SUMMER EBT (Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer)
What is the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (S-EBT) Program?
The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program, or SUN Bucks, provides food assistance to households with school-age children who are eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals during the summer when they don't have access to meals at school. The benefit is $120 per eligible school-aged child. Each eligible child will receive a new Summer EBT card loaded with Summer EBT benefits.
This program is a partnership between the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, and the USDA, Food and Nutrition Services.
Summer EBT 2025
Please watch for email communications about the 2025 Summer EBT benefit starting April 15.
- There are 40,000 students that have been indicated to automatically receive the benefit.
- You may not receive your email notice until April 25th, as only 4,500 emails can be sent each day.
Summer EBT cards will be mailed in batches between May 1st and May 15th.
- Please allow 10-14 days from your benefit issuance notification before contacting the ND Summer EBT TEAM if you have not received benefits for your child.
Are you eligible for Summer EBT?
Over 40,000 students in North Dakota are pre-qualified and will receive Summer EBT benefits based on the eligibility information the state already has.
A small number of students need to submit an application to be considered for benefits.
Review the information below to see if your child is eligible.
Do I Need to Apply?
Households Do Not Need to Apply If:
The child IS attending an NSLP school AND
You applied for and were approved for Free or Reduced-price meals at an NSLP participating school
Excludes those qualifying for ND State 200
All Pre-K students are subject to specific school participation eligibility
- Excludes all Head Start students - these students are served under the CACFP program and are not eligible
The child receives SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits
The child receives MEDICAID and is Income Qualified
The child is experiencing homelessness, is a migrant student, or is in foster care.
The child IS NOT attending an NSLP school AND
The child receives SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits and is between the ages of 7-16
The child receives MEDICAID and is Income Qualified and is between the ages of 7-16
If you meet any of the above criteria you are Automatically Eligible (Streamline Certified)
NO APPLICATION IS NECESSARY
Please confirm the address where you receive your mail to ensure that you get the card.
CONFIRM CONTACT INFORMATION
Households Need to Apply If:
The child is not automatically eligible through the streamlined certification process above
The household meets the income requirement for free/reduced-price school meals but has not completed a free/reduced-price meal application at your NSLP participating School.
If your child attends a school that participates in a meal provisional program where all meals are free at your school and does not receive SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or FDPIR benefits.
NDDPI conducts eligibility determinations for all applications submitted through the Summer EBT portal.
APPLY ONLINE
Currently, you can use the paper application:
2025 Summer EBT Paper Application
| Household Size | Max Annual Income |
| 1 | $27,861 |
| 2 | $37,814 |
| 3 | $47,767 |
| 4 | $57,720 |
| 5 | $67,673 |
| 6 | $77,626 |
| 7 | $87,579 |
| 8 | $97,532 |
| For each additional family member add | $9,953 |
Need to Update My Information or Track My Benefits?
Update my Contact Information or Mailing Address or Track My Benefit
This Module is currently UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
How will you receive benefits?
A one-time Summer EBT benefit amount of $120 will be issued to each eligible child. The benefits will be placed on a Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.
Benefits will not start mailing until after the first week in May and may take an additional 7-10 days to be delivered.
Do these benefits expire?
Summer EBT benefits expire and are removed 122 days from issuance. Once benefits are removed from an EBT card, they cannot be replaced.
Are there benefit replacements for Summer EBT?
Yes, households can receive replacement benefits if it is reported that food purchased with Summer EBT benefits was destroyed in a household misfortune or disaster. To request a replacement the household would need to fully complete the Request for Replacement Benefits Due to Loss of SNAP Benefits.
Contact NDHHS at 701-328-2332
option 2 for SNAP, and then option 4 for “Questions on your SNAP EBT Card”
What do I need to know about the EBT Card?
Activation instructions will be included with the card.
Cards are accepted at SNAP authorized food retailers. A list of authorized food retailers can be found at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator.
A mobile app for managing your account, ebtEDGE, is available Apple Store and Google Play.
For more information Contact NDHHS at 701-328-2332
option 2 for SNAP, and then option 4 for “Questions on your SNAP EBT Card”
Contact Us
See the chart below to find out who to contact for more information:
I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT: | WHO DO I CONTACT? |
| 701-328-2332 option 2 for SNAP and then option 4 for “Questions on your SNAP EBT Card” |
| Visit the Summer EBT Portal Contact NDSEBT@nd.gov |
| Contact NDSEBT@nd.gov |
| Contact NDSEBT@nd.gov |
Find Summer Meals for Kids
The Meals for Kids Site Finder was developed by USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to help children, parents, and others quickly and easily find summer meal sites near them. The site finder, available for use at no charge, is a web-based application that also works on tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices without the need to download. Go to www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids to find meal sites in your area.
