The Student Basic Needs Coalition (SBNC) is excited to announce the receipt of a $100,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a prominent philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the well-being of America’s children and families. This generous grant will significantly enhance SBNC’s efforts to support students by expanding our peer navigator program to additional community colleges. This grant will allow SBNC to build on its existing successes and reach even more students in need, as we aim to help thousands of students gain access to SNAP, alleviate food insecurity and allow them to focus on their studies and educational success.
Tackling the SNAP Gap at Community Colleges
Community colleges are a critical gateway to higher education for millions of students, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds and face significant financial challenges. Despite being eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a substantial number of community college students do not receive these benefits, often due to barriers such as lack of awareness, complex application processes, and stigma.
The SNAP gap—the disparity between those eligible for SNAP and those who actually receive it—has severe consequences. Students struggling with food insecurity are more likely to experience higher stress levels, lower academic performance, and a higher dropout rate. Addressing this gap is essential to ensuring that students can focus on their education without the constant worry of where their next meal will come from.
Expanding the Peer Navigator Program
With this new grant, SBNC is poised to expand its successful peer navigator program to additional community colleges, directly targeting the SNAP gap. Peer navigators—students who have themselves navigated the SNAP system—are uniquely positioned to assist their peers in accessing the benefits they are entitled to. By providing one-on-one support, these navigators help demystify the application process, reduce stigma, and empower more students to apply for and receive SNAP benefits.
We will also be creating a new full-time Campus Program Manager role, which will play a pivotal role in overseeing SNAP enrollment efforts across multiple campuses. This position is crucial for coordinating outreach, training student leaders, and building partnerships with campus administrators. Through this role, SBNC will monitor program effectiveness and ensure that more students gain access to the resources they need to succeed in their educational journey.
The expansion of the peer navigator program will not only increase SNAP enrollment but also create a sustainable model that can be replicated across other institutions. This initiative is particularly important for community colleges, where many students are balancing work, family responsibilities, and education with limited resources.
Empowering Student Leaders to Drive Change
The grant will support stipends for 15 student leaders who will serve as peer navigators across various community college campuses. These student leaders are the backbone of SBNC’s approach, leveraging their lived experiences and campus connections to guide their peers through the SNAP application process. Their outreach efforts—ranging from tabling and workshops to email campaigns and social media—are crucial in raising awareness and ensuring that students know how to access the benefits they need.
By creating a toolkit based on their experiences, these peer navigators will also help other schools establish similar programs, amplifying the impact of this work and ensuring that more students across the country can benefit from SNAP.
Looking Ahead
This grant represents a significant step forward in SBNC’s mission to make college more affordable and accessible for all students. We are incredibly grateful to the Casey Foundation for their support and commitment to this crucial work.
As SBNC continues to address the SNAP gap, investments like the one from the Casey Foundation are essential for driving our mission forward. We look forward to sharing the successes and lessons learned from this initiative in the months and years to come.
For more information about the Student Basic Needs Coalition and our work, please visit our website and stay connected with us on social media. If you are a community college student who wants to get involved with the program, apply here. If you are an adminstrator at a community college who woud like to partner with us, reach out to contact@studentbasicneeds.com.
Together, we can ensure that every student has the resources they need to thrive.
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