Through the 2018 Denver Ballot Measure 302(PDF, 209KB) the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK) Initiative proposed to increase taxes to establish a fund for healthy food and food-based education for Denver’s youth. The ballot measure was approved by 59% of voters on November 6, 2018 and went into effect in January 2019. The 0.08% increase in sales and use tax within the City and County of Denver is expected to generate approximately $11 million dollars annually and will sunset after 10 years. Funds will be collected from Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2028 and spent by Dec. 31, 2029.
The funds are distributed through competitive grants to agencies of local government, public schools in Denver (including Denver Public Schools), and non-profit organizations, with an emphasis on serving low-income youth. Funding decisions are determined by a Commission made up of 13 non-profit, government, and community member volunteer appointees. The Commission is staffed by the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE). Since the passage of Ordinance 302, significant progress has been made on Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids, including granting out nearly $85 million dollars to more than 100 organizations.
Funding Values & Approach
1. Center racial equity, diversity and inclusion in all Commission activities and outcomes.
2. Gather information from grantees, community partners, kids and their families with lived experience of hunger. Use that information to make decisions.
3. Share out and be clear on how we develop funding opportunities, distribute funds, estimate revenue and available funding amounts, and communicate evaluation results.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Encourage grantees to have different revenue sources so they can continue their mission and work over time, after HFDK funding ends.
8. Simplify and streamline funding-related processes to reduce administrative burden, making the work easier for grantees (including applications, reporting, invoicing, etc.) wherever possible.
9. 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.
Definitions
- Equitable distribution: “the process of making funds available to most marginalized communities in Denver, and the organizations that serve them”
- Least harm: thoughtfully looking at any consequences (intended and/or unintended) that may interfere with grantees in their work/mission