OFN Member Awards $1.8 Million to Improve Healthy Food Access Nationwide
On August 27, Philadelphia-based OFN member Reinvestment Fund 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.
“Access to healthy food is about more than making sure all Americans have easy access to nutritious, affordable food—it is also about strengthening local economies and community infrastructure,” said Don Hinkle-Brown, President and CEO of Reinvestment Fund. “The response to this funding opportunity is indicative of the immense need and the innovative approaches communities are undertaking to support equitable access to fresh, healthy food for everyone.”
Of the 10 financial assistance awardees, seven serve rural communities and eight are minority-, women- and/or tribal-owned businesses or organizations. Six of the grantees are also projects located in or that serve very low-income areas, defined as census tracts where the median income is not more than 50 percent of Area Median Income.
Read the full press release.
See the list of awardees.