Michigan Healthy Food Access Grant

info@miramw.org
248.671.9600

The Michigan Healthy Food Access Grant offers funding to small businesses in the retail and wholesale food industry that are working to improve access to fresh, affordable, high-quality food in USDA designated food deserts in Michigan.

Eligible uses of funding:

• Capital expenditures necessary for stocking of products not readily available – or available at minimal levels – at an applicant's retail/wholesale location, such as:
  • Refrigeration equipment to stock and display a variety of fresh produce, dairy products, and unprocessed foods
  • Equipment for the processing and production of packaged eligible foods
  • Purchase of start-up inventory of eligible food products
  • Expansion of a space to add equipment necessary to stock/display eligible food inventory
  • Point-of-Sale (POS) software designed to track sales of eligible products
  • Construction of community gardens established by federally registered nonprofit organizations
  • Minor infrastructure improvements necessary to accommodate added equipment/software to fulfill the requirements of the grant
• Expenditures designed to inform and educate consumers of the availability of new or expanded health food options, including:
  • Marketing materials, informing consumers of enrollment in grant program providing new or expanded healthy food options
  • Social media and website improvements, informing consumers of enrollment in grant program providing new or expanded healthy food options
• Additional, approved expenditures that are necessary to fulfill the requirements and objectives of the proposed project

Food product inventory is limited to foods approved by the United States Department of Agriculture Food Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) as part of the Supplemental Assistance Food Program (SNAP) list of staple foods.

Eligibility requirements:

• The applicant and project location must fall within a USDA designated food desert
• Awardees will be required to provide quarterly reporting of sales and expenses related to the grant award
• Applicants must have no existing or outstanding public health code violations. Any pending violations must be resolved to the satisfaction of local public health inspectors.
• Applicants must have no existing or outstanding building code violations.
• Applicants must be in good standing and current with the state of Michigan and their local municipality in regard to all tax obligations.
• If the applicant has a license with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC), the license must be active and in good standing.

Award ceiling: $100,000
Project period: Up to 2 years

Capital/building improvements are limited to $15,000 of grant award amount and must be matched 1:1 by the recipient.

A link to the online application is available on the program website.