From Advocacy to Action: Expanding Summer EBT Nationwide and Ensuring Continued Participation

Session Summary: In 2024, the permanent Summer EBT program was administered for the first time and found great success across implementing states, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations. Unfortunately, a subset of states chose not to participate in 2024 due to challenges such as the administrative funding match, data limitations, and lack of political will. For summer 2025, 12 states opted not to run Summer EBT, leaving 9.5 million children who otherwise would have been eligible without these vital benefits. Additionally, states must opt-in to Summer EBT on a yearly basis, meaning there is no guarantee that the states that have opted to participate will continue to participate in years to come. As a result, Summer EBT advocacy and magnifying the program’s many successes is imperative to its long-term permanence. This session will focus on multiple stages of Summer EBT advocacy, from states that have never opted in to the program to states where legislation is being drafted to ensure the longevity and strength of the program. These multiple perspectives from the states of Iowa, Tennessee, Arizona, and California, will provide context set against a changing and uncertain federal landscape and will provide tactics and techniques for the continued advocacy necessary in all states in coming years.