NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 17, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Tennessee State Director Arlisa Armstrong today announced that USDA is partnering with Reinvestment Fund to help organizations strengthen local food financing programs and improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities in Tennessee.
“Today, through funding made available by USDA Rural Development, Reinvestment Fund is selecting 2 partnerships in Tennessee to receive more than $3.9 million in grants under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Partnerships Program,” said Tennessee State Director Armstrong. “We are proud to partner with Knox Healthy Food Financing Initiative and Delta Healthy Food Financing Partnership to ensure that these funds and resources reach the communities where they are needed most, so people can find nutritious food options anywhere they live.”
Through funding made available primarily by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Reinvestment Fund has selected 16 public-private partnerships to receive $40.3 million in grants under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Local & Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program to expand access to nutritious and affordable foods in 20 states and Washington, D.C.
This program provides financing to local, state and regional organizations that partner together to provide financing and technical assistance to food retailers in underserved communities. Funding for this program is made possible by the 2023 expansion of HFFI, which created the HFFI Partnerships Program to bring in new partners that can address food access for even more underserved communities than before.
This announcement is part of USDA’s comprehensive set of efforts, bolstered by funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act, to create more and better markets that benefit both producers and American consumers. HFFI is designed to support new and expanded markets for a diversity of growers while helping people access healthy foods.
The 16 partnerships being announced today represent 75 local organizations across the country. They will create or expand food financing programs and increase access to healthy food for people living in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
In Tennessee:
- The Knox Healthy Food Financing Initiative will use funding to create an equitable future for the Knoxville, Tennessee community where fresh, healthy food is abundant, and the most vulnerable neighbors and communities thrive. To fulfill this mission, the partnership will launch a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to both assist in a Healthy Food Retail and Entrepreneur Assessment and develop the Program for Healthy Food Enterprises and Healthy Food Retail.
- The Delta Healthy Food Financing Partnership will use funding to establish and sustain the Delta Healthy Food Financing Initiative (Delta-HFFI). Delta-HFFI’s mission is to build stronger, more equitable and resilient food systems in the Delta Region. Delta-HFFI will serve food retailers, food enterprises, and underserved communities in five states in the Delta region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
A full description of the partner organizations, their respective missions, and the communities they serve is available online.
Background
Many low-income communities lack adequate, affordable access to healthy food. HFFI provides grants and loans to entities that offer healthy foods in communities that are underserved by grocery stores and other food retailers. The program increases access to healthy foods, provides new market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, stabilizes small and independent retailers, and creates good-paying jobs and economic opportunity in low-income communities.
Through the HFFI, USDA partners with Reinvestment Fund to bring healthy food options to underserved rural, urban and Tribal communities. Reinvestment Fund serves as the National Fund Manager for USDA. It raises capital; provides financial and technical assistance to regional, state and local partnerships; and helps fund projects to improve access to fresh, healthy foods in underserved areas.
In August 2023, Reinvestment Fund expanded America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative to include the new HFFI Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery Subscriber Page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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