The Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) is a forty year-old CDFI that is using HFFI financing to increase healthy food access in New England and eastern New York State through the Healthy Food/Cooperative Communities initiative, which combines financing, development services, technical assistance, and data collection and measurement to increase low-income consumers' utilization and membership in co-ops. To supplement its HFFI financing, CFNE launched its Food Cooperatives and Healthy Food Access program (FCHFA) to help food co-ops better serve low-income communities. CFNE partnered with Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), a regional food co-op association, to document food co-op programs in this area, promote their efforts, and support them in innovating and expanding healthy food access for local food insecure households. Since 2011, CFNE has financed $3.6 million in loans to nine HFFI-eligible food co-op projects, for their development and expansion around low-access communities throughout New England. HFFI financing has supported projects such as Harvest Food Co-Op in Boston; River Valley Market in Northampton; and North Quabbin Food Co-op in Orange, MA.  You can find more information here.

Source of money: HFFI CDFI-Financial Assistance Program

Note: The Cooperative Fund of New England is a CDFI headquartered in Massachusetts that is working throughout New England and eastern New York State.