Federal Grant Award Summary

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received a $142,300 formula grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service on October 1, 2025, under the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (CFDA 10.646). This award funds administrative and management operations necessary for ISBE to implement the Summer EBT program throughout Illinois for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026.

Under this award, ISBE provides administrative support for the Summer EBT program, including identifying eligible children who lose access to free and reduced-price meals during summer months, processing enrollments, and managing the EBT card infrastructure that enables eligible children to purchase food from approved retailers. The funding supports ISBE's operational costs associated with benefit distribution, record retention requirements (three years post-submission), and submission of management and administrative plans to the federal government. As the state administering agency for this federally-assisted nutrition assistance initiative, ISBE facilitates benefits delivery to low-income children statewide to reduce hunger and food insecurity during the summer period when the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are not in session.