VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL INC

HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING FUND (HFFF): VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL SERVES AS THE FUND ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE NEW MEXICO EDD HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING FUND. THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO INCREASE ACCESS TO FOOD FOR HISTORICALLY UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES, ADDRESS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES THROUGH THE CREATION AND RETENTION OF JOBS IN THE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN AND STRENGTHEN AND DIVERSIFY STATE MARKET CHANNELS. THE PROGRAM ALSO SUPPORTS SMALL AND MID-SCALE FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS, ADVANCES FOOD-SAFE STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION, AND HELPS PRODUCERS IMPLEMENT REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. IN FY25, VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NEW MEXICO EDD, FUNDED 8 BUSINESSES WITH $275,000 TO ACHEIVE THESE GOALS. OVER THREE GRANT CYCLES (EDD FY23-25), THE GRANT PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTED 41 BUSINESSES WITH $1,625,000 IN FUNDING. THESE EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVING CONDITIONS IN NM FOOD DESERTS AND EXPAND ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD.

HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE (HFFI) - VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL IS A PARTNER IN THE USDA HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE, WHICH SERVES UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES BY INCREASING ACCESS TO HEALTHY AND FRESH FOOD. THE INITIAL LAUNCH PHASE OF THE PROGRAM AT VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL BEGAN IN FY 2024 AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FY29. IN 2025, THE NEW MEXICO HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING FUND PARTNERSHIP LED BY VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL, TRANSITIONED FROM PLANNING INTO ACTIVE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND EARLY DELIVERY TO USDA-ELIGIBLE NEW MEXICO FOOD RETAIL BUSINESSES. THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR FOCUSED ON OUTREACH, ECOSYSTEM ENGAGEMENT, AND FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH. BUILDING ON INITIAL PLANNING WORK, PARTNERS EXECUTE A COORDINATED OUTREACH STRATEGY AND BEGIN ENGAGING TARGET AUDIENCES STATEWIDE. DURING SPRING 2025, THE PARTNERSHIP CONVENED ROUNDTABLES TO GATHER STAKEHOLDER INPUT, WHICH DIRECTLY INFORMED THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACCELERATOR AND TRAINING CURRICULA. BEGINNING IN MID-2025, THE PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED CORE PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES. IN JULY 2025, COHORT BASED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTING, SPRINT ACCELERATORS AND IN DEPTH TRAINING SEMINARS WERE INITIATED, TARGETING HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING FUND APPLICANTS AND AWARDEES AS WELL AS BROADER ECOSYSTEM PARTICIPANTS. AT THE SAME TIME, VIDA MEJOR CAPITAL INTRODUCED STATEWIDE NAVIGATION SERVICES, PROVIDING CASE MANAGEMENT STYLE SUPPORT TO HELP BUSINESSES ACCESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, CAPITAL, AND RESOURCES, WHILE ALSO ESTABLISHING PROCESSES FOR ONGOING PERFORMANCE METRIC REVIEW AND PROGRAM REFINEMENT. COLLECTIVELY, 2025 REPRESENTS A PIVOTAL YEAR IN WHICH THE PARTNERSHIP MOVES FROM STRATEGY AND DESIGN INTO INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION TO STRENGTHEN NEW MEXICOS HEALTHY FOOD ECOSYSTEM.