The HFFI Planning Grant Program recently announced grants to support healthy food retail and food retail supply chain projects that will improve access to fresh, healthy food in underserved areas through food retail. Grants are designed to be one-time investments of capital into project planning or predevelopment activities that will support the development and success of a sustainable business model. Funding for this program is made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Reinvestment Fund, which administers this grant on behalf of USDA Rural Development has selected 45 projects to be awarded a cumulative total of $5,834,068 in grants through the 2024 HFFI Planning Grant Program, and by my count, at least 14 of them are grocery co-ops! WOW! I’m so excited that a few of my current and former clients have been awarded this grant, including Shared Harvest Elgin Food Co-op. The Purple Carrot Market, Del Valle Cooperative, in Austin Texas, and another Texas co-op, Fronteral Food Co-op in Laredo, Texas. Congratulations to all the grant awardees! I look forward to the wonderful work that you will do as a result of this remarkable funding.
