News

Reinvestment Fund’s HFFI Supports Food Access Across the Nation

Forty million Americans still live without easy access to fresh and healthy food options. But not if the Healthy Food Financing Initiative(HFFI), which provides financial assistance and technical assistance to food access projects, has anything to say about it. Set into motion by the Agricultural Act of 2014, the HFFI is a public-private partnership headed by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

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Erie Downtown Development Corporation Receives Grant to Help Develop Culinary Arts District

The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC) is among 13 organizations receiving a grant from an United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to help develop its Culinary Arts District in downtown Erie. A total of $400,000 in technical assistance awards was provided to the recipients from the Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) inaugural grants program.

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Cincinnati Co-op Grocer Scheme Awarded $80,000 from Government

The US Department for Agriculture (USDA) has awarded an US$80,000 (£65,560) grant to a Cincinnati co-operative grocer. Apple Street Market is planning a a full-service, community and worker-owned grocery store on Apple Street in the city’s Northside neighbourhood, offering food access for the underserved neighbourhoods of Northside, South Cumminsville, Camp Washington, and College Hill.

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Reinvestment Fund Awards $1.8 Million to Improve Healthy Food Access in Underserved Communities

Reinvestment Fund today announced $1.8 million in financial and technical assistance awards to 23 projects through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) inaugural grants program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Ten projects received a total of $1.4 million in financial assistance and another 13 projects received a total of $400,000 in technical assistance awards.

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Healthy Food Financing Initiative Announces Availability of $1.8 Million in Financial and Technical Assistance

Reinvestment Fund is inviting applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) inaugural grants program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.  As the National Fund Manager, Reinvestment Fund will offer financial resources and expertise to eligible healthy food retail projects to expand access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-income communities.

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2018 Update of the Limited Supermarket Access Analysis

Despite gains over the past decade, limited access to healthy food continues to affect urban and rural communities across the United States. Financing the construction of new supermarkets and the expansion of existing stores is one of the primary strategies to increase access to sources of healthy food in underserved communities. Reinvestment Fund’s Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) analysis is a tool to help investors and policymakers identify areas across the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia that have both inadequate and inequitable access to healthy food and sufficient market demand for new or expanded food retail operations.

This report summarizes Reinvestment Fund’s 2018 update to the LSA analysis, including results for selected regions as well as relevant changes to the methodology and data sources used in the analysis.

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HFFI Bill Would Expand Healthy Food Access, Revitalize Communities

Across the country, nearly 40 million Americans live in rural and urban neighborhoods where easy access to affordable, high-quality, and healthy food is out of reach. A new bill, introduced by Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Dwight Evans (D-PA), addresses this critical issue by bolstering an existing program that has demonstrated success in improving access to healthy foods and spurring economic revitalization in underserved communities. The “Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act” would reauthorize the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) program at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development, originally established at the agency in the Agricultural Act of 2014.

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Reinvestment Fund Selected as National Fund Manager by USDA

The United States Department of Agriculture announced the selection of Reinvestment Fund to serve as the National Fund Manager for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). The announcement is a capstone to Reinvestment Fund’s decade plus efforts to bring equitable access to healthy food to communities across America.

As the National Fund Manager, Reinvestment Fund will raise private capital, provide financial and technical assistance to regional, state and local partnerships, and channel capital to fund eligible projects that will improve access to fresh, healthy foods in underserved rural areas.

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