Philadelphia | July 16, 2025 – Today Reinvestment Fund, a nationally-focused Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) headquartered in Philadelphia, joins the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in announcing $549,463 in Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative (PFJI) grant awards to 14 local Philadelphia organizations to create a more just food system. In total, the Initiative has provided nearly $2.4 million in grants to nearly 40 grantees since its launch in 2019.
PFJI provides funding to innovative, community-led projects that strengthen Philadelphia’s food assets and opportunities for individual and collective action to further food justice. The initiative is informed by health justice, the collective movement to heal society and remove barriers to individual and community well-being. PFJI is a partnership of Reinvestment Fund and the Health Department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (CDIP).
“Poverty and high food costs continue to impact families’ ability to afford healthy foods,” says Dr. Kinnari Chandriani, Director of CDIP. “Both contribute to food insecurity in Philadelphia. And for some Philadelphians, even finding healthy foods in their neighborhood can be a challenge. PFJI invests directly in grass-roots organizations and prioritizes community-driven solutions to food insecurity and food injustice. The Health Department is excited to partner with Reinvestment Fund and these 14 new grantees to create a more equitable food system in Philadelphia.”
PFJI prioritizes projects led by underserved and underrepresented communities as well as those who have directly experienced health injustice. To date, PFJI has awarded grants to 37 organizations that are owned or led by people of color and 28 organizations that are owned or led by women.
“We’re honored to work alongside our partners at Philadelphia Department of Public Health on the Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative,” Kahfii King, Program Manager, Equitable Food Systems at Reinvestment Fund. “This grant program is a unique and innovative approach to funding that has a direct impact on community-led organizations that center food justice and community resiliency. We’re thrilled that this cohort of grantees will have access not only to capital but also to individualized technical assistance to strengthen their own capacity as they increase food access in their neighborhoods across Philadelphia.”
Project grants awarded in this round ranged from $18,450-$50,000 and will support projects with essential personnel, supplies, equipment, and contractual costs. This round of grantees includes Get Fresh Daily (GFD), a Philadelphia organization that works to promote well-being and healthy living education through culturally relevant programs. GFD was awarded a $50,000 grant to support their Freedom Greens and Gardens initiative including its Black Farmers Markets program, continued nutrition education workshops and future community programming. Through this grant, GFD can further its goal to bridge the gap in health disparities in West Philadelphia by championing food equity and creating a culture of health and community connection throughout its work.
“Get Fresh Daily’s holistic approach to wellbeing is best exemplified through our Black Farmers Market which simultaneously uplifts local Black Farmers, small business owners and the community by making high quality food and healing products more easily and equitably accessible,” said Jiana Murdic, founder and director of Get Fresh Daily. “We are so grateful for the Philadelphia Food Justice Grant! This funding has been integral in helping us transform this passion project into a viable and sustainable business. With investments in strategic planning, systems infrastructure, and an experienced staff person to support market operations, we look forward to growing our Black farmers network and bringing more of their beautiful foods into our market and our local food system.”
A full list of 2024-2025 grantees is available at the Reinvestment Fund’s website.
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About Reinvestment Fund
Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that people in communities across the country have the opportunities they strive for: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs. We use data to understand markets and how transactions can have the most powerful impact, which has consistently earned us the top Aeris rating of AAA for financial strength and four stars for impact management. Our asset and risk management systems have also earned us an AA- rating from S&P. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $3.2 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment.com.