After a challenging budget season, Governor Healey recently signed the FY25 MA State Budget into law. For those of us who have been working to build a stronger and more equitable food system, the results were mixed. Now that we’ve had some time to reflect on the advocacy efforts of the coalitions we are part of and the final outcomes - both the good and the disappointing - we are ready to share some of our key takeaways.
First, here’s a look at where our final priorities landed:
Item | FY25 Coalition Ask | Final Budget |
Healthy Incentives Program | $25 million | $15 million |
Universal School Meals | $200 million | $170 million |
State-Funded SNAP | $18 million | $0 |
Regional Transit Authority Operations | $150 million | $160.5 million |
MDAR Food Policy Council Grants | $250,000 | $0 |
Food Literacy in Schools | $1 million | $1 million |
Below, we share some reflections on what these wins and losses mean, and what comes next.
1. We are clear that our advocacy efforts are making a difference. It is easy to focus on the places where we fell short of our budget priorities, but first it’s important to recognize that in a difficult budget year, food policy advocates still protected and advanced funding for critical programs including:
Securing a $50,000 earmark for the MetroWest Food Collaborative, to continue strengthening our work, thanks to the efforts of Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan.
Maintaining Universal School Meals funding levels at $170 million. Although this final amount was lower than the FY25 budget ask, the Feed Kids Coalition successfully prevented any cuts to funding levels relative to the prior two years.
Winning nearly $15 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), to continue supporting healthy families and sustainable farms. However, we know that this will not be enough to last the full fiscal year and does not include the language the line item has had in recent years that states the program should operate year-round.
Significant investment in Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support transportation equity. This funding is divided between operating, funding for free fare statewide, and grant programs. The RTAs will receive:
$160.5 million in funding for operations;
$30 million for statewide fare free grants for the entire year;
$10 million for grants for the creation or altering of routes that advance connectivity between existing public transportation routes;
$4 million for grants to transit providers to support expanded mobility options for older adults, people with disabilities and low income individuals through the Community Transit Grant Program.
Continuing to fund Food Literacy at $1 million. This is broken out into $750,000 for the FRESH grant program and $250,000 to support local district-level wellness policymaking.
2. We are learning valuable lessons to strengthen our future efforts. One of the most disheartening food policy outcomes of this budget session was the MA Legislature’s decision to not include state-funded SNAP in the FY25 State Budget. This means that legally-present Massachusetts immigrants barred from federal SNAP, who were able to access these benefits thanks to funding included in the FY24 supplemental budget, have lost their access to SNAP.
To give a couple of examples of the impact this supplemental budget funding had in MetroWest, between 101-250 households benefited in Framingham and between 51-100 households benefited in Milford and Marlborough.
The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition that worked hard to secure this funding is continuing the fight. The coalition recently re-grouped to discuss the strengths of this campaign and how to move forward, including broadening the coalition. Please consider getting your organization involved in the coalition or sharing stories of impact. We’re continuing to urge legislators to reinstate funding for this program, most recently by submitting a letter to the Special Commission on Poverty asking them to include this priority in their next report.
3. We are reminded that the struggle for food justice is intertwined with the struggle for all other basic human rights. If you were following the end of the budget session, you may have heard about - or even have been part of speaking out about - changes to the MA emergency shelter system, which will leave hundreds of children and families, and particularly migrants, with nowhere to go. These same families will struggle with food access, too. Food and housing are two of the most basic necessities for our communities, and those of us advocating for food equity must stand shoulder to shoulder with those advocating for housing equity.
4. We need to put energy into making food equity a priority at the local, state and federal levels. Many of the programs and policies that impact us locally, and that receive state funding, rely on federal infrastructure. SNAP is one major example. With presidential and congressional elections coming up in November, what comes next will matter for the work we are doing locally to strengthen our food system. It’s important to take time to learn candidates’ positions on food policy, and to get out and vote! Click here to register to vote or make sure your registration is active.
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As we prepare for supplemental budget efforts to come, and continue to reorient for the next session, thank you to all who have been part of advocating with us. We will be in touch soon with new action steps!
