The Reinvestment Fund has announced $3 million in financial assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund. These funds will support 14 food retail and supply chain projects across 14 U.S. states, targeting rural, urban, and tribal communities. The initiative focuses on improving access to healthy food, strengthening food supply chains, creating quality jobs, and revitalizing low-income areas.
The HFFI FARE Fund is part of a broader national effort to tackle food access challenges. Over the next five years, it will distribute a total of $60 million in grants, loans, and technical assistance for projects involved in planning, developing, or expanding food retail and supply chains. This funding is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act and is available to eligible communities in both rural and urban regions.
Funding will be used to assist a wide range of development activities, including renovation and expansion of food businesses. Technical assistance will also be offered to help early-stage projects establish sustainable food business models. The 14 awardees of the 2024–2025 Round 1 funding cycle were chosen from 145 applicants requesting over $41 million. The selected projects represent diverse models serving areas with low supermarket access, as designated by the USDA.
Among the awardees, several notable projects include the expansion of Freshly’s Market in Mississippi, the development of the Makoce Food Hub in South Dakota serving the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Lewiston-Auburn Community Market in Maine, a cooperative food retail and services hub. Another project, the Scale House Market and Kitchen in Washington State, will support disadvantaged rural farmers through a permanent market and commercial kitchen.
The HFFI FARE Fund is administered by the Reinvestment Fund in partnership with the USDA, continuing a legacy of supporting healthy food access that began with Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative in 2004. To date, more than $371 million has been invested in healthy food projects. The Fund is currently accepting Funding Inquiries for new implementation grants through August 18, with loans and technical assistance applications accepted on a rolling basis.
