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Funding Sources For Healthy Food Retail : Category - Federally recognized indian tribes

California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)

Block Grants

State-run block grant programs, like their federal counterparts, fund economic and community development strategies in low- to moderate-income communities. Federal law requires that states use at least 70 percent of all CDBG grant money for activities that benefit low- to moderate-income people. Projects include planning and technical assistance grants for businesses, infrastructure improvement grants to support business development, and lending programs for private enterprise through the California Community Economic Enterprise Fund.

Eligibility: 

State CDBG programs grant resources to jurisdictions not eligible for federal Community Development Block Grants. These include cities of fewer than 50,000 people and counties with fewer than 200,000, and include specific allocations to Native American and Colonias jurisdictions.

Project Example: 

El Dorado County, California: Farmers' Market
Funding from a California CDBG was used to conduct a farmers' market feasibility study in this rural Northern California county.

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Agricultural Marketing Services Program (AMS)

The Agricultural Marketing Services' Farmers' Market Promotion Program (FMPP) offers grants to help improve and expand domestic farmers' markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Approximately $1 million was allocated for 2007, with the amount awarded for any one proposal not to exceed $75,000.

Eligibility: 

Entities eligible to apply include agricultural cooperatives, local governments, nonprofit corporations, public health corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers' market authorities, and tribal governments.

Project Example: 

Davis, California: Farmers' Market Foundation
In 2006, the FMPP awarded $41,800 to the Davis Farmers' Market Foundation to create new marketing opportunities for vendors through an innovative partnership with the Davis Joint Unified School District.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Intermediary Relending Program (IRP)

The IRP provides funds to local intermediary organizations to establish revolving loan funds (recirculated into new loans for other projects) toward reducing poverty and expanding economic activity and employment in disadvantaged rural communities. The intermediary organizations are responsible for lending money to finance business creation, upgrade, or expansion; acquire and develop land; conduct feasibility studies; and carry out other related economic development activity.

Eligibility: 

Private nonprofit corporations, public agencies, Indian groups, and cooperatives with at least 51 percent rural membership aimed at increasing income for producer members or purchasing power for consumer members may apply for intermediary lender status. Loans may be made to the following entities, provided they are located in a rural area (an area with a population of 25,000 or less):

  • Individual citizens or individuals who have been legally admitted to the United States
  • Entities that are able to incur debt, give security, and repay the loan
  • Corporations, partnerships, limited liability corporations, individuals, nonprofit corporations, or public bodies

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG)

Rural Business Opportunity Grants are aimed at promoting sustainable economic development in rural communities, which includes supporting technical assistance for rural businesses and training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials. Activities funded by the RBOG include real estate acquisition, building construction, and development. The maximum grant amount for projects serving one state is $50,000, or $150,000 for those serving two or more states.

Eligibility: 

Applicants must be public entities, nonprofit corporations, Indian tribes, or cooperatives with primarily rural members.

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economic Development Administration (EDA)

The Economic Development Association provides grants to communities to leverage commercial and industrial investment and job creation. It is designed to serve rural and urban areas experiencing high unemployment, low income, or other indicators of severe economic distress. The EDA has several grant programs that could support food retail projects.

Project Example: 

Mendocino County, California: Round Valley Indian Tribes Retail Project
The EDA awarded $437,000 for construction of a retail establishment to serve the Round Valley Indian Tribes, creating new jobs and generating private investment in excess of $1 million.

 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Community Food and Nutrition Program (CFN)

The Community Food and Nutrition Program provides funding for small programs that coordinate existing private and public food assistance resources to better serve low-income communities. This includes initiating nutrition programs in underserved areas and developing innovative approaches to meet the nutrition needs of low-income people. This program offers about 50 awards each year at a maximum of $50,000 per grant.

Eligibility: 

State and local governments, Indian tribes, and public and private nonprofit agencies (including faith-based and community-based organizations) are eligible. Historically black colleges and universities and other minority institutions are particularly encouraged to submit applications. CFN allots 60 percent of its funding for grants to eligible agencies for statewide programs; 40 percent is distributed on a competitive basis to states and public and private nonprofit organizations.

Project Example: 

Phoenix, Arizona: Farmers markets
Community Food Connections, a nonprofit organization, received a CFN grant to offer wireless point of sale terminals at 20 farmers markets so that food stamp customers will be able to use their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards to purchase fresh, local produce at the farmers market.

 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI)

BEDI grants are aimed at helping cities create jobs/businesses and promote other efforts to increase the local tax base by redeveloping industrial and commercial sites known to be abandoned, idle, or underutilized. A total of $32 million was awarded in 2007, and there is a cap of $2 million per grant.

Eligibility: 

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement communities and non-entitlement communities are eligible to receive loan guarantees. A request for a new Section 108 loan guarantee authority must accompany each BEDI application. BEDI and Section 108 funds must be used in conjunction with the same economic development project.

 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) Program

RHED grants are targeted at economic development and innovative housing strategies in rural areas. Two types of funding are available through this program:

Eligibility: 

Local rural nonprofit groups, community development corporations (CDCs), federally recognized Indian tribes, state housing finance agencies (HFAs), and state community or economic development agencies are eligible for these grants.

Project Example: 

Pendleton, Oregon: Mission Market
In 2001 the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation received a RHED grant of $400,000 to construct and operate a $983,600 grocery.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program

Section 108 is the loan guarantee provision of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, providing financing for economic development, housing rehabilitation, public facilities, and large-scale physical development projects. It allows communities to transform a small portion of their CDBG funds into federally guaranteed loans large enough to pursue physical and economic revitalization projects that can renew entire neighborhoods. This kind of public investment is often needed to inspire private economic activity of all kinds, including food retail.

Eligibility: 

The following entities are eligible for funds:

  • Metropolitan cities and urban counties (see the entry on the Community Development Block Grant program for an explanation of eligibility criteria for entitlement communities)
  • Non-entitlement communities that are assisted in their application by states that administer the CDBG program
  • Non-entitlement communities eligible to receive CDBG funds under the HUD-administered Small Cities CDBG program (the public entity may act as or designate a public agency as the borrower)
Project Example: 

San Bernardino, California: Food 4 Less Supermarket
The city of San Bernardino received Section 108 guaranteed loans in 2005 to fund the city's redevelopment agency, which will use the funds to finance acquisition, demolition, and relocation in support of two retail projects, including the development of a Food 4 Less supermarket. The two retail projects are estimated to generate 375 full-time jobs, at least 51 percent of which will be made available to low- to moderate-income individuals.