Reinvestment Fund Boosts Healthy Food Access in Southeast with $1M Awards
Deal News | Jul 09, 2025 | EIN
Reinvestment Fund, a Community Development Financial Institution, has announced the allocation of almost $1 million in funding through their Southeast Food Forward program. This initiative is directed at bolstering community-based food enterprises that augment healthy food access in underserved communities across the Southeastern United States. The program will distribute $946,215 in grants and an additional $47,700 in technical assistance. The focus targets organisations that adopt cooperative-inspired models rooted in community collaborations and engagement. The awarded projects, which include 13 different beneficiaries, are centered on enhancing the post-harvest food supply chain through operations such as retail distribution and direct consumer sales of healthy food. These initiatives aim to address food access disparities identified through Reinvestment Fund's Limited Supermarket Analysis, with broader insights facilitated by their National Food Access & Financing Landscape Dashboard, both tools receiving funding via Walmart Foundation's Equitable Food System Southeast Initiative.
Sectors
- Community Development Financial Institutions
- Food and Beverage
- Philanthropy
Geography
- United States – The initiative and funding are focused on the Southeastern region of the United States, covering multiple states and aiming to improve food access in those areas.
- Southeastern United States – Specific emphasis on improving food security and increasing healthy food access in states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Industry
- Community Development Financial Institutions – The article centers around Reinvestment Fund, which is a Community Development Financial Institution, focusing on community investments and financial support to local food enterprises.
- Food and Beverage – Reinvestment Fund's Southeast Food Forward program targets market-based food enterprises, emphasizing the distribution of healthy food to underserved communities.
- Philanthropy – With the Walmart Foundation funding key initiatives, philanthropy plays a role in supporting the equitable food systems and access addressed in this article.
Financials
- $946,215 – The total grant amount to be awarded through the Southeast Food Forward program.
- $47,700 – Amount dedicated to technical assistance as part of the initiative.
Participants
| Name | Role | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reinvestment Fund | Funding Provider | Company | A nationally-focused Community Development Financial Institution funding local food enterprises to increase healthy food access. |
| Walmart Foundation | Project Funder | Company | Provides financial backing for the Equitable Food System Southeast Initiative, which underpins the funding distributed by Reinvestment Fund. |
| Acadiana Growers Alliance (AGA CO-OP) | Awardee | Company | One of the community-driven food enterprises receiving a grant to enhance food access. |
| City of Refuge | Awardee | Company | Included among 13 organizations benefitting from the Reinvestment Fund's initiative. |
| Song Community Development Corporation (VEGGI Farmers Cooperative) | Awardee | Company | Committed to distributing healthy food and supported by the Southeast Food Forward program. |
| Don Hinkle-Brown | CEO | Person | As CEO of Reinvestment Fund, Don plays a key role in driving the institution's mission to support equitable food systems. |