Student Basic Needs Coalition
Student Basic Needs Coalition (SBNC) is combating the student basic needs crisis by facilitating solutions for food, housing, and financial insecurities among college students. SBNC’s platform, Navvy, quickly identifies the benefits students qualify for, leveraging peer navigators to help reduce stigma and guide peers through complex application processes. To date, SBNC has screened over 43,000 students, identifying $109 million in eligible benefits. By 2035, SBNC plans to work with all 4,000 US campuses to ensure every eligible student is automatically screened and enrolled using data schools already have.
The Problem
Millions of college students face a basic needs crisis that threatens their ability to stay enrolled and graduate. Nearly 44% of undergraduates experience food insecurity, yet an estimated 70% of the 3.3 million students eligible for SNAP benefits are not enrolled in the program. The stakes are high: 59% of students have considered dropping out due to financial challenges, and unmet basic needs are associated with a 43% lower likelihood of graduating. Consequently, students who drop out face higher unemployment rates and lose approximately $1.2 million in median lifetime earnings compared to their peers who graduate. These challenges are disproportionately felt by low-income and nontraditional students, especially those attending community colleges.
The Solution
Student Basic Needs Coalition combines digital tools, human support, and policy advocacy to combat the basic needs crisis. SBNC’s platform, Navvy, screens students for SNAP and Medicaid eligibility and identifies the benefits they qualify for in under 10 minutes. The technology is paired with peer navigators to help reduce stigma and guide students through complex screening and application processes. To maximize support for students, they are refining their Navvy platform to generate personalized application roadmaps and automate benefits submissions. Simultaneously, SBNC leverages their network of student and administrator advocates to push for state policies that streamline student benefit access.
SBNC plans to scale their reach from 88 campuses to 500 within the next three years through collaborations with school, government, and nonprofit partners. By 2035, SBNC plans to work with all 4,000 US campuses to ensure every eligible student is automatically screened and enrolled using data schools already have. In the same time frame, they aim to work with 10 states through their policy efforts to remove the systemic barriers that make it difficult for students to prove eligibility and access benefits.
Impact
SBNC has screened more than 43,000 students across all 50 states for SNAP and Medicaid, referring them to $109 million in SNAP eligibility to date.
In 2025, SBNC expanded from 35 campus partners to 88, and is on track to screen an additional 25,000 students and unlock $100 million in SNAP eligibility.
Leadership
Paige Swanstein
Paige, co-founder and Executive Director, launched SBNC after leading a student group focused on basic needs at North Carolina State University. Her experience with basic needs insecurity while balancing her undergraduate studies and multiple jobs inspired her to get involved at the national level. During college, she also worked in a lab researching student food and housing insecurity and conducting outreach efforts to support students. Her work has been featured in Fast Company and Teen Vogue, and she is a TEDx speaker. She was also recognized on the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 – Social Impact list.