The Massachusetts Food Trust Program is a public/private partnership overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and administered by the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund and Franklin County Community Development Corporation. The program provides loans, grants, and business assistance to support new and expanding health food retailers and local food enterprises in low and moderate income communities, in order to increase access to healthy foods and spur economic development.
The capital funds released by the Program offer local food businesses both small grants and below market rate loans. This lessens the risk for borrowers and provides a starting point that draws traditional capital lenders to the projects. The Program also provides pre-and-post loan technical assistance, in order to ensure that entrepreneurs are getting access to the resources they need to be successful and sustainable.
- Click here for the MA Food Trust Program Fact Sheet.
- For one-page summaries of all funded projects, click here.
- To visit the MA Food Trust Program website, click here.
- To view program eligibility criteria, click here.
- To apply for funding, click here.
The Facts
Data collected by The Food Trust shows that 2.8 million people living in low income areas in Massachusetts lack access to grocery stores, including more than 700,000 children and 523,000 seniors. Grocery stores included chain and independent markets with annual food sales of $2 million or more. Low income areas were based on incomes lower than the state wide per capita income level of $36, 895.
Top Massachusetts Cities with the most significant Grocery Gap:
Chelsea
- Springfield
- Taunton
- Everett
- Revere
- Lawrence
- Lowell
- Lynn
- Brockton
- Chicopee
The maps below highlight the grocery gap in the counties of the top ten cities in Massachusetts with low grocery store access. Fact sheets provide info on the potential impact of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program to help reduce food access disparities in cities like Revere, Springfield and Lawrence by expanding the capacity of local farmers’ markets, and bodegas and building more grocery stores.
Berkshire County Grocery Access Map | Hampden County Grocery Access Map | Suffolk County Grocery Access Map |
Bristol County Grocery Access Map | Merrimack Valley Grocery Access Map |
Additional Resources
The Food Trust| Emerging HFFI Programs
A list of the emerging Healthy Food Financing Initiative programs across the county including the Massachusetts Food Trust Program with additional information.
Municipal Strategies to Increase Food Access Toolkit
A report that presents strategies and methods to increase food access and food production in municipal systems. The toolkit is a tool that municipal staff, board members and community food advocates can utilize to improve food access in their towns and cities.
Sowing Seeds at the State Level: How Legislatures Strengthen Local Food Systems
A webinar featuring MPHA, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Healthy Food Access Portal
Find contact information for your elected officials, here.
Good Food Massachusetts: Municipal Resource Guide
The purpose of this resource guide is to inform local leaders of many resources available to increase access to healthy, affordable food and to make Massachusetts municipalities a healthier place to live, work, learn, and play.
2014 Environmental Bond Bill – Healthy Food Financing Language
Supporting Organizations to Date
Click here to add your organization to the list.
Act FRESH Campaign | Henry P. Kendall Foundation |
Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation | Hilltown Community Development Corporation |
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative | Hispanic-American Institute |
American Academy of Pediatrics – Massachusetts Chapter | Historic Boston Inc. |
American Heart/Stroke Association | Hockomock Area YMCA |
Be Well Berkshires | Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council |
Berkshire Interfaith Organizing (BIO) | Hospitality and Recreation Management Program, Quinsigamond Community College |
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission | Joint Coalition on Health |
BOLD Teens/Codman Square Neighborhood Council | Local Enterprise Assistance Fund |
Boston Alliance for Community Health | Madison Park Development Corporation |
Boston Community Capital | Massachusetts Alliance of YMCAs |
The Boston Foundation | Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations |
Boston Public Health Commission | Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging |
Brighton Main Streets | Massachusetts Association of Health Boards |
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center | Massachusetts Dietetic Association |
Brockton 21st Century Corporation | Massachusetts Farm to School |
Brockton’s Promise Healthy Start Promise Team | Massachusetts Food Association |
Cambridge Food & Fitness Policy Council | Massachusetts Law Reform Institute |
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission | Massachusetts Public Health Association |
Children’s Health Watch | Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition |
CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) | Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
City Fresh Foods | Metro South Chamber of Commerce |
CitySprouts | MetroWest Moves |
CommonWealth Kitchen | Mill City Grows |
Community Development Partnership | Montachusett Regional Planning Commission |
Community Health Network Area 9 | Neighboring Food Co-op Association |
Community Servings | New Entry Sustainable Farming Project |
Common Capital, Inc. | Northeast Harvest |
Conservation Law Foundation | Old Colony YMCA |
Conservation Law Foundation Ventures | Partners for a Healthier Community/Live Well Springfield |
Cooperative Fund of New England | Peppers Fine Catering |
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation | Pioneer Valley Planning Commission |
Dorchester Community Food Coop | Regional Environmental Council of Central MA |
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts | Revere on the Move
Roxbury in Motion |
The Food Trust | Springfield Food Policy Council |
Franklin County Community Development Corporation | Springfield Partners for Community Action |
Franklin Regional Council of Governments | Sustainable Nantucket |
The Fresh Truck | The Trustees of Reservations |
The Food Project | United Neighbors of Fall River |
Fun ‘N FITchburg | Vicente’s Tropical Market |
Greater Lowell Health Alliance | Voices for a Healthy South Coast |
Groundwork Lawrence | Worcester Common Ground, Inc. |
Growing Places | Worcester County Food Bank |
Health Care For All | Worcester Food & Active Living Policy Council |
Health Care Without Harm | Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce |
The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts | |
Health Resources in Action |