Doubling Down in D.C.: Expanding Grocery Access for Thousands of Lower-Income Families

When Instacart partnered with the D.C. Department of Health and Martha’s Table last fall to launch the Grocery Access Pilot (GAP) program, we believed it could become a powerful example of how cities, community organizations, and technology platforms can work together to expand access to nutritious food.

Less than a year later, the early results gave us — and our partners — the confidence to do even more.

Today, alongside DC Health and Martha’s Table, we’re expanding the GAP program to reach up to 1,000 additional D.C. families, doubling the program’s reach to as many as 2,000 participants across the District. In addition, up to 300 of those participants will also receive monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends to help cover the cost of fresh, nutritious groceries directly. Combined, the expansion represents nearly $215,000 in new grocery and delivery benefits for D.C. families.

We’re also extending our partnership with the District through 2028 — reinforcing a shared commitment to building long-term, scalable solutions that help make healthy food more accessible for more communities.

At Instacart, we’ve seen firsthand how technology can help address some of the most persistent barriers to food access. For many families, seniors, caregivers, and families in underserved neighborhoods, accessing fresh groceries isn’t simply about whether a store exists nearby. Transportation limitations, mobility challenges, time constraints, and delivery costs can all stand between families and the food they need.

Programs like GAP help close those gaps by combining local leadership, trusted community partnerships, and Instacart’s technology platform to connect families with groceries from local retailers delivered directly to their doorsteps. By pairing grocery delivery access and Fresh Funds benefits with community support systems, partnerships like this can help advance a more integrated approach to nutrition security.

This expansion builds on encouraging momentum we’ve already seen in Washington, thanks to Councilmember Christina Henderson’s strong and ongoing leadership in ensuring food access for those most in need, and beyond. Since launching in October 2025, the GAP program has already connected more than 1,000 D.C. families to online grocery delivery — a tool that research shows can help reduce food insecurity by lowering transportation and access barriers. And in Columbia, South Carolina, a similar partnership with the city has demonstrated strong sustained participation among families during its first year.

At Instacart, we believe public-private partnerships work best when every partner brings a unique strength to the table. Local governments understand the needs of their communities. Organizations like Martha’s Table bring deep trust and neighborhood connections. Health systems increasingly recognize the role food plays in overall health and wellbeing. And Instacart can provide the technology, scale, and infrastructure to help connect it all.

That’s the model we’re continuing to invest in — not just in D.C., but in communities across the country. Because access to healthy food shouldn’t depend on a zip code. And when governments, nonprofits, healthcare leaders, and technology platforms work together, we can help build more practical, scalable solutions that make nutritious food more accessible for more families.

We’re grateful to DC Health and Martha’s Table for their continued partnership and leadership — and we’re excited to keep building on this work together.

About the DC Health Expanded Grocery Access Pilot

• Up to 2,000 eligible D.C. families will receive access to subsidized grocery delivery
• Up to 300 of those participants receive monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery stipends
• The expansion represents nearly $215,000 in grocery and delivery benefits