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HFFI Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund is a grant from America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative and The Reinvestment Fund that funds food retailers, co-ops, and food access organizations expanding healthy food availability in underserved communities across the United States.
The FARE Fund provides capital and grants to support new or expanded grocery stores, farmers markets, mobile markets, and community food enterprises in low-income, low-access areas. Eligible applicants include food retailers, nonprofits, and community development organizations with projects that demonstrably improve access to healthy food for low-income populations.
The program also offers technical assistance to applicants alongside capital financing.
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FARE Fund | America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative FARE Fund | 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 FOOD ACCESS AND RETAIL EXPANSION FUND Due to delays caused by the Fall 2025 government shutdown, final award notifications for Implementation Grant and Technical Assistance applications will go out in early 2026.
The RFA was amended on July 23, 2025. See the summary table in the beginning of the RFA for changes. Download the Request for Applications (RFA) To be considered for a grant in Round 3 of the HFFI FARE Fund, Funding Inquiry forms must be received by August 18, 2025 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Any Inquiry Forms submitted after this date and time will not be considered. Inquiry Forms submitted outside of the SmartSimple online grants portal will not be accepted. To be considered for Technical Assistance Funding Inquiry forms must be received by September 1, 2025 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Any Inquiry Forms submitted after this date and time will not be considered. Loans will be considered on a rolling basis. Applicants will be contacted once their Funding Inquiry Form has been reviewed and, if eligible, will receive an invitation to submit a full application.
Review time for Funding Inquiries will vary based on the volume of submissions. 2024 – 2025 FARE FUND KEY DATES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS SUBMIT A FUNDING INQUIRY FORM The HFFI Food Access and Retail Expansion Fund (HFFI FARE Fund) is a new program under the expanded America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
Over the next 5 years, the new program will provide $60 million in loans, grants, and technical assistance for the predevelopment, planning, and implementation of eligible food retail and food retail supply chain projects. Competitive grants and technical assistance will be available for eligible food retail and food retail supply chain projects in the predevelopment and implementation stages.
In the 2024-2025 funding cycle, at least $9,000,000 is available for implementation grants, at least $1,500,000 is available for technical assistance, and at least $16,000,000 is available for loans. Grant funds will be distributed through three rounds of funding. Technical assistance and loans will be distributed on a rolling basis.
Grant awards will be up to $250,000 for implementation and up to $100,000 for early-stage planning, predevelopment, and technical assistance. Loans to eligible projects may range between $500,000-$5,000,000. Loans may be paired with technical assistance or a grant to strengthen the viability of the project.
The HFFI FARE Fund could assist a variety of organizations, business models, and capital needs of ventures that process, distribute, aggregate, market, and sell healthy, fresh, and affordable foods to underserved communities and markets.
Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed project will contribute to food access through the availability of an assortment of Staple and Perishable Foods for retail sale, either directly or as part of the retail supply chain.
Funding should build programmatic capacity, unlock additional sources of capital, catalyze project sustainability, meet financing gaps, and/or enable the next phase of project implementation for deeper impact or reach.
Funding is designed to support catalytic projects that aren’t able to access traditional financing and may be used for predevelopment activities, equipment, construction hard costs, acquisition of land or buildings, and other one-time soft costs such as community engagement and environmental assessment.
Eligible applicant entities include for-profit business enterprises (including a corporation, limited liability company, sole proprietor, public benefit corporation); cooperatively-owned businesses; tax-exempt nonprofit corporations; institutions of higher education ; state and local governments and governmental agencies, authorities, commissions and food policy councils ; tribal governments and tribal governmental agencies, authorities, and food policy councils.
Individuals are not eligible to apply to this opportunity. * State, local, and tribal governments are eligible for grants and technical assistance, but currently not for loans. Reinvestment Fund will host informational webinars to provide potential applicants with an overview of the RFA, the grant and loan application processes, information on how to navigate the online submission process, and to answer questions about the program.
No registration is required. To join each webinar, please use the following links in the webinar schedule below.
HFFI FARE Fund Overview : 2:00 PM Eastern Time on September 10, 2024 HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Fund Overview Webinar Recording HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Fund Overview Webinar Slides Grant and TA Overview : 1:00 PM Eastern Time on September 18, 2024 HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Fund Grant & TA Overview Webinar Recording HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Fund Grant & TA Overview Webinar Slides Loan Overview : 3:00 PM Eastern Time on September 25, 2024 HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Loan Overview Webinar Recording HFFI 2024 – 2025 FARE Fund Loan Overview Webinar Slides 2024-2025 HFFI FARE Fund Fact Sheet 2024-2025 HFFI FARE Fund Press Release 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.
Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Organization Overview and Background (250 words): Describe the applicant organization, ownership/management structure, size, relevant project partners, and experience relevant to the project.
Population, Community, and/or Market Served (500 words): Describe the critical elements and needs of the local food environment and community that would benefit from the proposed project.
Project Objectives, Activities, and Outcomes (750 words): Describe the overall project, community/market needs, goals, business model, revenue sources, project activities, timeline, and expected outcomes.
Need for and Use of Funds (500 words): Describe elements of the project for which you are seeking grant funding, why grant funding is needed, and what it will enable.
Project Impacts (250 words): Describe projected metrics of success such as revenue growth, leveraged capital, square footage created, jobs created/preserved, and sales revenue.
Project Timeline (500 words): Describe time needed to complete the project, overall timeline, and relevant factors influencing project timing and success.
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: For-profit businesses, cooperatively owned businesses, tax-exempt nonprofits, institutions of higher education, state/local/tribal governments and agencies. Projects must be in USDA-designated underserved areas. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Funding amounts vary based on project scope and sponsor guidance. Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is August 18, 2025. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Loan Program is a program from Reinvestment Fund (via USDA AMS) that funds healthy food retail and food enterprise projects to improve access to fresh and nutritious food in underserved communities. The program provides grants, loans, and technical assistance to help eligible healthy food retailers and food enterprises overcome the higher costs and barriers to entry in areas with inequitable food access. HFFI supports local and regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships and aims to create and preserve quality jobs while revitalizing low-income communities. Awards range from $500,000 to $5,000,000. Eligible applicants include food retailers, cooperatives, and food enterprises operating in or planning to serve underserved communities with limited access to healthy food.
USDA Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants is a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that funds projects improving access to healthy food and expanding economic opportunity in underserved areas. HFFI supports food retail and food retail supply chain projects, helps build the capacity of local and regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships, and provides financial and technical assistance to revitalize low-income communities. Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments. Award amounts range from ,000 to ,000.