New York State has awarded $8.5 million in grants to 69 farms, food processors, and distributors across regions, including Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, and the North Country. These awards are part of the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development (ITRD) grant program, aimed at helping agricultural operations enhance infrastructure and adopt "state-of-the-art practices" to improve efficiency and competitiveness. The funding supports investments in equipment upgrades, facility improvements, and technology innovations—key components for strengthening the middle of the supply chain and boosting business resilience. This presents a compelling example of effective public capital deployment to modernize agri-food systems. Community development stakeholders should take note of how such targeted, regionally distributed grants can amplify local capacity, spur economic activity, and reinforce food system infrastructure.

Farmers in Reno, Nevada—and across the state—are set to lose access to approximately $3 million in federal funding following the abrupt shutdown of the Southwestern Regional Food Business Center, which will cease operations this month instead of its originally planned 2028 end date. This USDA-supported center, part of a broader initiative to assist small- to mid-size food and farm businesses across multiple western states, had distributed only a fraction of its allocated grants—around $1.6 million—before its premature closure. The USDA leadership cited the lack of a sustainable, long-term financing model for these centers as a key reason for the termination. Over its two years of operation, the center had served 170 small to mid-sized businesses in Nevada, many of which are predominantly family-owned operations reliant on consistent federal support.

A pair of USDA-backed pandemic-era programs—the Local Food for Schools (LFS) and Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA)—that enabled schools and food banks to source fresh produce directly from farmers have been canceled in 2025, leaving a significant void in institutional purchasing networks. These programs previously injected over $1 billion nationwide into local food systems and provided vital market access for small and mid-sized producers. In Iowa, for instance, farmers and institutions lost an estimated $11.3 million in expected funding, and many producers had already oriented their operations around the continuation of LFS and LFPA. Growers and food hubs report that these programs had built momentum in regional aggregation and purchasing power, which is now at risk of unraveling—even state-level pilot programs such as "Choose Iowa" struggle to match the scale of federal investment.

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is awarding $1.75 million from its Food Equity Fund, financed through the city's Sweetened Beverage Tax, to 18 grassroots initiatives focused on food justice and access. Grants will support urban gardening, culturally relevant food distribution, youth and senior nutrition programs, and Indigenous-led food sovereignty efforts. For development finance professionals, the program demonstrates how dedicated municipal revenue streams can be leveraged to fund high-impact, community-driven health and food access projects.

Marathon Petroleum's Los Angeles refinery deepened its roots in community development by supporting the Heart of the Harbor Community Farm in Wilmington—a vibrant urban agricultural space managed by SBCC Thrive LA. Since its opening in 2022, the 55,000-square-foot farm has grown into a welcoming hub offering raised beds, gardening supplies, food giveaways, cooking classes, yoga, and wellness education—helping families address food insecurity while fostering connection and healing. Local refinery employees have played a key role through consistent funding and hands-on volunteering, reinforcing the farm as both an environmental asset and a community lifeline. This initiative offers a compelling model illustrating how strategic corporate-community partnerships can activate underutilized urban land, strengthen social infrastructure, and expand food access with measurable well-being benefits.

CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series: Unlocking Local Capital: The Power of a Food-Focused Loan Guarantee
September 30, 2025 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern

CDFA National Development Finance Summit
October 8-10, 2025 - San Juan, PR

CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series: Evaluating Success: Exploring Key Partnerships and Frameworks for Food Systems Financing
November 25, 22025 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern

>>> VIEW THE FOOD SYSTEMS RESOURCE CENTER   
>>> VIEW THE AGRICULTURE RESOURCE CENTER