA’s SUN Programs are already helping children and teens get much-needed nutrition over the summer,” stated Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “When school is out, the new, permanent SUN Bucks program provides a lifeline to kids, and USDA wants to ensure as many families are able to access the benefits as possible. That's why USDA is providing grant funding to help states improve the technology systems that deliver SUN Bucks to families and ensure kids are fed.” She added that additional components of the SUN Programs include offering free summer meals at designated neighborhood locations (SUN Meals) and providing meal pick-up or delivery services in some rural areas (SUN Meals To-Go).
The allocated grants will facilitate development and enhancements of state technology systems essential for administering the program with appropriate controls and integrity. These funds are available both for agencies currently implementing SUN Bucks this year and those planning future launches.
SUN Bucks supports the objectives of the Biden-Harris Administration's White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health by improving food access and affordability while enhancing overall food security. Today's announcement underscores USDA's ongoing efforts to assist states in rolling out this program.
“One of USDA’s top priorities is helping more states offer SUN Bucks in future years,” said Cindy Long, administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service. “This funding will make it easier for states to get the program up and running and ensure it runs smoothly for participants.”
Families are encouraged to utilize all available programs under the SUN umbrella by visiting USDA’s dedicated website for more information.
USDA remains committed to positively impacting American lives daily through various initiatives under the Biden-Harris Administration. These include transforming America's food system towards resilient local production, ensuring nationwide access to healthy foods, creating new income streams for farmers using climate-smart practices, making significant infrastructure investments in rural America, and fostering equity within its operations by dismantling systemic barriers.
For further details on these initiatives, visit www.usda.gov.
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