Colorado Community Food Access Program

The Community Food Access Program was established in spring of 2022 in House Bill 22-1380 "to improve access to and lower prices for healthy foods in low-income and underserved areas of the state by supporting small food retailers." The program includes a Community Food Consortium for small food retailers and Colorado-owned and Colorado-operated farms, as well as the Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience grant program. In 2023, the Community Food Access program was expanded to include refundable tax credits for small food retailers and small family farms who make costly equipment purchases or incur delivery or distribution fees to increase access to healthy food in low-income and underserved areas of Colorado. The Community Food Access Program is funded in part by State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

Small food retailers, and Colorado-owned and Colorado-operated farms and small family farms, serving low-income and underserved areas of Colorado. See the program page for tax-credit and grant-specific eligibility.

Two funding legs, and only one is still open.

LIVE — Community Food Access Equipment Tax Credit (a refundable Colorado income tax credit, not a grant):

• Rate: 75%. "Small Food Retailers and Small Family Farms - your costly equipment purchases may be eligible for a refundable income tax credit equal to 75% of the amount you spent." Restated at award: "The tax credit amount is 75% of the purchase price of your equipment."

• Refundable, so it pays out even if you owe little tax: "If your tax credit amount exceeds what you owe the State of Colorado in taxes that year, the difference will be paid to you by the Department of Revenue."

• No per-business cap is published. The constraint is the annual pool: "A maximum of $10 million in tax credits will be issued each year for this program between 2024 - 2030" and "Once $10 Million in tax credits have been issued in a calendar year, no more credits will be issued that year." Plenty was left mid-year: "As of June 18, 2026, $82,774 in tax credits have been issued of $10 Million in funds available for the 2026 calendar year."

• Timing rule: equipment "must be purchased in the calendar year for which the certificate will be issued." Deadlines: "The deadlines in 2026 are April 30th, August 31st, and December 31st." First priority goes to businesses that have never received a CFA tax credit.

CLOSED — Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience Grant: "There will not be another round of Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience Grants." For reference, "A total of $5 million in grants has been awarded" across "116 grants... in 42 Colorado counties" over two rounds between September 2023 and March 2024; no per-award cap was published, and "Awardees were paid the award amount in full after the beneficiary attestation is signed."

The refundable Tax Credit has application periods that close April 30th, August 30th, and December 31st, 2026 (the final day to apply for a tax credit for equipment purchased in 2025 is December 31st, 2026). Grant opportunities under the Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience grant program are administered periodically; check the program page and sign up for the newsletter for the latest updates. Questions: cda_cfa@state.co.us or 303.869.9067.