Evans Co-Leads Bill to Re-Authorize Healthy Food Financing Initiative
Program brings healthy food, grocery stores to both urban & rural communities; Evans helped create Pa. program that became national model
PHILADELPHIA (May 23, 2025) – Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) is co-leading a bill (H.R. 3506) to re-authorize the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) with Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), vice ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.
HFFI is a public-private partnership providing loans, grants, and technical assistance to improve access to fresh, healthy food in urban and rural underserved communities. HFFI assistance programs are administered through the Department of Agriculture and the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI).
“I was proud to play a leading role as a state legislator in creating the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which became the model for this national program. I appreciate Congresswoman Brown’s partnership on keeping HFFI in place to bring healthy food to underserved urban and rural communities across the country,” said Congressman Evans. “I continue to believe that food is medicine, and that every American should have access to affordable, healthy food. It’s one of the best tools in the preventive health-care toolbox!”
“Every family, no matter their zip code, should be able to put fresh, healthy food on the table,” said Congresswoman Brown. “HFFI has enjoyed bipartisan support because it benefits urban and rural communities, farmers and consumers. From supporting the revitalization of Cleveland’s West Side Market to giving farmers and entrepreneurs new opportunities, HFFI is about more than just food – it is about health, equity, and economic growth. As we shape the next Farm Bill, I’m proud to partner with Congressman Evans to champion HFFI, an initiative with a proven track record of improving food access and investing in underserved neighborhoods.”
According to the USDA, to date HFFI has awarded over $25 million in funding through the HFFI Targeted Small Grants Program and an additional $40 million was awarded in grants to 16 public-private partnerships through the HFFI Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program.
In addition to the authorizing language, Brown leads the annual appropriations request letters for HFFI. Earlier this month, Brown and Evans led two letters to House appropriators requesting robust funding for HFFI in Fiscal Year 2026.
For more information on HFFI, click here.
Evans represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia. He recently announced that his office returned to or saved $4.5 million for constituents in 2024 in cases involving federal agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs. The 2024 figure brings Evans’ office’s total to more than $45.5 million returned to or saved for constituents during his first eight years in Congress.
Evans serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, including its Subcommittee on Health. The committee oversees Social Security, Medicare, taxes, and trade. Evans’ website is evans.house.gov and his social media handle is @RepDwightEvans on YouTube, Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.
###