Up to $2.5 Million Available in First Round of Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience Grants
Barbara Crimond | Oct 21, 2023 | Comments 0
Broomfield, Colo. — Small food retailers and small family farmers will soon be able to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to expand access to healthy food in low income and underserved areas of the state. The Small Food Business Recovery & Resilience Grant, offered by the Community Food Access program at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, will start accepting applications tomorrow.
Small grocery stores, corner stores, carnicerias, farmers markets, farm stands, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, and small farmers may be eligible for the grant, which can cover costs of expanding food access such as equipment, operating expenses, storage or display shelving, and much more. A full list of eligible expenses can be found at ag.colorado.gov/CFAgrant.
“This grant aims to lower prices of healthy food and increase its availability in low income and underserved areas of Colorado by helping small food retailers and small family farms invest in their capacity to provide healthy food,” said Community Food Access Program Manager Mickey Davis. “Eligible businesses can apply for funding to cover the purchase of new cold storage, display cases to carry fresh food, point of sale machines that accept EBT cards, farming equipment, mobile grocery stores, delivery trucks, operating expenses, and more.”
The first round of the Small Food Business Recovery & Resilience Grants will open on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 and applications will be accepted until November 7 at 5:00 pm MDT. A second round of the grant is projected to open in early 2024. If funds remain, a third round may open later in 2024. Up to $6 million total funds will be distributed as grants.
One of the priorities of the Colorado Department of Agriculture is to advance local food access. The Community Food Access (CFA) program is part of CDA’s efforts to support the development of local food networks by helping communities access fresh, healthy food from farms and ranches across Colorado.
For support filling out an application, please contact CDA_CFA@state.co.us. Additionally, information sessions for interested applicants will be held virtually on:
Thursday, October 26, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Spanish interpretation will be provided. Registration links and more information about the grant and informational sessions can be found at ag.colorado.gov/CFAgrant.
CFA and the Small Food Business Recovery and Resilience Grant were established in House Bill 22-1380, utilizing State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The rules of the grant program were developed with extensive feedback from the CFA Grant Advisory Committee and stakeholders across the state.
For more information about the Community Food Access Program, including more information about the grant and registration links for the informational sessions, please visit ag.colorado.gov/CFA.
Filed Under: Agriculture • Featured • Health • Media Release
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