Arkansas Community Foundation invited applications from nonprofits who are helping to increase Arkansans’ access to locally grown and produced foods and/or working to strengthen the local food ecosystem, through programs such as the following:
- Programs that support underrepresented specialty crop farmers from minority (including women) or diverse communities, including technical assistance, equipment, supplies, administrative support or other needs.
- Programs that operate or pilot innovate strategies to aggregate specialty crops and/or connect local farmers/growers to distribution or retail markets.
- Programs that support local food ecosystems and collaboration among farmers/growers, technical assistance providers, co-ops, and others involved in food production and distribution (could include learning cohorts).
These grantees were awarded $30,000 grants, payable over 2 years.
Access to Local Food Grantees
- Delta Circles, West Helena – Delta Farmers Business Incubator
- Communities Unlimited, Fayetteville – Jefferson County Food Farmacy Pilot
- Zenenvirotech , Little Rock – Farm and Food Security Project
- Elaine Legacy Center, Elaine – Vacant Lot Farming
- Urban Patchwork, Little Rock – Establishing a Food Hub
- McElroy House, Dardanelle – Weaving a Web of Access: Growing Multi-Lingual Food Access in Yell County
- St. Francis House dba Community Clinic, Springdale – CSA Box Program
- Winrock Intl, North Little Rock – AR Food Systems Fellowship
- St. Joseph Center of AR, North Little Rock – Urban Farm Innovation Center
- University of Ozarks, Clarksville – Clarksville Food Hub