Federal Grant Award Summary

The Delaware Department of Health & Social Services received a $617,180 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service to administer the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program for Children (CFDA 10.646) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. This award supports the state's administrative and management functions for the Summer EBT program, which provides nutrition assistance to eligible low-income children during summer months when they lose access to free and reduced-price school meals.

Under this grant, Delaware delivers nutrition benefits loaded onto EBT cards that eligible children use to purchase food from approved retailers during the summer break period. The state is responsible for determining program eligibility, enrolling eligible children (either through automatic enrollment based on administrative data or through application), and distributing benefits according to the state's designated summer period. The program targets children who were determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program during the prior school year or current summer, with the primary objective of reducing childhood hunger and food insecurity.