Enhancing Access to Healthy Food in Montana
The Montana Local Food Financing Partnership (MLFFP) is an initiative led by Mission West Community Development Partners to address funding gaps and barriers for food businesses. Supported by the Healthy Food Financing Initiative and administered in cooperation with Hopa Mountain and the Montana Department of Agriculture, the MLFFP is dedicated to improving access to nutritious food in underserved communities, creating good quality jobs, and revitalizing low-income areas across the state.
Matching Funds Program
The intent of the MLFFP Matching Funds Program is to enable eligible businesses to meet the 50% cost-share requirement for a successful Montana Grow Through Agriculture (GTA) grant proposal. Businesses must satisfy all four of the following criteria to be determined eligible to receive MLFFP matching funds:
1) Operate in the food retail supply chain – this includes businesses such as:
- Grocery stores and similar retail storefronts
- Food hubs and other aggregators that supply retail outlets
- Direct-to-consumer programs such as CSAs
2) Offer a full plate of food products including both staple and perishable goods
3) Be authorized or in the process of becoming authorized to accept SNAP benefits
4) Be located or supply markets within designated underserved areas in Montana
- Underserved status is assessed by the Healthy Food Financing Initiative using income and food access data. A map of eligible underserved areas is available online at: https://www.investinginfood.com/eligibility/
Application Process
All businesses seeking MLFFP funding as match for a 2024 GTA grant proposal must complete the program intake form below by October 31.
Completion of this intake form constitutes a formal request to be considered for MLFFP funding and grants permission to release the business name provided on your GTA pre-application to Mission West.
Mission West will determine the eligibility of your business using your intake form responses and may contact you to request additional information if needed to make an accurate determination.
Businesses that request MLFFP funding and are invited to submit a full GTA application will receive an eligibility status letter from Mission West. This letter will serve as sufficient documentation for eligible businesses to account for MLFFP funds as match within their full GTA application budget.
Eligible businesses that are successful in their full GTA application will receive MLFFP matching funds in equal to the 50% cost-share amount reflected in their application budget. Mission West will execute award agreements and host an onboarding session prior to disbursing funds to eligible GTA grant recipients.
To find out if you are eligible click the button or scan the QR code below:
