Unprecedented times, unprecedented impact
2025 was a year of disruption for EBT and SNAP
Propel responded to the ongoing crisis of EBT theft, substantial changes to SNAP through federal legislation, and unprecedented delays caused by the nation's longest government shutdown.
This year clarified that strengthening the social safety net requires an all-hands-on-deck effort. Propel's first responsibility has always been serving the individuals and households that receive benefits through EBT. But 2025 made it clearer than ever: the best way to support those households is through deep collaboration between public and private sector partners.
As we look to 2026, we're struck by the impact we can have when we bring our deep engagement with EBT households into conversation with those who build and support public programs every day. Here's to the impact made in 2025, and to making a continued difference ahead.
By the numbers
5.7 million
monthly average users
1.12 billion
balance checks performed
544,460
job applications powered
Fighting EBT theft
EBT theft is a crisis–hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen from the most vulnerable households. Propel is committed to protecting families from EBT theft. In 2025, we set a goal of reducing the incidence of EBT theft nationwide by promoting usage of critical security tools, and sharing our insights with law enforcement program integrity staff, and the public to build awareness and empower others to fight against EBT theft.
Here’s a sample of what we achieved.
Protecting EBT households#protecting-ebt-households
Our team has made it a key priority to help people protect themselves from EBT theft. According to the Government Accountability Office, card security features “are not widely used.” At Propel, we’ve made it part of our mission to change that. In December 2025:
- 56% of Propel users have at least one security feature enabled.
We also proactively notify users when we detect suspicious transactions in their accounts. This year, we:
- Identified more than 800,000 suspicious transactions, and
- Sent 375,000 push notifications alerting consumers about suspicious transactions
Reporting EBT theft to law enforcement & program integrity investigators#reporting-ebt-theft-to-law-enforcement-and-program-integrity-investigators
Propel used our data to support efforts from law enforcement and program integrity staff to identify and hold accountable those responsible for EBT theft.
- Launched a real-time tracking system for EBT skimming and liquidation, and shared it with:
- United States Secret Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- NYPD
- USDA Office of Inspector General
- Inspectors General and SNAP program staff nationwide
For the first time, Propel joined the United Council on Welfare Fraud as a corporate partner, putting us into direct contact with and support of the nation’s premier membership organization representing welfare fraud investigators.
Raising awareness#raising-awareness
Propel worked to ensure the story of EBT theft was told nationwide, so that greater awareness could lead to more action to fight back. In 2025, we:
- Launched a dedicated microsite to grow awareness of EBT theft and track trends
- Surveyed 11,895 EBT households and reported their experience of EBT theft
- Published monthly reports on trends in EBT skimming and EBT theft
- Informed a major Government Accountability Office report on EBT theft
- Were quoted in major news articles about EBT theft
Supporting EBT households and state SNAP agencies
Preparing EBT households for new work requirements#preparing-ebt-households-for-new-work-requirements
In the months since the OBBB's passage, we've helped more than 1 million SNAP recipients understand how these legislative changes affect their specific situation—with 85% finding the tool helpful. We found:
- 58% of users are likely exempt from work requirements
- 42% learned they'll need to take action to maintain their benefits
Propel is committed to supporting successful implementation and preventing unnecessary benefit loss among eligible families.
Building for states and EBT households with deep expertise & AI#building-for-states-and-ebt-households-with-deep-expertise-and-ai
The Propel AI Residency brings together veteran SNAP and Medicaid leaders with technologists to conduct applied R&D that supports agencies while centering the needs and interests of recipients. Our inaugural residents—Jacey Cooper, Shavana Howard, and Joël McClurg—are working alongside Propel's engineers and data scientists to develop and test solutions in four critical areas:
- minimizing paperwork burdens,
- supporting overwhelmed frontline staff,
- increasing payment accuracy, and;
- maintaining dignity and choice under new purchase restrictions.
Early outputs demonstrate the potential of this collaboration. Residents have:
- Developed an AI tool to help caseworkers process simplified reporting forms more accurately.
- Created a system to deliver official state updates directly to recipients— reaching 370,000 SNAP participants during the recent government shutdown.
Supporting EBT households in the government shutdown
On October 28, Propel donated $1 million to jumpstart a relief fund to support SNAP households impacted by delayed deposits caused by the federal government shutdown.
Thanks to support from Robin Hood Foundation, Share Our Strength, The Leon Levine Foundation, NY Health Foundation, Babylist, Savvy, Insurify, ByMae and others, the fund grew to more than $12 million. Beginning November 1, we sent $50 cash transfers to families expecting the maximum SNAP benefit — households with the least financial cushion when benefits are delayed.
Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we grew the fund to almost $12 million and supported nearly 240,000 households.
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Shutdown relief impact
4,393,967
meals funded
$11,907,650
funds distributed
238,153
families supported
Tracking household well-being
Over 12,000 EBT cardholders took the Propel household pulse survey in 2025, reporting to us that many of them remain under significant financial strain. While there were some modest improvements in food access early in the year, most households still face persistent instability in cash flow, housing, and basic needs. As the year progressed, stressors on housing, debt, and food budgets increased, underscoring how narrowly many are living, and how little cushion remains against shocks.
Here are some of the things we learned from households in 2025:#here-are-some-of-the-things-we-learned-from-households-in-2025
- About 60% of respondents in Q4 say they have less than $25 in cash on hand, a percentage that has barely moved throughout 2025
- 59% of respondents said they lacked household essentials in Q4, up sharply from 49% in Q2
- 24% of respondents owe money to family and friends in Q4, up 5 percentage points from 19% in Q1
- 31% of respondents say they paid their rent or mortgage late in Q4, up 5 percentage points from Q2
Delivering disaster relief
In 2025, we partnered with GiveDirectly to deliver disaster relief funds to low-income households impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and flooding in Central Texas. We also expanded from disaster emergency response to include additional long-term disaster recovery to victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
We delivered more than $6.68 million to more than 2,250 families impacted by these disasters.
The last word
We’re grateful for the opportunity to do the work we do, and to make some small impact in the lives of the people we serve. Stay in touch with Propel and get our latest insights as they happen by subscribing to our newsletter.
As a last word on 2025, here are some of those people, sharing their stories. We wish them, and you, the best in the year to come.
