Fresh Food Financing Initiative Georgia is a grant from Enterprise Community Partners, in partnership with Reinvestment Fund, expanding access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food in rural, urban, and Tribal communities. Through the HFFI Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program, over $40 million was awarded nationally in 2024 to support local food financing partnerships across 20 states and Washington D. C.

Eligible multi-sector partnerships may apply for both capacity-building and credit-enhancement activities to establish or grow local food financing programs. The initiative deepens the reach of federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) funding into underserved communities.

Partnerships Program | America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative Partnerships Program | America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative Stakeholder & Consultant Opportunities About the Healthy Food Financing Initiative Stakeholder & Consultant Opportunities Call for Application Reviewers Technical Assistance Providers HFFI Partnerships Program LOCAL AND REGIONAL HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING PARTNERSHIPS In April 2024, Reinvestment Fund awarded $40,336,270 in grant funding for the Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program (HFFI Partnerships Program) to support food financing programs in rural, urban and Tribal communities across 20 states and Washington D.

C. Learn more about the HFFI Partnerships Program awardees: HFFI 2023 Partnerships Program Award Book The HFFI Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program (HFFI Partnerships Program) is a new grant program under the expanded America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

The HFFI Partnerships Program will offer funding to support local capacity and capital to establish and grow local, regional, or state food financing programs.

The Program will offer grants to support partnerships between organizations from different sectors that will work together at the local, state, or regional level to improve access to fresh, healthy, affordable food by providing financial and technical assistance to eligible projects.

This new program will expand the impact of the HFFI program nationally and bring in new partners to address the complexity of food access in communities across America. Through support of local and regional Partnerships, this program will build capacity for local groups serving the needs of their communities and deepen the reach of HFFI into underserved communities.

The HFFI Partnerships Program offers financial assistance to eligible Partnerships for two types of activities. Applicants may apply for either or both capacity building activities and credit enhancement activities. Capacity Building activities will allow a new or existing Partnership to research, plan, or implement an FFP to provide more funding and technical assistance to Food Retail and Food Enterprise projects.

Credit Enhancement activities will allow Qualified Lenders in the Partnership to increase the deployment of financial assistance to Food Retail and Food Enterprise projects in Underserved Areas. The HFFI Partnerships Program is for regional, state, or local public-private partnerships that are organized to improve access to fresh, healthy foods and provide financial and technical assistance to eligible projects.

Partnerships include meaningful collaboration between two or more organizations. Partnerships must be public-private partnerships; one entity must be a public entity such as a local, state or a tribal authority, government, or agency; the others may be nonprofits, for-profit businesses, foundations, food policy councils, food systems and food access organizations, among others.

The HFFI Partnerships Program is not for food retailers or food enterprises seeking funding for a capital project. In 2023, up to $40,500,000 is available for HFFI Partnerships Program grants. Grant awards for capacity building activities will range from $200,000-$1,000,000 Grant awards for credit enhancement activities will range from $500,000-$3,000,000 Each grantee will be eligible for up to $3,000,000 in total award funding.

Future funding rounds may be available. The HFFI Partnerships Program will fund eligible Partnerships that are working to improve access to fresh, healthy food in underserved communities through providing technical and financial assistance to food retailers and food enterprises.

Grant funding may be used to establish, expand, or deepen local, statewide, regional, and other Food Financing Programs (FFP) that serve food retailer and food enterprise projects in underserved areas. Food retail projects include grocery stores and other markets that sell staple and perishable foods and accept SNAP from consumers.

Eligible food enterprises include food retail supply chain businesses that serve or work with food retailers. These FFPs should provide, or plan to provide, financial assistance such as grants, loans, or equity investments to food retail or food enterprise projects. FFPs may also provide technical assistance to those projects or to communities trying to improve food retail access.

Grant funding may be used to increase the capacity of current partnerships to go deeper in their current communities or expand to new communities. It may also be used to assist the development or launch of a new Partnership and FFP in an underserved area where resources have not previously existed.

Grant funding may be used to increase the ability of existing partnerships to provide financial assistance to food retail or food enterprises in their current communities or expand to new communities. For a detailed description of the program and eligibility criteria, please read the Request for Applications.

DOWNLOAD THE REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA) 2023 HFFI Partnerships Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 2023 HFFI Partnerships Program Informational Webinar Recording 2023 HFFI Partnerships Program Informational Webinar Slides 2023 HFFI Partnerships Program SmartSimple Application Guide 2023 HFFI Partnerships Program Fact Sheet Online Grants Portal (SmartSimple) Registration Guide About the Healthy Food Financing Initiative Any views, opinions, or recommendations expressed here are those of Reinvestment Fund and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Reinvestment Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status.