Foundation for Community Impact and Health Equity

Program: Cultiv8 Agribusiness Incubator - Cultiv8Agribusiness Incubator is designed to develop equip and provide technical assistance to farmers and entrepreneurs to improve our local food ecosystem. Our program was created to meet the unique needs remove barriers and advance racial equity of African American farmers by creating a hybrid model focused on both start-ups and existing agribusinesses. The incubator aims to increase access to healthy food in underserved areas by providing support resources and technical assistance to farmers and local food entrepreneurs. FCIHE provides monthly agribusiness workshops field days and technical business planning support and project management to farmers and entrepreneurs. FCIHE currently manages Ellerbe Farmers Market Project a retail expansion effort to increase access to locally sourced produce for residents in Florence County SC. The new market will allow EVF to establish a consistent and visible presence in the community and allow SNAP recipients to purchase fresh produce and staple items produced by the vegetable farm as well as a wide variety of local raised meats grains and dairy products from other local farmers livestock raisers and cattlemen. FCIHE has assisted Ellerbe Vegetable Farm with securing funding to be used for land acquisition equipment materials supplies and construction costs for the new brick-and-mortar food retail outlet. FCIHE received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource and Conservation Service to provide conservation technical assistance and education to historically underserved farmers and ranchers in South Carolina. Cultiv8 provided tailored education information and access to resources that decrease the barriers to implementing conservation principles into farming practice and connect low-income food-insecure persons to local sustainable small-scale agriculture for healthy food consumption. The project decreased the barriers and needs of underserved farmers to develop sustainable and long-term solutions to implementing natural resource management. In addition FCIHE assisted the United States Department of Agriculture USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program and American Farmland Trust as cooperators to provide financial assistance to farmers ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA's farm lending before January 1 2021. During the application period FCIHE provided outreach and technical assistance under cooperative agreements with USDA. This included sharing information with farmers hosting in-person events assisting producers with applications and coordinating with regional hubs and USDA to offer insights on best practices for reaching key audiences as well as providing other support and partnership for outreach efforts. Funding Associated with program: USDA NRCS American Farmland Trust and Ellerbe Vegetable Farm #of Individuals assisted in 2023: 729.

Program: Community Health Hubs - Description assistance provided: FCIHE provides project and grant management to organizations to provide collaborative support services and technical assistance to advance health equity. The Community Health Hubs increase clinical-community linkages between high-risk underserved rural residents and health and social service providers to improve rural population health outcomes utilizing the Lee County Public Library and Marian Edelman -Wright Library of Marlboro County as a community health hub. The library provides dedicated space for preventive screenings resources and referrals via a community health worker from the CareSouth-Carolina Bishopville health system. Residents can receive screenings blood pressure cholesterol and glucose and provide appropriate resources and referrals to connect patients to other CareSouth Carolina health care services and or other community resources that directly address various social determinants of health. Community members who receive preventive screenings will receive vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables that can be redeemed at the Farmer's Market located at the libraries. The project's goal is an established and ongoing community health ecosystem with libraries as the hub and core centralized location for community resources and health screenings. Funding Associated with the program: University of South Carolin & SC Center for Rural & Primary Healthcare #of Individuals assisted in 2023: 4381