Healthy Food Financing Initiative

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) provides loans, grants, and technical assistance resources to improve and support access to fresh, healthy, affordable food in urban and rural underserved communities. HFFI is using additional USDA-allocated American Rescue Plan Act resources to expand its services and reach. With an additional $30 million in available grants, the Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program – which focuses on improving access to capital and capacity building – is the first funding opportunity available under this expanded initiative. Visit www.investinginfood.com for more information.

HFFI offers three program opportunities. The FARE Fund, the Planning Grant Program, and the Partnership Program.

For-profit businesses, cooperative businesses, nonprofit organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments and governmental agencies will be eligible to apply.

The program will support projects aiming to strengthen, expand, and innovate within the food retail supply chain. The program 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. Projects must demonstrate how their proposed project will contribute to food access through the availability of staple and perishable foods for retail sale.

To be eligible for assistance, applicants must propose a project that:

1. Plans to expand or preserve the availability of staple and perishable foods in underserved areas with low and moderate-income populations; and

2. If the project involves retail sales, accepts benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 USC 2011 et. Seq.)

To be eligible for financial or technical assistance through America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative, applicants must propose a project in an underserved area. Use the interactive map on this page to determine if your project’s proposed location qualifies as underserved.

See the most recent Request For Applications for instructions on how to apply.

• RFA Info Session Webinar- Recording

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Online Grants Portal Registration and Application Guide