America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is a public-private partnership administered by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of USDA Rural Development to improve access to healthy food in underserved areas. America’s HFFI was established by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2018.
HFFI provides resources to eligible fresh, healthy food retailers and enterprises to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas. As the National Fund Manager for HFFI, Reinvestment Fund is responsible for leveraging private capital, establishing financing and technical assistance programs, and channeling capital to fund eligible projects and partnerships. Currently, Reinvestment Fund offers a targeted small grants program and technical assistance program through America’s HFFI.
In addition to USDA, HFFI has also been supported at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2010. To date, HFFI has helped leverage more than $220 million in grants and an estimated $1 billion in additional financing. It has also supported nearly 1,000 grocery and other healthy food retail projects in more than 35 states across the country, revitalizing economies, creating jobs, and improving access to healthy food.
HFFI has also been at the heart of a national effort by PolicyLink, Reinvestment Fund and The Food Trust to raise awareness on the issue of limited food access in many communities across America. Since 2009, the three organizations have been working closely to educate policymakers and other stakeholders on the need to improve access to healthy food in low-income, underserved, rural, suburban and urban communities.