Learn more about successful projects and research studies advancing healthy food access in the community:
State & Local Policy Efforts
Cooperative Fund of New England
The Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) is a community development financial institution (CDFI) founded in 1975 that uses HFFI financing to increase healthy food access in New England and eastern New York State. It combines financing and technical assistance to increase low-income consumers' access to healthy food through co-ops. Since its founding, CFNE has deployed over $51 million from social investors to make over 900 loans to new or expanding co-ops and nonprofit organizations, creating or retaining 11,800 jobs, 5,800 units of affordable housing, and thousands of business ownership opportunities. CFNE has experienced a remarkably high borrower repayment rate of over 99%, due in part to the broad community involvement required to successfully launch a cooperative.
To supplement its HFFI financing, CFNE launched its Food Cooperatives and Healthy Food Access program to help food co-ops better serve low-income communities. CFNE partners with Neighboring Food Co-op Association (a regional food co-op association), and Hunger Free Vermont (a state-wide food security organization) to document, promote, and improve food co-op healthy food access programs. This program is working with thirteen food co-ops with need-based discounts serving over 2,000 households.
CFNE has received three HFFI awards leading to over $6.2 million in loans to ten HFFI-qualified food co-ops, for their development and expansion around low-access communities throughout New England.
HFFI Projects and Impacts
Brattleboro Food Co-op, Brattleboro VT, rural
- $942,418 of expansion financing
- 103 jobs
- 14,000 sq. ft. of grocery retail space
Source of money: HFFI CED Program; Fiscal Year(s): 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017
Fiscal Year 2011, $2MM, Fiscal Year 2012, $1MM, Fiscal Year 2015, $1.25MM, Fiscal Year 2017, $1MM committed
Are you working on a local or state policy effort in this state? Are you involved with a project supported by a federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant? Let us know at [email protected] or visit the Contact Us page to add to the Portal.
We encourage you to check out the following resources to learn more about or get involved with food access issues in your state:
- Research Your Community: Plug in your city, ZIP code, or state into this mapping tool to better understand key health, demographic, food access, and healthy retail characteristics in your community.
- Tap Into Your Local Food System: Read how you can get involved, including connecting with your local food policy council.
For a full understanding of Healthy Food Financing Initiatives from advocacy to implementation, see The Food Trust’s Healthy Food Financing Handbook.