Specifications include, but are not limited to: Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) solicits Request for Proposals (RFPs) from financing and/or policy consulting firms interested in providing financial, technical, and policy consulting and related services for its Fresh Food Retailer Initiative (FFRI) located in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Project: HOPE and The Food Trust (TFT) have received $7 million in Disaster Community Development Block Grant (D-CDBG) funds from the City of New Orleans for an innovative new financing program designed to increase the number of supermarkets, grocery stores, and other fresh food retail outlets in low-income and underserved communities in Orleans Parish. HOPE will provide a combination of interest-bearing and/or forgivable loans for predevelopment, site assembly and improvement, construction and rehabilitation, equipment installation and upgrades, staff training, security, and inventory and working capital for start-up costs.
