Montgomery County will begin accepting applications for its Food Access Grant Program at 10am on Monday, May 4th. The Food Access Grant funding will be used to provide food assistance to hard-to-reach communities in Montgomery County during the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-profit organizations can apply for up to $75,000.
Applications for the grants are due by noon on Friday, May 8th and funds will be distributed beginning Tuesday, May 12th. All materials are available on the Healthcare Initiative Foundation website, including an application tip sheet.
The COVID-19 Emergency Food Access Grant is a partnership between Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC), and the Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF). The $1.2 million in funding for the program was appropriated by the Montgomery County Council to increase food access to county residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, including funding for partnerships with ethnic grocers to increase availability of culturally appropriate food assistance. The County’s Food Security Task Force, recently formed by the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS), will review and determine all grant awards. The Healthcare Initiative Foundation, as the fiscal agent for the program, will use its grant platform to process applications and distribute grant awards.
Grant applications will be reviewed by the Food Security Task Force on criteria that includes population served, services tailored to meet language and cultural needs, impact on underserved and hard-to-reach communities, and the feasibility of implementation.
To submit an application, please visit the HIF online grant portal, Foundant. If an organization cannot complete the application online or requires the application be provided in a language other than English, please email Jess.Fuchs@hifmc.org.
For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD.