(Philadelphia, PA | June 29, 2026) – America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), administered by Reinvestment Fund in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has opened applications for the 2026 round of funding for the Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program (HFFI Partnerships Program). HFFI is a national initiative that improves access to healthy food in underserved areas and strengthens food supply chain resilience across the country.
This second round will make $20 million available to public‑private partnerships that provide financing and technical assistance to strengthen food retailers and food supply‑chain businesses serving underserved communities. Grant awards will range from $200,000 to $3 million to support increased capacity and financing of food financing partnerships.
“Access to healthy food is about more than ensuring nutritious, affordable food is available—it’s also about creating jobs, revitalizing communities, and building a more equitable food system from the ground up,” says Don Hinkle-Brown, CEO of Reinvestment Fund. “This $20 million investment in public-private partnerships will catalyze improved access to healthy food and strengthen local economies, led by organizations that understand their communities best.”
The HFFI Partnerships Program supports local, state, and regional partnerships that expand access to staple and perishable foods. Building on initial awards of $40.3 million to 16 partnerships in 2024, this round will invest in partnerships that combine capital and technical assistance to help food businesses grow. Over the next five years, the program is expected to support hundreds of loans and grants, create and sustain local jobs, and increase healthy food availability in low‑income communities.
The HFFI Partnerships Program awards funding to partnerships that offer both financial products (loans, grants, credit enhancements) and technical assistance to food retailers and supply‑chain enterprises in underserved areas. Eligible applicants include new or existing public‑private partnerships operating at the local, state, or regional level.
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About America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative
The Healthy Food Financing Initiative works to increase access to nutritious food, create and preserve quality jobs, and revitalize low‑income communities by supporting financing and technical assistance for healthy food businesses. Reinvestment Fund serves as fund manager and program administrator for HFFI on behalf of USDA Rural Development. America’s HFFI has previously funded over $89 million in grants and technical assistance to food retail and food retail supply chain projects through the Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund, Targeted Small Grants, and Planning Grants, including $40.3 million awarded to 16 public-private partnerships through the HFFI Partnerships Program in 2024. The complete list of 2024 Partnerships Program awardees is available here.
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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.