The Bowser administration announced that $500,000 in Nourish DC grants were awarded to 13 local food businesses owned by Blacks, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to develop a more equitable food ecosystem in the city.
The 13 businesses receiving the grants are Open Crumb (Ward 8), KFresh (Ward 8), Constituent Services Worldwide Public Benefit Corporation (Ward 6), Tae-Gu Kimchi (Ward 5), Elmira Market (Ward 8), The Fresh Food Factory (Ward 8), Kitchen Savages (Ward 8), Fight Juice (Ward 5), Inspire DMV Hospitality (Ward 8), Marty’s Food and Catering (Ward 8), Oh-Mazing Food (Ward 5), SouthEats LLC (Ward 7) and Aurora Market (Ward 7).
In a statement, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Nourish DC “is an example of how we can support our small food business owners and work together to create new employment opportunities and thriving neighborhoods.”
Nourish DC was created in 2021 to support the growth of locally owned small food firms in communities underserved by grocery and other amenities.
The Bowser administration has awarded over $4.5 million in funding to the Capital Impact Partners (CIP) to serve as the Nourish DC program administrator. Each of the grantees will receive technical and loan assistance to support their businesses all-year round through CIP.
“We know that many of our local BIPOC-owned food businesses need additional funding to grow and scale their businesses,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio. “This much-needed funding will not only support an equitable food system in D.C. but also sustain small and local businesses during these tough economic times and help them grow.”