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Rural Health Information Hub

America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund Loans and Technical Assistance

 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.872
Link
View Program Website
Sponsors
Healthy Food Financing Initiative, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Deadlines
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Contact

Anne Misak
help@investinginfood.com
215.574.5862

Purpose

The America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund is offering loans and technical assistance funding for projects related to food retail supply chain resiliency, access to healthy foods in underserved areas, employment, and low-income community revitalization. Loans are one-time investments of capital to address barriers to entry in the food retail or food enterprise fields for rural and other areas. Technical assistance funding will support planning and pre-development projects that build capacity to develop a food retail outlet or food enterprise.

Priority is given to projects that:

  • Are located in low-income communities
  • Create or retain jobs for low-income residents
  • Support regional food systems and locally grown foods
  • Are accessible by public transit
  • Involve or are owned by women and/or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
  • Are located in rural areas
  • Are in areas underserved by HFFI investment
Eligibility

Eligible organizations include:

  • For-profit business enterprises
  • Cooperatively owned businesses
  • Tax-exempt nonprofit corporations
  • Institutions of higher education
  • State and local government and governmental agencies, authorities, commissions and food policy councils (not eligible for loans)
  • Tribal governments and tribal governmental agencies, authorities, and food policy councils (not eligible for loans)
Geographic coverage
Nationwide
Amount of funding

Loans:
Award ceiling: $5,000,000
Award floor: $500,000
Estimated number of awards: 3-8
Estimated total program funding: $16,000,000
Terms and interests vary.

Technical Assistance:
Award ceiling: $100,000
Estimated total program funding: $1,500,000

Application process

A link to the application instructions and Funding Inquiry Form is available on the program website. To begin the application process, submit a Funding Inquiry Form. Eligible applicants will receive an invitation to submit a full application. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Applicant webinar recording: Grants and TA Overview

Applicant webinar recording: Loans Overview

Tagged as
Capital funding · Community and economic development · Employment and unemployment · Food security and nutrition · Poverty · Racial and ethnic groups · Women

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