New Microgrant Partners Increasing Local, Healthy Food Access


The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s Microfunding Project Team of Workgroup #2/3: Healthy Food Access in Communities is excited to announce that eight grassroots organizations will receive funding support as part of its microgrant initiative. Each will receive $3,000 to bolster their efforts to increase access to nutritious, affordable food in their local communities. 

Supported by the Colorado Community Health Alliance, this second round of microgrants finances initiatives spearheaded by community members residing in select counties, particularly those led by people of color and with smaller operating budgets. The counties include Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, El Paso, Gilpin, Jefferson, Park, and Teller.

Learn more about the funded partners and their projects (in alphabetical order by organization name):

  • A FRESH MOVE Grocery Store (El Paso County)
    Support local farms and bring more fresh and seasonal food, particularly produce, to the locally owned store in southern Colorado Springs.

  • Brújula Comunitaria (Boulder County)
    Create a community food action plan, based upon research conducted in 2023 looking at the intersection of food access and transportation, including compensation, interpretation, and translation as part of the plan development.

  • MASA Seed Foundation (Boulder & Jefferson counties)
    Support their Cultural Exchange Garden Project with farm supplies, refrigeration, and compensation; refugee participants actively partake in farming activities and establish plots that are cultivated with crops from their countries of origin and thoughtfully adapted to the local environment.

  • Mile High Farmers (Boulder, Broomfield, El Paso & Jefferson counties)
    Support their equity and education programming to further cultivate a resilient food system and foster collaboration within their community; some initiatives include a racial equity challenge, soil health workshop, and listening sessions for community members to engage with policymakers.

  • Sinergia / Liderazgo Comunitario (all counties)
    Raise awareness and support the development of community leaders, particularly those working with Spanish-speaking immigrants, in order to increase equitable access to healthy foods in their communities.

  • Southeast Food Coalition (El Paso County)
    Pilot farmers’ markets in southeastern Colorado Springs, in response to community needs for more access to healthy, fresh foods, while supporting local farmers and donating any excess produce to local food pantries.

  • Tin Shed Food Pantry / A Cup of Faith (Jefferson County)
    Purchase culturally appropriate foods for weekly distribution to the Spanish-speaking, Russian, and Ukrainian immigrants that they serve.

  • Viva Resource Foundation (El Paso County)
    Support efforts to build a network of partners that can help ensure immigrant families and those with disabilities living in rural areas of Colorado can access critical resources and support during emergencies; hosting workshops, providing compensation, and purchasing computer equipment.

Learn more about the microgrant initiative guided by community leaders in Colorado.