More than two million low-income children across New York State will receive food assistance this summer as part of the 2025 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program. The initiative, backed by over $250 million in funding, provides eligible families with a one-time payment of $120 per child to help cover grocery costs while school is out.
“As New York’s first Mom Governor, I’m committed to doing everything in my power to help kids and families across the state,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.
The program addresses a critical gap in food access that affects many children during the summer months, when school meals are unavailable. Most families will automatically receive benefits based on existing eligibility for programs such as SNAP, Medicaid or Public Assistance. Those who are not automatically enrolled can apply by Sept. 4, 2025, if their child attends a school participating in the National School Lunch Program and meets income requirements.
Benefits are issued via EBT cards and can be used at authorized food retailers, farmers markets, and anywhere SNAP is accepted. The first wave of payments began June 18, with additional distributions scheduled throughout the summer.
In its first year, Summer EBT provided more than $254 million to 2.1 million school-aged children. The program, administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, has been shown to significantly reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition among children.
“At a time when federally funded nutrition programs are under attack in Washington, Summer EBT will help thousands of low-income families with school-aged children across our state afford to buy healthy food over the summer when many children lose access to free school meals,” Hochul said.
New York officials continue to advocate against proposed federal cuts to SNAP and other nutrition programs, warning that such changes could result in the loss of benefits for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable residents and strain state and local budgets.
For more information about Summer EBT eligibility or to apply, visit ny.gov/SummerEBT.
