Formula Grant 261VA407N1175

The Virginia Department of Social Services received an $84 million formula grant award from the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (CFDA 10.646), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This award funds the administration and delivery of nutrition assistance benefits to low-income children who lose access to free and reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program during summer months when schools are not in session. Virginia will utilize the grant to identify eligible children, process enrollments, and distribute benefits via EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards that children use to purchase food from approved retailers, with benefits distributed either as lump-sum payments or monthly allocations according to the state's designated summer period.

The program targets children who were determined eligible for free or reduced-price school meals during the prior school year or through direct application and determination during the summer. Award funding supports both benefit distribution and administrative costs necessary to operate the program, including three-year record retention compliance as required by federal guidelines. As a formula-based grant program, the Summer EBT Program operates as a permanent, continual federal initiative with annual funding allocations distributed to all eligible state and tribal administering entities, rather than as a competitive grant opportunity.