Community Food Cooperative Impact in South Carolina Neighborhoods
GrantID: 76784
Grant Funding Amount Low: Open
Deadline: Ongoing
Grant Amount High: Open
Summary
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Grant Overview
South Carolina Community Food Cooperative Outcomes
South Carolina targets measurable increases in local produce procurement by low-income households through cooperative ownership structures. State Department of Agriculture records indicate that only 9 percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program redemptions occur at direct-to-consumer outlets, the lowest share among southeastern states. The outcome metric is therefore defined as the percentage of cooperative members who shift at least 30 percent of their produce purchases to cooperative channels within 24 months.
These outcomes matter because South Carolina’s coastal plain counties contain 1.1 million residents living more than 10 miles from a full-service grocery store, a distance compounded by limited public transit routes. Inland, the Upstate region reports diabetes prevalence of 15.8 percent, the highest in the state, correlating with lower consumption of fresh produce. A cooperative model that ties member equity shares to purchase volume directly addresses both geographic and economic barriers without requiring new brick-and-mortar construction.
Implementation centers on three operational steps. First, organizers must secure a wholesale supplier agreement with at least two South Carolina farms that meet USDA Good Agricultural Practices certification. Second, the cooperative must establish a membership fee structure capped at $25 per household and a corresponding equity credit system that reduces per-unit prices by 15–25 percent once 200 members are enrolled. Third, quarterly financial statements must be filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State to maintain nonprofit cooperative status under state statute.
Unlike neighboring Georgia or North Carolina programs, South Carolina reviewers require explicit demonstration that the cooperative site lies within a county designated as a food desert by the USDA Economic Research Service and that at least 60 percent of initial members reside in census tracts with poverty rates above 20 percent.
Eligible Regions
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Eligible Requirements
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