Program Helps Families with Eligible Children Offset the Cost of Food over Summer Break
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) announced Monday, Jan. 27 that the 2025 application period for SUN Bucks is now open. SUN Bucks, previously called Summer EBT in Kansas, is a federal program administered by DCF that provides a one-time benefit of $120 per year for each eligible school-aged child to help offset the cost of groceries over the summer.
“Children and teenagers need consistent access to healthy foods to grow and thrive, and summer is a time when many of them lose access to the healthy meals they receive at school,” said DCF Secretary Laura Howard. “SUN Bucks can help fill the gap by providing families a small boost with helping to put nutritious food on their tables.”
Many families will automatically get the SUN Bucks benefit without needing to apply. Households with an eligible child who can be identified by DCF will receive a letter from DCF in January 2025 notifying them that their child is eligible for SUN Bucks. SUN Bucks benefits will be added to an existing household Kansas Benefits Card (also known as an EBT card) or loaded onto a Kansas Benefits Card and mailed to their home in April.
If a household did not receive a letter from DCF in January regarding SUN Bucks eligibility, and they believe their child is eligible, they will need to apply. SUN Bucks applications will be accepted from Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, through 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Families will need to use their existing DCF self-service account or create an account to apply through the DCF online self-service portal, dcfapp.kees.ks.gov. Benefits will be issued beginning in April 2025.
Eligibility:
Children may be eligible for the program if:
- The child attends a Kansas school offering the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program, and the household income meets the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals at any point since July 2024.
OR
- The school-aged child (7-17 years old) lives in a household where someone has received Food Assistance (SNAP) or TANF Cash Assistance at any point since July 2024.
Children in the custody of the DCF Secretary and enrolled in a Kansas school are eligible for SUN Bucks. Relatives, non-related kin, and foster homes will need to submit a SUN Bucks application for children in their care after April 1, 2025, to ensure the benefit is issued to the correct address. For any applications submitted after April 1, SUN Bucks benefits will be issued once the child has been determined eligible.
In 2024, the SUN Bucks program provided more than $15 million in benefits to 127,202 Kansas children. Learn more about SUN Bucks at SUNBucks.dcf.ks.gov.
