Denver proposes $2.04 million in grants for child food access
The proposed agreements would fund food distribution, nutrition services and early-childhood programs in neighborhoods across Denver.
Denver has proposed three Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids Initiative grants totaling $2,036,161.16 for food access, nutrition education and early-childhood programs. The proposed agreements list terms from Aug. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029.
The Denver Health and Safety Committee agenda lists the agreements as consent items:
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$548,378.61 for Sun Valley Community Center: The grant request would expand the Sun Valley Urban Farm and Farm to Fingers program in City Council districts 1, 3 and 7. The program would provide low-barrier food distribution, culturally responsive food, local food production, farm-based education and workforce development. Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Food Rescue are listed as partners.
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$738,087.77 for Struggle of Love Foundation: The proposed agreement would serve children and young people 18 and younger and their families in City Council District 11. The program would expand access to nutritious food, help families enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and school meals, and provide food education. Listed partners include Steps To Success Game Changers, Children’s Farms of America and the Montbello Organizing Committee.
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$749,694.78 for the Regents of the University of Colorado: The proposed citywide program would combine early-childhood nutrition education and food-access services through Denver Great Kids Head Start and four Denver Public Schools early-childhood hubs serving families experiencing poverty. The University of Colorado grant materials describe a model that would add caregiver engagement and practical food-access supports to classroom nutrition education. Three hubs also include kindergarten classrooms.
Together, the projects would support neighborhood food distribution and production in southwest Denver, food-security services and nutrition-program enrollment in District 11, and early-childhood nutrition education across the city.
The proposal materials do not specify how many children or families each grant would serve or when funds would be distributed. They also do not establish that the grants have been approved, paid or implemented.