To help determine if food retail and food enterprises are in eligible locations, you can view this map: https://www.investinginfood.com/eligibility/

The term “Underserved Areas” will have the same meaning as “underserved communities,” which based on Section 6015 of the 2008 Farm Bill means a community (including an urban or rural community and an Indian tribal community) that has:

1. Limited access to affordable, Healthy Foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and
2. A high rate of hunger or food insecurity or a high poverty rate.

For the purpose of satisfying the project requirements for the Initiative an underserved area must either:

1. Be a Census tract determined to be a Low-Income and Low-Supermarket-Access Census Tract by the United States Department of Agriculture in its Food Access Research Atlas;
2. Be a Census tract adjacent to a Census tract determined to be a Low-Income and Low-Supermarket-Access Census Tracts by the United States Department of Agriculture in its Food Access Research Atlas; which has a median family income less than or equal to 120% of the applicable Area Median Family Income; or
3. Be a Geographic Unit as defined in 12CFR Part 1805.201(b)(3)(ii)(B), which meets the criteria as having low access to supermarkets or grocery stores through a methodology that has been adopted for use by another government or philanthropic healthy food initiative or demonstrates other criteria describing low access to supermarkets or grocery stores for an underserved community.

Grocery stores, mobile markets, food cooperatives, etc. that sell staple and perishable groceries in eligible underserved areas.

Food hubs, wholesale food distributors, food aggregators, etc. that work in support of food retail in underserved areas.

Yes, a loan to a commercial kitchen project is eligible if it increases access to healthy food for low-income, underserved communities and meets all of the eligibility requirements.

It depends on the project being financed. All projects being financed must increase food access for low-income, underserved communities.

If the business is selling direct to consumer, they must provide both staple and perishable foods and accept SNAP, and they must be located in an underserved area.

If they are along the food retail supply chain and selling their products to eligible food retail outlets, then the farmer does not need to accept SNAP, provide both staple and perishable foods, or be located in an Underserved Area (as long as the retailer they sell to meets all those criteria).

Farmers selling exclusively to non-retail (restaurants, schools, etc.) are not eligible projects to be funded by a FFP under this program.

In addition, HFFI funds cannot be used for agriculture (seeds, growing food, farm equipment, etc.).

For non-retail, or food enterprises serving the food retail supply chain but not selling direct to consumer, eligibility is based on whether or not the project will increase access to healthy food for low-income, underserved communities.

There are a number of factors to consider in this assessment.

• One of which is where the investment/project is located.
• Another is where the beneficiaries/eventual consumers are located.

It is possible that a food hub or food distributor may not be located in an eligible area but may be serving food retailers that are increasing access to healthy food for low-income, underserved communities (located in eligible areas) and that the project would qualify for HFFI.

SNAP double up or double dollar programs are not eligible for HFFI funding.

America’s HFFI is under USDA, which has other funding programs for SNAP incentive programs.

Loans to farmers markets to purchase SNAP-eligible EBT machines could potentially be eligible. The farmers markets would need to be located in eligible underserved areas, they would need to provide staple and perishable foods (so not just produce but also eggs, dairy, meat, grains, etc.), and they would need to accept SNAP soon after receiving the loan.

Please reach out Jennifer Bedrosian, Food Systems Coordinator, at jbedrosian@ptrc.org. We’ll be happy to discuss your specific situation.