Good Food Markets is a neighborhood grocery store and social enterprise that is creating a new model for fresh food retail in undeserved communities. Food deserts remain a problem in every major U.S. city. The primary hurdle is not bringing the community to the store — it’s bringing financing to the desert. To address these challenges, GFM works with educational and non-profit partners to bring health education and job training resources to the community.

In 2015, Telesis CDE provided a cash collateral guaranty to enable GFM to access capital from the District of Columbia Innovation Finance Program, an alternative to traditional commercial financing where the District co-invests with venture capital funds and community development financial institutions.