Victory for Market Match: Securing $35 Million in State Budget

Amidst a state budget deficit, together we saved the Market Match program! 

Governor Newsom signed the State budget bill, which preserves $35 million in the 2024–2025 California State Budget to continue the California Nutrition Incentive Program! This secures the future of the Market Match program through 2027 and other nutrition incentives for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program!!! 

CNIP is a food safety net program crucial in combating hunger and bolstering California's small farms by matching CalFresh SNAP/EBT spending at more than 290 farm-direct sites (farmers’ markets, farm stands, mobile markets, CSAs) across 39 counties in the state with vouchers for California-grown fruits and vegetables. Market Match, a program funded by CNIP, led to more that $19.4 million in combined CalFresh and Market Match benefits distributed at California farmers markets and farm stands in 2023. 

At AIM’s nine Bay Area certified farmers markets, the Market Match program provides CalFresh shoppers with up to $15 per day in free fresh fruits and vegetables; at our Rollin’ Root mobile farmers market stops, Market Match funds a 50% discount on fruits and vegetable purchases.

Janet Brown, co-owner of All Star Organics and AIM Board Member, said “Market Match is a farm bill as much as a nutrition bill. The money is only spent at certified farmers markets with small family farms on California-grown program. Market Match is an example of California feeding its own through a valuable program with ramifying benefits to the local food system, the health of all Californians, and stewardship of our rural farmland.”

This is an incredible victory for shoppers of low-income and California's small-to-midsize farmers! Thank you all for your support by attending lobby day, meeting with legislators, sharing testimony at hearings, doing grassroots outreach and much more.

We are incredibly grateful to achieve this victory as one of the leaders of the statewide Save Market Match Coalition. 

We also want to thank Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Mike McGuire, and Budget Leaders Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel for their leadership in ensuring the final budget deal fully funded Market Match. We also want to thank our legislative champions Assemblymember Phil Ting (who represents San Francisco), Assemblymember Damon Connolly (who represents Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties), and Senator Josh Becker (who represents San Mateo County and portions of Santa Clara County) for their advocacy. This State funding enables California to apply for Federal grant funding.

We did it!