The $5.25 million Atlantic City Food Security Grants pilot program, which will provide grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 to fund projects to strengthen food security and food access in Atlantic City, will begin taking applications at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced.
Grants can be used for direct and indirect project costs and may cover 100% of the proposed project cost. The pilot program is meant to act as a more immediate response to the food access crisis in Atlantic City and to bring nutritious food options to the city as residents await the construction of a full-fledged supermarket.
Eligible applicants include for-profit, nonprofit and government entities that have been in existence for at least two years at the time of applying. Applicants must currently be serving residents in the Atlantic City/Ventnor Food Desert Community and must be able to demonstrate existing programming or services related to food access and/or food security.
The application portal will be open until 5 p.m. May 15. Grants will be made to the highest-scoring eligible applications, not in a first-come, first-served manner. For more information and to apply, click here.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the creation of the program last fall, as part of a broader initiative to bring fresh, healthy foods to Atlantic City residents. The Atlantic City/Ventnor FDC is home to 41,000 residents and is the second-most acute in the state.
