Grants support new and existing food retailers to improve food security in urban and rural food deserts 

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin on Nov 27th, announced the pre-proposal and application dates for the next round of Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) program grants. Administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the VFAIF program supports local food systems by investing in new or expanding food retailers that address fresh food access issues in the Commonwealth. 

The pre-proposal period, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024, allows interested applicants to submit proposals to ensure mandatory requirements are met and to ask questions. The application period for both programs will begin on Feb. 3, 2025, and end on Feb. 28, 2025. Grant awards will be announced in the spring 2025. 

“Improving food access and building partnerships with community food organizations and private industry is an innovative approach to increasing access to nutritious food and eliminating hunger in urban and rural Virginia,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “In addition to increasing market opportunities for our farmers, focused expansion of the VFAIF program helps us to incentivize economic development, support Virginia farmers, and create jobs in the Commonwealth.” 

The VFAIF program provides grants from $10,000 up to $50,000, to support business development, construction, rehabilitation, equipment upgrades, or expansion. Eligible grant recipients include grocery stores, small food retailers, and innovative food retail projects in low-income communities that experience low access to fresh food. VDACS is encouraging submissions from eligible projects from communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, or other recent natural disasters.  

For the upcoming funding round, VDACS is expanding the VFAIF program to include a large-scale retailer category, competing for grant awards of $100,000 up to $250,000. Large-scale retailer grants are only available for grocery stores, exceeding 15,000 sq. ft., that are located in underserved communities and meet published program guidelines, including a requirement for accepting expenditures of benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance program and participating in a program that matches or supplements these benefits, such as Virginia Fresh Match. 

“The VFAIF program helps to improve our ability of addressing food deserts and grow food access in the communities that need it the most. The new focus on larger retailers allows us to leverage scale to expand food access, with consideration given to areas of the Commonwealth impacted by natural disasters,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. 

To access additional information on either VFAIF program, please visit  www.vdacs.virginia.gov/marketing-food-access-investment-fund.shtml. Program applications are also available on the VFAIF website. Interested applicants should visit the VFAIF website often for program updates and application workshops.