Feed the Hunger Fund

What Feed the Hunger Fund does

Feed the Hunger Fund (FTHF) is a California-based nonprofit certified Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) founded in 2007 that provides loan capital, one-on-one technical assistance, and business development services to food and agriculture entrepreneurs excluded from traditional financing. Operating across Hawaii (headquarters of programmatic roots) and California (added in 2019), FTHF serves a deliberately narrow vertical: low-income, BIPOC, women, and immigrant food-system business owners — including farmers, food truck operators, caterers, food processors, distributors, and restaurant owners. The organization runs offices in San Francisco (100 Montgomery Street, The Presidio) and Honolulu (1050 Bishop Street), with embedded loan officers across multiple Hawaiian islands and California regions, including bilingual Spanish/English field staff. Its core product surface consists of Business Loans (ticket sizes observed at $55K–$130K, with terms including 0% interest and 4% APR over 7 years), Business Support Services (pre- and post-loan coaching, financial education, and consulting), an Online Business Resources platform with 250+ tools and templates, and the E Ho'okahua, E Ho'omau 9-week cultural-integrated technical-assistance cohort. A 2024 Climate Resiliency Fund adds a thematic "climate lens" overlay across lending decisions.

Name

Feed the Hunger Fund

Legal name

Feed the Hunger Fund

Website

https://feed-hunger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Feed the Hunger Fund is a nonprofit certified CDFI providing loans, technical assistance, and business development services to food and agriculture entrepreneurs excluded from traditional financing across California and Hawaii.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Lending

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Secured Microloans (Community/Nonprofit, Collateralized) (FSAKALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Community development lending
• Food entrepreneur financing
• Agricultural microloans
• Small business lending
• Nonprofit community finance

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest and Fees: Revenue generated from interest on loans provided to food and agriculture entrepreneurs. Loans include various terms including 0% interest loans and 4% APR loans observed in case studies.
2. Grants and Donations: Grant funding from foundations and government entities to support lending operations and food system development programs. Notable grants include $500,000 from Citi Foundation and $649K EDA CARES Act funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Feed the Hunger Fund is a certified Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) that provides loan capital, one-on-one technical assistance, and network connections to food and agriculture entrepreneurs in California and Hawaii who are excluded from traditional financing. The organization combines character-based credit analysis with below-market and 0% interest loans, supplemented by business coaching, training, and an online resource library, to help low-income, BIPOC, women, and immigrant-owned food businesses start, grow, and sustain operations.

Product overview

Feed the Hunger Fund is a nonprofit certified Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) that operates as a single integrated offering combining loan capital with business development services. The core products consist of Business Loans (providing critical financing to food and agriculture entrepreneurs excluded from traditional banking), Business Support Services (one-on-one technical assistance and coaching), Online Business Resources (a self-service platform with 250+ tools and templates), and the E Hoʻokahua, E Hoʻomau Program (a culturally-integrated 9-week technical assistance cohort). Together, these products provide a comprehensive "Co-Pilot" approach guiding entrepreneurs from loan inquiry through business growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Loans Provides loan capital to food and agriculture small businesses in California (Central Coast, Central Valley, Bay Area) and Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai) that are typically excluded from traditional financing. Uses character-based credit analysis with flexible terms including 0% interest and below-market rates (e.g., 4% APR over 7 years for $100,000).
• Business Support Services Holistic business support including one-on-one technical assistance, business training, consulting, financial education, and networking connections. Loan officers provide ongoing support throughout the loan application process and post-loan closing.
• Online Business Resources An online platform offering over 250 interactive tools, templates, videos, and guides covering Money, Marketing, and Management topics for small business owners.
• E Ho'okahua, E Ho'omau Program A 9-week technical assistance program integrating cultural perspectives into business development, featuring alternating learning sessions and peer-to-peer mentoring with the goal of creating completed loan packages. Focuses on financial literacy aligned with business goals.

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Aloha United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTHF is honored to partner with Aloha United Way as part of the 2025 ALICE Initiative Cohort, which aims to build financial stability for individuals and families over 3 years.
• Hawaii Investment ReadycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Hawaii Food Systems Financing Partnership to map strategic investment opportunities in Hawaii's food system.
• Hawaii Good Food AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Hawaii Food Systems Financing Partnership focusing on food systems planning and cultural values integration.
• Hawaii Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Hawaii Food Systems Financing Partnership for food financing programs.
• California FarmLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural lending partner making loans to farmers across California; Brett Melone serves as Director of Lending.
• Kohala CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in providing financing options information to farmers.
• Pacific Gateway CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner empowering low-income residents, immigrants, refugees and vulnerable populations through skill-building and access to opportunities.
• Cades Schutte LLPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest law firm in Hawaii; Mark Murakami serves as partner and FTHF board member.
• Credit Builders AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting FTHF's lending and financial development services.
• Kahumana Organic FarmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with FTHF to help fill and distribute KauKau 4 Keiki meal kits during summer 2025, providing 252,294 meals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• California FarmLink: California FarmLink is a nonprofit CDFI that makes loans to farmers and food entrepreneurs across California, including through Brett Melone who sits on FTHF's board. It is a direct peer in mission, geography, and product (agricultural microloans plus technical assistance).
• The Carrot Project: The Carrot Project is a nonprofit that provides loans, grants, and business advisory services to small-scale farms and food businesses in New England. It shares FTHF's focus on financing farm-to-fork entrepreneurs excluded by mainstream banks.
• Coastal Enterprises Inc (CEI): CEI is a CDFI serving rural and coastal communities with a substantial portfolio of food and agriculture small-business loans in the Northeast, directly comparable to FTHF's food system focus.
• Working Solutions CDFI: Working Solutions is a San Francisco Bay Area CDFI providing microloans and business development to low-income entrepreneurs, including many immigrants and food entrepreneurs, overlapping FTHF's California territory and target population.
• Business Impact Northwest: Business Impact NW is a nonprofit CDFI that lends to underserved small business owners in the Pacific Northwest, sharing FTHF's microfinance-plus-TA model for community-rooted entrepreneurs.

Broad incumbents

• Opportunity Fund (now Self-Help CDFI): Self-Help is one of the largest CDFIs serving small businesses, including food entrepreneurs, with a national footprint. It is a broader incumbent offering similar microfinance products but at much greater scale.
• Fahe: Fahe is a CDFI intermediary operating across Appalachia and beyond, pooling capital from federal and philanthropic sources and re-lending through local CDFI partners, comparable in CDFI intermediation role though with a different regional focus.
• Capital Impact Partners: Capital Impact Partners is a national CDFI focused on equitable economic development, including healthy food access, providing loan capital and technical assistance similar in structure to FTHF but at substantially greater scale.

Regional players

• Pacific Community Reinvestment Corporation: PCRC is a CDFI serving the Pacific Islander, Asian, and other underserved small business communities in California, an adjacent peer focusing on similar demographic segments but with a different industry focus.

Emerging players

• La Cocina: La Cocina is a San Francisco nonprofit kitchen incubator and small business program for low-income food entrepreneurs. Patti Chang helped launch La Cocina, and it overlaps with FTHF's support of food entrepreneurs, though La Cocina focuses on kitchen incubation rather than lending.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@feedthehungerfund2428
• Facebookfacebook.com/FeedTheHungerFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/feed-the-hunger-foundation/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/feedthehungerfund/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Feed the Hunger Fund