No Kid Hungry has also developed a resource for children, parents, and others to find summer meal sites near them. Go to www.nokidhungry.org/find-free-meals and enter your address to find free, healthy meals served by community organizations. Families can also find meal sites near them by texting the word FOOD to 877-877. Data and message rates may apply.
Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications
- Online Applications - Your school may offer online applications for your convenience.
USDA is responsible for providing a safety net for millions of food-insecure Americans and developing and promoting dietary guidance based on scientific evidence. USDA works to increase food security and reduce hunger by providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education in a way that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence. USDA provides critical nutrition assistance through Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs that include child nutrition programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and emergency food assistance, among many other programs.
Child Nutrition Programs
Child Nutrition Programs administered by FNS provide healthy food to children through programs that include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
During summer months, USDA works with community sponsors to serve millions of meals to low-income children through the Summer Food Service Program. This program helps fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as schools, childcare centers, and after-school programs to provide children with healthy meals.
Household Food Distribution Programs
USDA administers many other programs to strengthen the nutrition safety net. For example, the FNS Food Distribution Programs distribute USDA-purchased food to school children and low-income families, emergency feeding programs, Indian reservations, and the elderly. USDA purchases a variety of food products in support of the National School Lunch Program and other federal feeding programs. These purchases help to stabilize prices in agricultural commodity markets by balancing supply and demand. In North Dakota, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and Tribal entities, operate food programs that decrease food insecurity and allow for increased food access and resources.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) works to improve the health of low-income elderly people at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. It provides food and administrative funds to States to supplement the diets of this group. CSFP food packages do not provide a complete diet but are rather good sources of the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the target population. CSFP is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture agency. An average of more than 594,000 people each month participated in the program in fiscal year (FY) 2012, including more than 576,000 elderly people.
In North Dakota, CSFP is administered locally by 3 Community Action Agencies, 1 Food Bank & 1 local Non-Profit Organization. Over 2,000 North Dakota residents receive food from the CSFP Program each year. To apply for the CSFP program, complete the CSFP APPLICATION and mail, email, or drop off at the local agency servicing the county where you reside.
2025 CSFP State Plan
Agency Contact Information
Community Action Partnership in Dickinson/Williston Regions
202 East Villard
Dickinson ND 58601
Phone: (701) 227-0131 Toll Free: (800) 359-2243 Fax: (701) 227-4750
Counties Served:
- Dunn, Billings, Golden Valley, Stark, Hettinger, Slope, Bowman, Adams
120 Washington Ave
Williston ND 58801
Phone: (701) 572-8191 Toll Free: (877) 572-8191 Fax: (701) 572-8192
Counties Served:
Williams, Divide, McKenzie
Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency
3233 South University Drive
Fargo ND 58104-6221
Phone: (701) 232-2452 Toll Free: (800) 726-7960 Fax: (701) 298-3115
Counties Served:
Cass, Ransom, Sargent, Richland, Steele, Traill, Nelson
Great Plains Food Bank
1720 3rd Ave North
Fargo ND 58102
Phone: (701) 232-6219 Fax: (701) 232-3871
1315 South 20th Street
Bismarck ND 58504
Phone: (701) 751-6188
Counties Served:
Barnes, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Renville, Rolette, Sheridan, Sioux, Stutsman, Walsh, Ward, Wells
https://greatplainsfoodbank.org/our-work/feed-seniors/
Hope Center
313 3rd Street NE
Devils Lake, ND 58301
Phone: (701) 665-4673
Counties Served:
Ramsey, Eddy, Towner, Benson, Cavalier
The Emergency Food Assistance Programs
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA Foods and administrative funds to states to operate TEFAP. In North Dakota, the Department partners with Great Plains Food Bank, which partners with over 150 eligible recipient agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, etc.) across the state to provide fresh, canned, frozen, and shelf-stable USDA foods for household consumption to low-income households.
2025 TEFAP STATE PLAN
To learn more about where to access partner agencies across the state, please visit:
https://greatplainsfoodbank.org/get-help/partner-food-pantries/
Statewide Distribution Center – Fargo
1720 3rd Ave. N. Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: (701) 232-6219
Fax: (701) 232-3871
Regional Service Center – Bismarck
1315 South 20th Street, Bismarck, ND 58504
Phone: (701) 751-6188
General Statewide Email: info@greatplainsfoodbank.org
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to Native American households residing in designated areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. USDA distributes both food and administrative funds to participating Indian Tribal Organizations and state agencies to operate FDPIR. In North Dakota, the Department oversees two of the five Tribal entities operating the FDPIR program. To learn more about where to access these programs, please visit: North Dakota FDPIR Programs