The Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP) provides loans, grants, and business assistance to food retailers for projects that increase access to healthy, affordable food in low- to moderate-income communities where grocery access is limited. Beginning with seed funding from the state and administered by nonprofit partners, the MFTP prioritizes businesses selling fresh food grown, caught, or harvested in Massachusetts. The program offers financial and technical support to help businesses that increase food access, create jobs, and stimulate economic investment in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the Commonwealth.

The MFTP is overseen and evaluated by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), and administered by the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) and Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC), with support from The Food Trust. The program was established by legislation in 2014. After a multi-year advocacy campaign spearheaded by the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the Baker-Polito Administration included $1 million of seed funding for the program in the Fiscal Year 2018 capital budget. The MFTP officially launched in the fall of 2018.

All projects must

1. EXPAND ACCESS to high-quality, affordable, nutritious food in under-invested neighborhoods. Examples: fresh produce, meat, dairy, fish, whole and lightly processed foods (such as frozen veggies)

2. HAVE A DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER CHANNEL and could include grocery stores, corner stores, coops, farmers markets, food hubs, community kitchens, mobile markets, indoor and outdoor greenhouses, and other infrastructure for gathering, preparing and distributing healthy food for retail in areas that are lower-income and underserved.

3. ACCEPT SNAP and/or WIC to increase the affordability of their products. For details, please refer to this page.

• Project types

  • Projects related to the production, distribution, or sale of free or heavily processed foods

  • Restaurants and cafés

  • Food manufacturers of processed products such as snack bars

  • Food pantries and other emergency food outlets

• Project costs

  • General operations and maintenance expenses including rent, salaries, utilities, and inventory. Operating expenses are eligible, however, if they are necessary to help a project become financially sustainable.

  • Reimbursement for project costs already incurred or for separate completed projects

Yes. An existing store or project may be eligible if financing would help it renovate or expand in order to substantially improve its ability to provide access to nutritious food in qualified areas. 

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis while funds remain available. When an application is received, program partners will assess the proposed project to see if it meets the eligibility criteria. The program strives for a variety of projects and project locations: in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the Commonwealth.

For details, please refer to this page.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for the eligibility of your project to be determined. Once a project is approved by The Food Trust, the financing process takes an additional 1-3 months, depending on the readiness of the business to complete the full loan application, submit a business plan, and other required documents.

Loan interest rates are offered at below market rates.

Funded projects will be required to submit an impact statement to the program each year to describe the positive economic and social impact that the project is providing the community through job training and employment practices, ownership by women and people of color, information on the veteran status of ownership and full-time employees and other factors. Failure to show positive economic and social impact may be a cause for discontinuing financial assistance to the recipient.

It depends. If grocery sales make up 50% or more of your revenue, your business may be eligible.

As long as the project meets MFTP eligibility criteria, the funds can be used towards the purchase of farmland. However, please note that loan terms max out at 7 years but can be amortized over 15 years.

The MFTP program provides loans, grants, and business assistance.

Financing packages may include loans, grants, and other funding tools on a case-by-case basis to appropriately meet the needs of each project. Each eligible application will be underwritten and assessed for financial viability.

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Loans range from $15,000 to $300,000, although the MFTP Administrators may be able to provide additional loans from other sources. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000.

* Please note that while we offer grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, grants at the top of this range are intended to be used in conjunction with a loan from the Mass Food Trust. Grants in the middle to the lower range are available for projects that don’t require a loan.

The amount and type of financing and grant offered depends on the availability of funds within the program at the time of application, the borrower’s need and ability to fulfill financial obligations, and the project's size and expected impact on the community it serves.

Grants and loans can be used for equipment and other capital expenses, real estate, tenant improvement and infrastructure, and in limited cases, working capital.

Working capital will only be considered for loans and for new startup projects or the expansion of a retail project. Working capital is only an acceptable use of funds when being used to catalyze a project to become sustainable. Applicants must have a business plan in place which demonstrates the ability to generate revenue if seeking working capital.

• Audits or design work for projects without clear linkage to a future loan

• General operations and maintenance expenses for existing projects (operating expenses for new projects or expansion of retail projects are eligible)

• Reimbursement for project costs already incurred for completed projects

Yes. Where appropriate, some applications will be approved for a grant only, or for both a grant and a loan simultaneously. However, most grant funds will be used to pay for business and technical support to strengthen a business plan or help create financial projections in order for a loan to be approved. Most grants will be linked to a loan.

Yes. However, grant-funded business and technical support will be prioritized for those businesses where financing in the future is anticipated.

Yes, but the MFTP Administrators will need to approve any such provider.