providing advice, assistance, and training pertaining to the many facets of healthy food retail. Such services may be provided on-site, by telephone, or by other means of communication. These services address specific problems and are intended to assist those seeking to expand access to healthy food retail.

any new or innovative way of increasing healthy food access outside of the traditional retail strategies (supermarket, grocery store, corner store). Alternative markets are often smaller in format and/or don’t involve a bricks-and-mortar structure to reduce the associated operating and overhead costs, examples include food hubs, mobile markets, and [..]

a public-private partnership in which property and business owners elect to make a collective contribution to the maintenance, development, and promotion of their commercial district.

a member-owned, member-controlled food retail business that often resembles a privately owned grocery store in the merchandise that they provide. Co-ops operate democratically and any profits generated are returned to the members.

locally based nonprofit organizations that work to help the residents of impoverished areas to improve their quality of life. Such organizations exist in virtually every major urban area of the United States today and in some rural communities as well. CDCs provide residents with a variety of different benefits, including developing and managing af [..]

a corporation or partnership that is authorized to provide loans, grants, or financial counseling in low-income communities. A certified CDE can apply to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund at the U.S. Department of the Treasury to receive a New Markets Tax Credit allocation, which provides tax credit incentives to investors for e [..]

a financial institution that has a primary mission of community development and provides credit and financial services to underserved markets and populations. CDFIs have provided critical loans to expand healthy food retail in many communities.

is located at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The fund was created for the purpose of promoting economic revitalization and community development through investment in and assistance to community development financial institutions. The CDFI Fund provides the New Markets Tax Credit Program to community development entities, which enable them to [..]

a process by which a community uses resources to attract capital and increase physical, commercial, and business development and job opportunities for its residents.

a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer and for the farmer to minimize risk by selling at the beginning of the season, which protects against crop failure and loss. The structure can vary, but in general a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vege [..]