Healthy Food for Denver's Kids Grant Opportunities

Now Accepting Grant Applications

Are you a nonprofit, public school, or city agency interested in serving Denver youth through food access and food education? The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) is pleased to announce the sixth round of funding of the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK) program to support healthy food and food-based education in Denver.

The Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK) Commission, through Denver’s Department of Public Health & Environment, has released annual funding opportunities and several micro-grant opportunities to increase access to healthy food and food-based education for youth and their families in Denver since the establishment of the program in 2020. The City and County of Denver is investing in collaborative programs, projects and activities for non-profits, agencies of local government and Denver schools to improve child nutrition security and wellness through healthy food access, food education, and federal nutrition assistance programs.

Read through the 2024-2025 Request for Proposal materials to understand the program requirements, determine if your organization is eligible to apply, and learn more about the selection and application process. The full RFP will be by invitation only, and potential applicants are required to first submit the eligibility form and a Letter of Interest to be considered.

Watch the recording and find the materials from our Open House, hosted on December 10, 2024.

Watch the recording and find the materials from the HFDK Information Session, hosted on January 9, 2025.

HFDK staff will respond to written questions if they are submitted to Jessica Murison before 11:59 p.m. MT on January 14, 2025.

 

Submit the Eligibility Form and a Letter of Interest (LOI)

After reviewing the RFP, fill out the Eligibility Form and submit your Letter of Interest. Refer to the RFP for all application instructions. Completed application materials, including the Letter of Interest, must be submitted electronically through Submittable on or January 28, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. MT (we strongly suggest submitting your proposal before the deadline). Note that applicants must submit the eligibility form and LOI in order to be invited to apply to the full RFP in March.

If you have questions, please reach out to Jessica Murison (HFDK Fiscal and Contract Administrator).

2025 Funding Timeline Overview (Subject to Change at the city’s discretion):

  • December 10 – HFDK06 Open House (recording and materials available)
  • January 6 – HFDK06 funding opportunity will be posted
  • January 9 – Funding Info Session 10:00 am – 11:00 am via Zoom (recording and materials available)
  • January 14 - written questions are due to HFDK staff by 11:59 pm MT
  • January 17 – City provides written responses to submitted questions
  • January 28 – HFDK06 eligibility form responses & Letter of Interest due by 11:59 pm MT
  • March 13 – LOI decision notifications sent out and full Request for Proposal (RFP) opens (by invitation only)
  • April 18 – full RFP/grant application due by 11:59 pm MT
  • Early May – recommended funding awards publicly announced
  • May 16 – HFDK Commission votes to approve recommended funding

Note that this funding round is the sixth of a series of grants over the Healthy Food for Kids Initiative ten-year period (2019-2029). There will be future opportunities to apply for funds, and the focus of future grants may shift based on data gathered through evaluation, as well as Commission and community priorities.

We encourage you to sign up for Denver Food System Team’s email updates stay informed about future funding opportunities, open positions on the HFDK Commission, and to learn more about HFDK's work.

 

For reference, you may view previous Requests for Proposal (RFPs) that are now closed:

HFDK Funding Values & Approach

  • Center racial equity, diversity and inclusion in all Commission activities and outcomes.
  • Gather information from grantees, community partners, kids and their families with lived experience of hunger. Use that information to make decisions.
  • Share out and be clear on how we develop funding opportunities, distribute funds, estimate revenue and available funding amounts, and communicate evaluation results.
  • Use an equity lens in our grantmaking, including making funds available to the most under-resourced communities in Denver and the organizations that serve them.
  • Be flexible and allow for innovation in how grantees use funds to advance HFDK's Vision. This flexibility includes providing grants to both establish new programs and continue or expand existing programs.
  • If funding decreases or the Commission’s funding priorities change, minimize negative effects for grantees and the low-income and underserved youth and their families we serve.
  • Encourage grantees to have different revenue sources so they can continue their mission and work over time, after HFDK funding ends.
  • Simplify and streamline funding-related processes to reduce administrative burden, making the work easier for grantees (including applications, reporting, invoicing, etc.) wherever possible. 
  • Offer additional resources to grantees such as technical assistance, capacity building, and partnership support.

Note that the HFDK Commission and staff will do our best to uphold these values and approaches in how we do our work, while also complying with the requirements of the City and County of Denver and the Denver Revised Municipal Code.