Southern California food advocates awarded a $3 million seed grant from USDA to build a healthy food financing collaborative.

PRESS RELEASE MAY 2, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The partnership of Southern California healthy food advocates and community development financiers brought together by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council was selected as one of 16 organizations nationally for a Healthy Food Financing (HFFI) Partnerships Program award. The seed award, which the partnership hopes to leverage and expand into a larger regional initiative, will support financing programs for food retail and food supply chain projects. As the only program awarded in California, the Southern California project will invest in healthy food projects and enterprises in underserved areas of Southern California, building on the food access outcomes delivered over the past 15 years by the California FreshWorks Fund.

Reinvestment Fund awarded $40,336,270 in grant funding for the Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program (HFFI Partnerships Program). Funding for the HFFI Partnerships Program is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. National awards made by the Reinvestment Fund as manager of the HFFI Partnerships Program will fund rural, urban and Tribal communities serving 20 states and Washington D.C.

The HFFI Partnerships Program is designed to invest in local capacity and capital to establish and grow partnerships between organizations that are working at the local, state, or regional level to provide financing and technical assistance to food retail and food supply chain businesses in underserved communities. These investments help businesses across the food supply chain thrive and deliver fresh, healthy, and affordable products to low-income communities and communities of color. This historic public-private HFFI Partnerships Program will support more than 750 loans and grants over the next five years to support over 1,400 food retail and supply chain projects sustaining over 2,500 local jobs.

“I am thrilled to share the wonderful news that our collaborative, Southern California Healthy Food Financing Partnership, has been successfully awarded. This marks a significant milestone in our joint efforts to enhance access to healthy food retail in underserved areas across Southern California,” said Alba Velasquez, Executive Director of The Los Angeles Food Policy Council. “The initiative aims to strengthen local and regional food systems, ensuring affordable, fresh, and healthy food is accessible, supporting local producers, and contributing to economic opportunities in our communities.”

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) and Angel City Advisors will serve as the lead coordinators for the initiative. Key partners in this project include the City of Los Angeles’ Economic and Workforce Development Department, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, San Diego Food System Alliance, Food Access LA (formerly Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles), Genesis LA, Inclusive Action for the City, Mission Driven Finance, American Nonprofits, and Fractal Strategies. The funding is part of a broader national effort as outlined in the recent press release by the USDA, under President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING PARTNERSHIP

Type: Capacity Building and Credit Enhancement

Geographies Served: Southern CA

Summary: The Southern California Healthy Food Financing Initiative (SoCal HFFI) is a collaborative effort aimed at enhancing access to healthy food in underserved areas of Southern California, building on the groundwork laid by the CA FreshWorks Fund. The initiative engages small family-owned markets and food retailers in the Southern California region, particularly communities that have traditionally lacked access to capital required for sustaining food enterprises. A strong emphasis will be placed on inclusivity, including business ownership by women and BIPOC. By providing accessible capital within local food systems, SoCal HFFI strives to not only ensure the success of individual businesses but also catalyze a larger community uplift.

COORDINATING PARTNERS:

Los Angeles Food Policy Council

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) works to ensure food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable for all. We believe Good Food for All is possible and that all communities deserve access to good food, grown in a way that respects people and the planet. We work to create a local food system free from hunger, rooted in equity and access, supportive of farmers and food workers, and guided by principles of environmental stewardship and regeneration. To accomplish our vision of Good Food for All, we catalyze, coordinate and connect people across the LA region, including government, business and community groups working on food.

Angel City Advisors

Angel City Advisors facilitates the flow of capital and expertise to expand opportunity, elevate community-generated ideas, and achieve equity. Placing a premium on market-oriented solutions to social challenges, Angel City considers itself a social enterprise. Founder and CEO Daniel Tellalian was an active designer and implementation partner in the first two California FreshWorks initiatives (total financings over $140 million) as well as an advisor for other food financing initiatives and impact funds.