Upcoming Healthy Food Access Portals Webinars: New Market Tax Credits and Rural Grocery Initiatives

The Healthy Food Access Portal is hosting two upcoming webinars focused on bringing healthy food retail to under-resourced communities.

On July 11, the Healthy Food Access Portal will offer a webinar that will provide information on the New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) program as a tool to encourage private sector investment in healthy food retail in low-income communities. The webinar will introduce NMTCs, explain the power and limitations of the program and discuss examples of how NMTCs are being used to finance healthy food access projects.

Presenters will include: 

• Mia Sowell, CDFI Fund, Senior Policy and Program Officer;
• Christina Szczepanski, The Reinvestment Fund, Senior Portfolio Manager; and
• Patricia Smith, The Reinvestment Fund, Senior Policy Advisor 

The New Markets Tax Credits webinar will take place from 2:00-3:00pm EST. To register, click here.


The second webinar will take place on July 18 and will focus on how to support healthy food retail in rural communities. The unique challenges that rural grocers face will be discussed, along with innovative solutions to improving access to healthy food in rural towns. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) resources available to support rural grocery stores will be shared, along with ways to access this funding.

Presenters scheduled to speak include: 

• Dr. David Proctor, Director of the Rural Grocery Initiative Center for Engagement and Community Development, Kansas State University;
• Joani Walsh, Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, USDA;
• Chad Parker, Deputy Administrator for Cooperative Programs, Rural Development’s Rural Business and Cooperative Service, USDA; and
• Patricia Smith, The Reinvestment Fund, Senior Policy Advisor 

The Rural Grocery Initiatives webinar will take place from 2:00-3:30pm EST. To register, click here.