HEALTHY STORES REFRIGERATION GRANT PROGRAM ACCEPTING FINAL ROUND OF APPLICATIONS

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SACRAMENTO – October 2, 2019 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Is announcing that a second competitive grant application process for the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program is now open through November 7.

In July CDFA announced more than $2.8 million in awards for 28 first-round grantees (see the complete list here). In the current round, CDFA will award up to $1.7 million. This will be the final round of the pilot program. A range of applicants are eligible to apply, including corner stores (or their equivalents, such as bodegas or neighborhood stores), small businesses, cities, counties, and nonprofits. There are two separate proposal applications: one for corner stores and small businesses, and one for cities, counties and nonprofits.

“Our Office of Farm to Fork is focused on building connections between farmers and all Californians while increasing access points to healthy, California-grown produce in order to lessen the impacts of food insecurity,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We’re proud that so many organizations were able to support this effort by taking advantage of grant funding in the first round, and we encourage more to apply in this final round.”

The Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program builds on the success of the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP), which offers nutrition incentives to CalFresh shoppers at certified farmers' markets, mobile markets, and select retail outlets throughout the state. Both the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program and CNIP were established by Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

“Your address should not determine your diet, but in reality, it often does,” Assemblymember Ting said. “I championed the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program because all communities deserve access to healthy and nutritious food options.”

Through the CDFA Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F), the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program funds energy-efficient refrigeration units in corner stores and small businesses in low-income or low-food access areas throughout the state. The refrigeration units stock fresh produce, nuts and minimally processed foods in the small retail environment for underserved communities.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, November 7, 2019. More information on the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program, including the Request for Proposals and Application Template, can be found at https://cafarmtofork.cdfa.ca.gov/hsrgp.html.