The path to opening a grocery store in a food desert is not easy. While our healthy food financing featured many voices, the thread throughout was the high-stakes journey of Dreaming Out Loud's realization of their Marion Barry Avenue Market

Experience their story start to finish: from battling financial roadblocks to securing crucial funding to the joyful moments of community building and the triumphant opening.

This is a unique opportunity to listen to the full story of their struggle and success. It proves that with focused, collaborative work, a dedicated organization can transform a community. Hear the story of how one organization won the fight for food access.

In this sixth and final episode of Batch & Scale, we're bridging the food divide by investing in equitable access. We are thrilled to close the series on healthy food financing with three guests rooted in real-world solutions.

• [00:01:49] Segment 1:

  Our first guest is Nancy Matsumoto, author of Reaping What She Sows, who offers insights on building resilient food systems based on cooperation and women-led initiatives. We discuss:

• • Why women have historically been central to these models

  • What makes a food system resilient

  • Short, transparent supply chains as the key to sustainability

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• [00:29:24] Segment 2:

  Geoff Gilbert of Beloved Community Incubator discusses how community-led initiatives are confronting food inequality and economic disparities. We cover:

• • Worker-powered co-operatives

  • Organizing local initiatives directly impacts access to healthy food

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• [00:45:11] Segment 3:

  Dreaming Out Loud Executive Director Chris Bradshaw gives us a tour of the newly opened Marion Barry Avenue Market. We've followed this project from concept to completion. Now, experience the market that was built with dedicated entrepreneurs, innovative financing, and strong community support.

• All six episodes, along with show notes, resources, and links are available now. Thank you for joining us on this journey to explore the financial recipe for a healthier future!

  
  

  
  

In this fifth episode of Batch & Scale, we're giving you the recipe to serve up change: The Future of healthy food financing – seeding the system and harvesting the capital. We’re talking about the simple fact that for every exciting new food trend on the market, there's a complex financial framework that determines whether it can thrive. We explore the systemic shifts needed to unlock capital for the next wave of healthy food entrepreneurs.

[00:03:13] Segment 1: We’ll start with a conversation with a pioneering institution that is dedicated to increasing food access. Our first guests, Alison Powers and Catherine Frazier from Capitol Impact Partners, part of the Momentus Capital family of organizations.

• How using innovative models fuels the growth of good food

• Connect with Capital Impact Partners: ⁠https://www.capitalimpact.org/

[00:38:26] Segment 2: We will then turn to a project long-time listeners will be familiar with: the Marion Barry Avenue Market from Dreaming Out Loud. Founder and Executive Director Christoper Bradshaw explores the complex capital stack that brought this store to life, showing how a blend of financing addressed the unique challenges of building a full-service grocery store in an underserved community.

• This is a case study on the power of alternative financing to turn a vision for food access into a reality

• Connect with Dreaming Out Loud: ⁠https://dreamingoutloud.org/⁠

[00:46:47] Segment 3: Finally, we’ll dive into a fascinating story right in the same Anacostia community: The Fresh Food Factory Market. We'll speak with owner Amanda Stephenson to learn how she created both health equity and economic opportunity.

• The unique blend of financing that led her to purchase a building for her business

• How a mission-driven business secures capital and handles debt

• Connect with The Fresh Food Factory Market: https://thefreshfoodfactory.com/

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