In the late evening of June 30, 2026, the fiscal year 2027 budget conference committee report was released. This budget proposal was passed by the House and Senate on July 1, and was signed into law by the Governor on July 9, 2026 with no vetos or changes. The Collaborative appreciates the leadership of Chairs Michlewitz and Rodrigues, Vice-Chair Comerford, and Senate President Spilka and Speaker Mariano is creating this budget that continues to support the local food system.
The final proposal (pending any vetos from the Governor) includes; $21.5 million for HIP, plus a commitment to carry forward $9 million of unspent funds from FY26 for a total of $30.5 million available in FY27, $1 million for food literacy ($750,000 for the FRESH grant program, $150,000 for the School Wellness Coaching Program, and $100,000 for curricula and resource development), $250,000 for the local food policy council grant program, and $20 million for the Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund. The budget also includes $55 million for MEFAP funding for food banks, and $180 million for universal free school meals. Unfortunately, the budget includes a $500,000 cut to MDAR’s administrative budget, and significantly underfunds DTA’s caseworker line item at a time when acess to DTA has plummeted, decreasing access to SNAP for tens of thousands of residents. The budget also does not include a state-funded LFPA program, despite the work of dozens of partners this spring who MAFSC organized a Lobby Day and multiple call-in days with to advocate for this funding. We are concerned about these cuts impacts on the state agencies and are working with our statewide anti-hunger partners to address the SNAP access crisis. Thank you to the hundreds of partners who took action during this budget cycle to make the impact of these programs known. Our collective work is powerful, and results in real progress.
