Families, Access Grocery Benefits through SUN Bucks (Summer EBT)

Dear Families,

We are excited to share information about a new program called SUN Bucks (Summer EBT), which provides grocery benefits to help families purchase healthy food during the summer months when school meals are not available. This program is part of California’s ongoing effort to support students and reduce food insecurity.

What Is SUN Bucks?

SUN Bucks provides eligible families with an allocation per child to buy groceries during the summer. These benefits are provided through an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, similar to a debit card, and can be used at most grocery stores and farmers’ markets.

Who Is Eligible?

Your child may qualify for SUN Bucks if your household meets any of the following:

• You participate in CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal.

• You meet income eligibility guidelines for the program.

Do You Need to Apply?

Learners are not automatically eligible for SUN Bucks just because they attend a provision school. To receive SUN Bucks benefits, families must submit a Universal Benefits Application for this school year. Eligibility is determined through this application, and families who do not apply will not be considered for SUN Bucks.

If your learner is in foster care, migrant, homeless, or already qualifies for programs like CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (within income limits), they may be directly certified and do not need to submit an application. However, the application may ask you to provide their associated case number to confirm eligibility.

Please note: SUN Bucks eligibility CANNOT be determined using the Household Data Collection Form (HDC) that was completed during school registration. You must submit a current meal application to qualify.

You can apply for free/reduced-price meals online at: https://mealtimeapps.com. 

• Please select California
• Search for iLEAD Schools as the district
• Complete the application 
• Within 2 weeks, you will be notified via email if your application qualifies for benefits

Benefits

The eligibility period for 2025 SUN Bucks is through September 2, 2025. The eligibility period for 2026 SUN Bucks is July 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026. Applications submitted between July 1, 2025, and September 2, 2025, will make students eligible for both 2025 and 2026 SUN Bucks.

Please also be aware that 2025 SUN Bucks cards will not be mailed out until late summer/fall 2025. Families who submit applications and who become eligible later, may receive their benefits in late summer or fall. 2026 SUN Bucks cards will not be mailed out until June/July of 2026. 

Questions?

For more information about the SUN Bucks Program, you can visit https://ca.p-ebt.org/sunbucks.

Thank you for your attention to this important opportunity. We want to ensure all our learners have access to the resources they need, even when school is out for the summer.