Grants for Food Access

Grants for Food Access is sponsored by The Reinvestment Fund Inc. (Healthy Food Financing Initiative FARE Fund). Food retailers, food enterprises, and related organizations in Maryland can seek funding to plan or implement projects that expand access to healthy foods in underserved areas.

Healthy Food Financing Initiative Awards Nearly $3 Million through Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund — Reinvestment Fund Grants and resources available for Early Childhood Education projects HBCU Brilliance Initiative Targeted financial support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities Food justice grants serving Philadelphia and the national HFFI program PA Coronavirus Small Business Assistance Program Social Determinants of Health Initiatives including national Invest Health and regional Building Healthier, More Equitable Communities in NJ Early Childhood Education Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) Investing in projects that are both targeted and transformative Financing for a variety of project needs Financing for a broad variety of projects from solar to energy-efficient retrofits Financing that supports small scale housing developers New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Leveraging private-sector equity and loan capital investment Aligning public investment and high impact services Lending & Investment Team Early Childhood Education Historically Black College & University (HBCU) A commitment to build strong, healthy, more equitable communities National reach with offices in Atlanta and Philadelphia What guides us as an organization Our founding, history and our industry Current career opportunities Meet our Board of Directors Concrete and measurable results Invest with us Nationally Options for individuals starting at $1,000 Invest with us in Philadelphia Investments towards enhancing the Philly region Supporting data-driven, strategic decision-making and investment to strengthen communities An analytic tool to guide neighborhood revitalization and equitable development strategies Limited Supermarket Analysis A tool to understand and address inequitable access to fresh and healthy food Housing Research and Analysis Quantitative and qualitative analyses on topics such as fair housing and eviction and foreclosure prevention Early Childhood Education Analytics Data-driven approaches to reducing gaps in access to high quality early learning Find our latest field-building research and reports Healthy Food Financing Initiative Awards Nearly $3 Million Through Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund Healthy Food Financing Initiative Grants Will Provide One-Time Investments to Projects Increasing Food Access in 14 Rural, Urban, and Tribal Communities (Philadelphia| July 24 , 2025) – Reinvestment Fund today announced $3 million in financial assistance awards to 14 food retail and food retail supply chain projects across 14 states through America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund.

The HFFI FARE Fund investment is part of the ongoing national HFFI program, which addresses the complexity of food access in communities across America. The purpose of America’s HFFI is to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas, support food supply chain resiliency, create and preserve quality jobs, and revitalize low-income communities.

Over the next five years, the HFFI FARE Fund will provide a total of $60 million in loans, grants, and technical assistance for the predevelopment, planning, and implementation of eligible projects aiming to increase, strengthen, expand, and innovate within the food retail supply chain. As a result of funding allocated by Congress in the American Rescue Plan Act, the HFFI FARE Fund is available for rural and urban communities.

HFFI FARE Fund funding will be distributed as grants, loans, and technical assistance. Grants and loans will assist projects with a variety of aspects related to project development, renovation, and/or expansion. Technical Assistance provided by HFFI FARE Fund will support capacity building for early-stage projects to develop a sustainable food retail or food supply chain business model.

“America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) continues to expand and support local solutions that provide access to healthy food,” said Don Hinkle-Brown, President and CEO of Reinvestment Fund. “With its expansion over the next five years, we can deepen our impact; strengthening local economies and community infrastructure. ” The 14 awardees for round 1 of 2024-2025 HFFI FARE Fund were selected through a competitive process.

There were 145 applications received requesting over $41 million in funding. The portfolio of round 1 FARE Fund awards represents a variety of food retail and food supply chain business models that will serve areas that lack access to food retailers, which includes USDA designated Low-Income, Low-Supermarket Access census tracts across 14 states.

50 percent of projects are located in Rural Areas and 29 percent of projects serve Very Low-Income Areas. 93 percent of projects will involve food retail businesses and 50 percent of projects will involve food retail supply chain businesses.

Awardees include: Holliday Helping Hands will use grant funds to expand Freshly’s Market, a full-service grocery store, to a second location in Smithville, MS. Makoce Agricultural Development will use grant funds for the development of the Makoce Food Hub supporting middle-of-the-food-supply chain activities, including storage, aggregation, distribution, and retail serving members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Lewiston-Auburn Community Market will use grant funds for the development of the Lewiston-Auburn Community Market, a multi-stakeholder cooperative business that will include grocery retail, a food court, shared cold and dry storage, and a shared commercial kitchen located in Lewiston, Spokane Conservation District will use grant funds for the development of the Scale House Market and Kitchen, a year-round permanent farmers market, mercantile, and commercial kitchen uplifting socially disadvantaged rural farmers in Spokane, WA.

Read the complete list of funded HFFI FARE Fund projects. The HFFI FARE Fund is currently accepting Funding Inquiries. To apply for an implementation grant, please submit a Funding Inquiry form by August 18th.

Applications for loans and technical assistance are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, please visit www. investinginfood.

com/fare-fund/ . As the National Fund Manager, Reinvestment Fund administers the HFFI program on behalf of USDA. The public-private partnership aims to provide capacity building and financing resources to stimulate food business development at scale and build a more equitable food system that supports the health and economic vibrancy of all Americans.

Beginning with the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) in 2004, we have developed a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to improving the food landscape for low-income people. Since that time, we have provided more than $371 million in grants and loans to healthy food projects. Media Contact: media@reinvestment.

com Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that people in communities across the country have the opportunities they strive for: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs.

We use data to understand markets and how transactions can have the most powerful impact, which has consistently earned us the top Aeris rating of AAA for financial strength and four stars for impact management. Our asset and risk management systems have also earned us an AA- rating from S&P. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $3.

2 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment. com .

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