Financial and Technical Assistance Available through the HFFI Inaugural Grants Program
A note from our friends at Reinvestment Fund:
The Healthy Food Financing Initiative has announced the availability of $1.8 million in financial and technical assistance to support eligible fresh food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas. Funding for the HFFI grants program is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Managed by Reinvestment Fund, the program offers financial resources and expertise to eligible healthy food retail projects to expand access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-income communities.
To be eligible for assistance, healthy food retail projects must: 1) plan to expand or preserve the availability of staple and perishable foods in underserved areas with low and moderate-income populations; and 2) accepts or plans to accept benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).
Financial assistance awards are available through a competitive application process to eligible fresh food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas. The program aims to support innovations in fresh food retail and could assist projects with a variety of aspects of store development, renovation, and expansion, including predevelopment and store improvements. Technical assistance awards will provide selected projects with managerial, financial or operational consultation, as well as marketing and feasibility studies. Technical assistance is available for early stage work where resources would help clarify and support the development of a healthy food access project in an underserved area.
Request for Assistance (RFA) application and additional information is available through www.investinginfood.com. Questions may be directed to info@investinginfood.com. The deadline for applications is February 14, 2019.