NJ Innovative Healthy Food Retail Initiative
Grants for innovative, community-focused healthy food retailers striving to improve access to affordable, fresh, and healthy foods in underserved areas of New Jersey.
About the New Jersey Innovative Healthy Food Retail Initiative
The New Jersey Innovative Healthy Food Retail Initiative (“the Initiative”) supports community-led, innovative food retail projects that improve access to healthy food and promote economic growth in low-income, underserved areas of New Jersey.
In 2020, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) reported that 1 in 12 households experienced food insecurity, meaning 285,000 New Jersey households did not have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. In alignment with the New Jersey Food Security Initiative (NJFSI), our initiative seeks to maximize equitable food purchasing power and support community development by prioritizing innovative approaches to food access. The Initiative will offer grants to promising organizations to pilot, operate, and sustain innovative food retail approaches.
These community food enterprise (CFE) models must operate along the food supply chain, and may include innovative wholesale and retail businesses, non-traditional mobile and e-commerce retail, cooperative ownership and collective purchasing, community engagement strategies by independent grocers, and partnerships with anchor institutions and developers.
This is a two-year (2024-2026) community-centered effort to improve food access and nutrition to advance health equity in New Jersey. The New Jersey Innovative Healthy Food Retail Initiative is co-administered by Reinvestment Fund and The Food Trust and is funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Partners:
Award Size
This initiative will provide up to $1,500,000 for grants and technical assistance. Grant awards may be up to $200,000 each based on project type, need, and impact. Approximately 5-10 grants to eligible projects will be awarded.
Grant funding is intended to be a one-time investment that will support innovative business models that either process, distribute, aggregate, market, or sell healthy, fresh, and affordable foods to underserved communities and markets in New Jersey.
For a more detail information about uses of funds and eligibility, please carefully review the Request for Applications (RFA).
Eligibility
Due to the significant disparities in food access across New Jersey, to be considered for the Initiative, interested applicants must propose a healthy food retail project in an eligible underserved community. An eligible project will expand or preserve the availability of an assortment of staple and perishable foods in communities experiencing higher rates of hunger and poverty and historically limited access to fresh, affordable foods.
To be determined eligible for the Initiative, your project must:
- Serve a low to moderate income area with a median family income equal to or below 80% of median local income levels.
- Serve a Low Supermarket Access (LSA) area or be in a New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) designated Food Desert Community.
You may use the interactive eligibility map below to identify underserved areas across New Jersey. If you are unsure if a location is eligible, or have questions about location eligibility, please contact us.
Data mapped by PolicyMap, an online GIS mapping tool.
Application Process
The New Jersey Innovative Healthy Food Retail Funding Initiative is competitive. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis via Reinvestment Fund’s online grants portal. Applicants must submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) in order to determine eligibility. If eligible, applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis via Reinvestment Fund’s online grants portal. Applicants are encouraged to read the Request for Applications (RFA) before submitting an LOI. Please read the RFA for instructions on how to apply.
Letter of Interest and full application deadlines are outlined below.
Additional rounds may be added pending available funding.
For a detailed description of the Initiative, eligibility criteria and deadlines and how to apply, please read the Request for Applications
Resources
- Fact Sheet
- 2024 NJ IHFRI Informational Webinar
- 2024 NJ IHFRI Webinar Presentation Slides
- Wallace Center: Innovations in Local Food Enterprise
- NJEDA Food Desert Community Designation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Smart Simple Registration Guide
If you have questions about this opportunity or eligibility, please reach out to: nj-innovativehealthyfoodretail@reinvestment.com