Arizona’s newly signed Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes key investments in food security—from school and summer nutrition for kids to much-needed support for families to access SNAP.
Last week, the Arizona State Legislature passed an $18.3 billion state budget, and Governor Hobbs signed it into law. For the 1 in 7 Arizonans struggling with food insecurity, it contains important investments that will continue critical nutrition programs.
This budget reflects a meaningful prioritization of food security for families and communities across the state with multi-year commitments for kids and substantial support for the state agency to improve Arizonans’ ability to access SNAP.
“Bipartisan agreement on anything feels rare these days,” said Ashley St. Thomas, Director of Public Policy at the Arizona Food Bank Network. “Seeing Arizona policymakers from across the political spectrum come together to fund school meals, summer nutrition, SNAP accessibility, and food bank capacity sends a powerful message about Arizona’s values and priorities…
While there is plenty more we can do together to end hunger, the FY27 budget reflects significant steps in the right direction. It’s encouraging, and it gives anti-hunger advocates energy to keep going.”
The 2026 legislative session ended on June 13th, just 17 days before deadline. Before preparations for the next legislative session can begin, it’s important to celebrate these wins and honor the impact they will have.
Fighting Childhood Hunger Year-Round
One of the stand-out wins is the continued investment in school meals and full state funding for SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) for Summers 2026, 2027, and 2028.
For the next two years, the state will cover the cost of reduced-price school meal copays for families, backed by $4 million in budget funding. Families with income between 130-185 percent of the federal poverty line—or roughly $35,000-$49,000 a year for a parent with two kids—qualify for reduced price meals. Eliminating the daily 70-cent meal copays means more kids getting fed at school, even if their families can’t afford it.
This investment builds on the momentum of the past two years, when Arizona used general funds for the first time in the state’s history to cover these school meal copays for families. Researchers at Arizona State University’s Food Policy and Environment Research Group estimated that the policy change that led to this state investment resulted in a 28 percent increase in program participation overall.
But hunger doesn’t take summer vacation when school’s out, so a federal program called SUN Bucks provides $120 per eligible child to help families purchase of nutritious food, which is especially helpful since utility bills skyrocket for most Arizona communities in the heat of the desert summer. The benefits themselves are funded in full by the federal government, but states foot the bill to administer the program. Arizona launched its third year of the program in early June this year, and it is estimated to reach 604,000 children statewide, infusing $72.5 million into Arizona’s economy – something that not all states have opted in to.
“SUN Bucks can reduce hunger, improve diet quality, and support school readiness—all for about 1 percent of SNAP’s annual cost,” according to Jacob Bastien, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.1
For more information on SUN Bucks, see this flyer. (Note: Summer Meals are also available to families at participating sites.)
Arizona Food Banks: Investing in the Infrastructure of Hunger Relief
In another win for fighting hunger in the state, the budget includes a $3 million one-time capital investment for Mesa’s United Food Bank, which serves Arizonans in Apache, Gila, Navajo, Maricopa, and Pinal Counties. The funding, in combination with additional grants and private donations, will be used to expand infrastructure, allowing United to distribute an additional 12 million pounds of food per year to high-need areas.
“We are so grateful for the state’s support, which will help us provide nutritious food to Arizonans,” said Jason Reed, President and CEO of United Food Bank. “Demand for food assistance across United Food Bank and our partner agency network has grown dramatically. In 2025, our network recorded more than 1.56 million visits for food assistance, 78 percent more than four years ago. These state resources will help us meet that growing demand across our 19,000-square-mile service area.” Infrastructure investments like this one don’t always make headlines, but they are essential and will help end hunger in Arizona in the long term.
SNAP: Strengthening the State’s Safety Net
The number of Arizonans participating in SNAP declined by more than 50 percent since federal law changes in H.R. 1 went into effect in July 2025. This is the largest drop in any state. Despite this decline, the program is still a critical bridge between hunger and food security. The budget includes several important investments in the Arizona Department of Economic Security (the state agency that administers SNAP and other public benefits) to ensure that eligible Arizonans can actually get the grocery-purchasing benefits they need, and so that DES can comply with changes resulting from federal and state law for programing reporting.
The funding in the state budget includes:
- A one-time investment of $10.8 million to help navigate enhanced SNAP eligibility determinations that led to a recent backlog of SNAP applications. This funding will cover staffing, contracted personnel, technology improvements, process evaluation and improvements.
- An increase of 88 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions to handle eligibility caseloads.
- Administrative cost shift coverage from 50 percent to 75 percent, to comply with H.R. 1 changes to the state/federal administrative cost-share.
Together, these investments mean fewer eligible Arizonans will fall through the gaps in this social safety net due to processing delays, paperwork errors, or overwhelmed caseworkers.
Double Up Food Bucks: Two More Years of Produce Incentives
The budget also includes $4 million to continue the SNAP Double Up Food Bucks program for the next two years. Double Up, which is led by Pinnacle Prevention in Arizona, is a proven and celebrated program that matches SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar when participants purchase locally grown Arizona fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets, mobile markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), or farm stands.
“Stretching food dollars further while supporting Arizona growers and the local food economy is a triple win,” said Adrienne Udarbe, Executive Director of Pinnacle Prevention. “We are grateful to the state for prioritizing a multi-year investment in the Double Up program. Our research shows that 86 percent of participants across Arizona were able to afford fresh, healthy produce because of it.”
More fruits and vegetables are on the menu for anyone who wants to improve their diet, and this investment helps both people who use SNAP as well as the providers at the markets.
AzFBN thanks the State Legislature and Governor Hobbs for working together to benefit all Arizonans, and looks forward to supporting these investments in building a hunger-free Arizona.
Follow along with AzFBN’s advocacy efforts and join the fight against hunger at azfoodbanks.org/join-fight/. To stay up-to-date, join our mailing list for The Inside Scoop: a monthly download of what you need to know to advocate for hunger-fighting policy. Follow AzFBN on social media @azfoodbanks for action alerts and breaking news.
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