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The America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund, managed by Reinvestment Fund, is offering a significant grant opportunity for the 2024-2025 funding cycle. The HFFI FARE Fund will distribute a total of $60 million over five years, with at least $9,000,000 available in grants for this cycle. The fund also includes $16,000,000 for loans and $1,500,000 for technical assistance. The deadline for the first round of Funding Inquiry Forms is October 14, 2024.

What is the HFFI FARE Fund?

The HFFI FARE Fund is part of the broader Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which aims to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas by supporting food retail and supply chain projects. It provides financial and technical assistance to eligible organizations seeking to establish or expand food retail outlets or enterprises, particularly in communities with limited access to fresh, healthy food.

What is the Purpose of the HFFI FARE Fund?

The primary goal of the HFFI FARE Fund is to increase food access in underserved areas, enhance food supply chain resilience, and promote the creation and preservation of quality jobs. The fund supports projects that address the higher costs and barriers to entry for food retail in low-income communities, thereby helping to revitalize these areas and improve public health.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Eligible applicants for grants and technical assistance include:

• For-profit businesses
• Nonprofit organizations
• Cooperatively owned businesses
• Institutions of higher education
• State and local governments
• Tribal governments

Loans are available to the same entities except for state, local, and tribal governments, which are only eligible for grants and technical assistance.

What are the Requirements to Apply?

Applicants must submit a Funding Inquiry through the Reinvestment Fund’s online portal. Eligible projects must focus on expanding or preserving access to staple and perishable foods in underserved areas, particularly through retail operations that accept SNAP benefits. Projects should also demonstrate sustainability, community involvement, and innovation.

What Project Activities are Eligible for Grant Funding?

Eligible activities for grant funding include:

• Predevelopment and planning
• Brick and mortar facility development
• Equipment purchases
• One-time soft costs (e.g., training, marketing)
• Expansion of food retail or food enterprise operations

What are Allowable Costs for the HFFI FARE Fund?

Allowable costs under the grant may cover:

• Personnel salaries and fringe benefits
• Travel for project staff
• Furniture, fixtures, and equipment
• Construction and renovation costs
• Contractual services (e.g., consulting, design fees)
• Materials and supplies
• Other project-specific costs

What is the Funding Availability for this Program?

The HFFI FARE Fund has allocated $9,000,000 for implementation grants in the 2024-2025 cycle, with individual grant awards ranging from $20,000 to $250,000. The fund expects to award 36-60 grants during this period, with potential increases depending on the availability of additional funds.

What is the Grant Timeline?

• Round 1 Funding Inquiry Deadline: October 14, 2024
• Round 1 Application Deadline: December 12, 2024
• Round 1 Award Selections: March 2025

Subsequent rounds will have similar timelines, with deadlines in March and August 2025.

The full Request for Applications is available here.

For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.