Rural Grocery Resources
Supporting rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve food access.
The Nebraska Grocery Industry Association (NGIA) supports rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve access to healthy foods by identifying, developing, and sharing resources that support grocers and rural communities. Find our recourses below!
“Without a grocery store we have a dying community. The grocery store helps and without it we would really struggle as a community.”– Focus Group Participant, NCDC
FUNDING
Below you’ll find a variety of resources related to grocery improvements and transitions. This list was developed by the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center (NCDC), which is located in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Federal Resources
- Rural Energy for America Program – USDA
- Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program – USDA
- Business & Industry Loan Guarantees – USDA
- Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program – USDA
- Community Development Block Grant Program – USDA
- America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative – USDA
- Small Business Administration
- USDA Rural Business Development Grant
Local Resources
Municipal Financing – https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/ or your local community website. Type of funding include:
- Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
- Community Improvement Districts (CIDs)
- Transportation Development Districts (TDDs)
- Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs)
- Opportunity Zones
- New Market Tax Credits
- Revolving Loan Funds
- LB840
PARTNER RESOURCES
Whether you’re a grocery, community leader, or just interested in learning more about supporting rural grocery stores in your community, there is information available.
NEWS
Nebraska Rural Grocery Store News & Updates
Farm to Family: A Labor of Love
In Hay Springs, Nebraska, customers stream into the Farm to Family cooperative grocery store. Kids in swimsuits looking for a snack, farmers grabbing a cold drink, and parents picking up the last items for dinner come and go from the litle store on main street.
This scene is the mission of Farm to Family come to life. Farm to Family is a cooperative grocery store, meaning that members buy into the business model and participate in the operation. The store was renovated with hard work and sweat equity from community members. When Hay Springs started the store, people came out to help, doing everything from stripping the wood floors to donating items for the storefront.