Kansas Healthy Food Initiative Grant

The Kansas Healthy Food Initiative (KHFI) aims to enhance access to affordable, healthy food in Kansas through technical assistance and financing. Projects should focus on serving low-resource and underserved areas and be led by experienced operators. Eligible applicants include food distributors, grocery store developers, and local food producers. KHFI provides funding through a mix of loans and grants, with a typical structure of 15% grant and 85% loan financing to support various community projects.

NOTE: Funding in the form of loan/grant funding mixes. Two-step process:
KHFI staff reviews each application to determine whether the proposed project meets program eligibility criteria. (See Letter of Inquiry Deadline above)Applicants must first complete an online intake form. Then, an intake call is scheduled between the applicant and KHFI partners to learn about the project, answer questions, and potentially connect the applicant to additional resources. The intake form and intake call are used to determine if the proposed project meets KHFI programmatic goals, including serving low-resource and underserved communities in Kansas. Eligibility review typically takes two weeks.If eligible, the applicant is encouraged to apply for financing. (See Full Proposal Deadline above)Once a project is determined to be eligible, NetWork Kansas connects the applicant to a resource partner to assist in completing the KHFI financial application. Once the KHFI financial application is received, funding decisions are made by the KHFI Investment Committee.
Purpose
The Kansas Healthy Food Initiative (KHFI) offers technical assistance and financing designed to increase access to affordable, healthy food to improve the health and economic development of communities in Kansas.
Projects should be:

• Committed to healthy foodsCarried out in low-resource and underserved areasLed by experienced operatorsIntegrated with community needs
• Technical assistance may include:

Funding options for grocery store improvementsBusiness development resourcesWholesale distribution contactsProduce and food safetyFood access information for media outletsPoint of sale and technologyFood policy council connectionsConnections with other stakeholder groups and/or local projects
Loans, grants, and loan/grant mixes may be used for real estate acquisition, predevelopment, construction, rehabilitation, equipment, and infrastructure.
Amount of Funding
KHFI provides funding in the form of loan/grant funding mixes, which are typically composed of 15% grant funding and 85% loan financing, with grant caps dependent on total request.
Loan financing terms:

• Up to $2.5 million
• 1-15 year terms
• Competitive interest rates, based on available collateral
• Flexible loan structure

Eligibility

Eligible projects may be, but are not limited to:

• For-profit business enterprises
• Nonprofit corporations
• Agricultural cooperative corporations
• Public benefit corporations
• Municipal corporations
• Regional market facilities
• Public food cooperatives without membership fees
• Applicants may be, but are not limited to:
• Grocery store developers and/or owners (national chain, regional chain, singular retail outlet, small neighborhood store)
• Food distributors
• Local food producers
• Innovative food access entrepreneurs
• Nonprofit organizations
• City and county governments
• Alternative food projects, such as a farmers market or food hub