Equitable Food Access Initiative: Produce Incentives Grant Program

The FY26 Equitable Food Access Initiative: Produce Incentives is administered by the District of Columbia Department of Health (DC Health), specifically through the Community Health Administration (CHA) and its Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Bureau. This initiative aims to address systemic health inequities and chronic disease prevalence by enhancing access to healthy foods for residents with lower incomes. By focusing on farmers’ market produce incentives, the program aligns with DC Health’s mission to promote safe behaviors, equitable access, and robust community health systems throughout the District. This grant seeks to fund one organization with a total award of up to $2.1 million for the first 12-month budget period beginning October 1, 2026. Subject to annual performance and funding availability, the awardee may be eligible for up to four additional years of funding. The initiative supports a comprehensive model to increase food access through the use of a digital financial incentive program called Produce Plus. Eligible residents receive support to purchase locally grown produce from farmers’ markets, mobile markets, and farm stands. The program must run annually from June through November and serve at least 6,000 residents across the lifespan who are disproportionately impacted by chronic disease and food insecurity. Priority is given to residents of Wards 5, 7, and 8 and those participating in or eligible for federal food assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC, TANF, and SSDI. Grantees are required to implement multi-level interventions across five chronic disease framework domains: policy, systems, and environmental approaches; community-clinical linkages; health systems interventions; and data and surveillance. For example, awardees must create referral pathways between health and social services, convene advisory boards to guide the program, and establish infrastructure for participant enrollment, incentive distribution, redemption, and reimbursement. The program also mandates a minimum of 50 farm retail outlets participating in the incentive redemption process, outreach strategies led by community champions, and an operational customer support system including a hotline, text messaging, and email. In terms of application and eligibility, only community-based nonprofits and for-profit entities that directly distribute food and are physically located within the District of Columbia may apply. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to manage enrollment, evaluation, reporting, and digital financial infrastructure. The application package includes extensive documentation such as a project narrative, work plan, staffing plan, and logic model. No cost-sharing or match is required, and indirect costs must adhere to local regulations such as the Nonprofit Fair Compensation Act. Applications must be submitted through DC Health’s EGMS portal no later than 3:00 p.m. on April 28, 2026. Late submissions will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed based on four criteria: need, implementation, evaluative measures, and organizational capacity. The review process includes an external panel assessment followed by an internal DC Health review. Notifications of intent to fund are anticipated by June 29, 2026, and the grant period begins on October 1, 2026. The awarded organization will be responsible for rigorous data tracking, program evaluation, and quarterly performance reporting in partnership with DC Health. The Equitable Food Access Initiative: Produce Incentives grant reflects DC Health’s continued investment in addressing chronic disease through equitable access to nutritious food and strengthening the local food system. It simultaneously supports health outcomes and economic growth by investing in farm retail outlets and community-driven food distribution strategies.

Use SMARTIE objectives; prioritize Wards 5, 7, and 8; leverage farm retail partnerships