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

Anne Misak
help@investinginfood.com
215.574.5862

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 increasing food access and strengthening, expanding, and innovating within the food retail supply chain. Loans are one-time investments of capital to address barriers to entry in the food retail or food enterprise fields for rural and other eligible areas. Technical assistance funding will support planning and other projects that build capacity to develop a food retail outlet or food enterprise.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must describe a project that creates or expands a food retail outlet or food enterprise that fulfills the criteria:

• Plans to expand or preserve the availability of staple and perishable foods in eligible areas with low- and moderate-income populations
  • For retail or food enterprise projects involving direct-to-consumer sales through SNAP authorized retail outlets, the proposed business model must sell an assortment of both staple and perishable foods, including at least 3 of the staple food categories: fruits or vegetables; meat, poultry, or fish; dairy products; and breads, flour, or cereals
  • For food enterprise projects that do not involve direct-to-consumer retail sales, the proposed business model must distribute staple and/or perishable foods to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) authorized retail outlets located in eligible areas that sell an assortment of both staple and perishable foods
• Will accept benefits under SNAP once the funded business model is in operation if the project involves direct-to-consumer retail sales
• Plans to maintain and improve food supply chain resilience

Priority will be given to business models that:

• Will be located in very low-income communities
• Will create or retain quality jobs for low-income residents in the community
• Will support regional food systems and locally grown foods to the maximum extent possible
• Will be accessible by public transit (in areas that are served by public transit)
• Will be located in/or serve rural areas
• Will be located in/or serve communities that have been underserved by HFFI investment
• Have completed real estate and business related predevelopment activities by the time of application submission, if applicable
• Are requesting short-term (36 months or under) bridge and other financing
• Have not been previously funded through the HFFI program

Eligible organizations include:

• For-profit business enterprises
• Cooperatively owned businesses
• Tax-exempt nonprofit corporations
• Institutions of higher education

Loans:

• Award ceiling: $3,000,000 with some up to $5,000,000 on a case by case basis
• Award floor: $500,000
• Estimated number of awards: 5-8
• Estimated total program funding: $22,000,000
• Terms and interests vary by loan type

Technical assistance:

• Award ceiling: $50,000
• Estimated total program funding: $1,000,000

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. Selected eligible applicants will receive an invitation to submit a full application.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until September 30, 2028 or until funding is expended.

For applicant assistance, take the Community Connector's screening quiz, then email CommunityConnector@investinginfood.com for assistance with understanding eligibility, what makes a strong HFFI project, and the funding inquiry process.

Program overview webinar
(Registration required)
August 18, 2026
3:00 p.m. Eastern

Loan readiness webinar
(Registration required)
September 1, 2026
3:00 p.m. Eastern