A national nonprofit founded in 2020 that connects college students with SNAP, Medicaid and other public benefits through its AI platform Navvy, campus partnerships and advocacy.
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The Student Basic Needs Coalition (SBNC) is a national nonprofit founded in 2020 that helps college students access public benefits such as SNAP and Medicaid. Working across the United States, it addresses food insecurity and housing instability among students who are eligible for support but often fail to enrol because of bureaucratic hurdles and social stigma. The organisation reports partnerships with more than 100 campuses, over 50,000 students screened and more than $116 million in potential public benefits connected.
Central to its work is Navvy, an AI-enabled platform that screens students for benefits eligibility and guides them through the enrolment process. The technology sits alongside grassroots organising and policy advocacy: peer-led outreach programmes use student networks to reach eligible students, and the coalition mobilises student leaders to press for policy change. Technical work spans AI-enabled eligibility screening, benefits enrolment technology and organising tools.
SBNC describes its approach as mission-driven and focused on systemic change, combining technology, organising and advocacy with an emphasis on equity and on reducing barriers within the benefits system. Its work spans the higher education, nonprofit and social-services, public benefits enrolment, and food and housing support sectors.
