Addressing Diabetes Through Community Solutions for Healthy Food Access in Minnesota

health.diabetes@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Health offers grants to improve health and reduce impacts of food and nutrition insecurity for people in Minnesota with or at risk for diabetes or prediabetes. Funding will support new or existing innovative models to help people reliably access high-quality nutritious foods, avoid hunger, and stay healthy.

Projects may include, but are not limited to those that:

• Increase community access and knowledge of nutritious and/or traditional foods
• Expand access to healthy, local, and/or culturally relevant foods and beverages
• Decrease access and intake of unhealthy foods and beverages
• Address organizational policies and practices to improve access to healthy foods and beverages, particularly in communities with limited access to high quality, culturally appropriate nutritious foods and/or with a high-density of establishments selling primarily highly processed foods and beverages that contribute to chronic diseases
• Support culturally responsive and community centered food distribution efforts
• Market healthy foods and/or beverages as beneficial and appealing to the consumer
• Support community-led gardening initiatives
• Increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) outreach and enrollment in communities facing health inequities
• Advance indigenous food sovereignty
• Implementation of healthy food and beverage guidelines in community settings such as youth sports, early childcare, community centers, vending machines, places of worship, retail, and restaurant settings

The program is designed to serve people who experience food and nutrition insecurity, with an emphasis on reaching populations at higher risk of prediabetes or diabetes, including:

• African American/Black communities
• American Indian communities
• Asian/Pacific Islander communities
• Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latine communities
• People living with disabilities
• Rural and low-income communities
• LGBTQ+ people
• People living with disabilities

Eligible applicants:

• Community-based organizations
• Nonprofit organizations
• Faith-based organizations
• Tribal governments
• Social service organizations
• Clinics or healthcare organizations
• Local government agencies

Award ceiling: $25,000
Award floor: $12,500
Project period: 21 months
Estimated number of awards: 2-4
Estimated total program funding: $50,000

Links to additional guidance and the application instructions is available on the program website.

Email completed applications to health.diabetes@state.mn.us.