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Brighter Bites
Brighter Bites reported $15.8 million in revenue and $15.9 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $94.37 went to program services, $2.43 to management and general costs and $3.20 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 98.8% of the total. Government grants made up 39.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $191,600 (CEO). 4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 92% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $16MFor context, the median across 349 covered food, agriculture & nutrition charities: $94.56 programs, $3.12 management, $2.32 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $16M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$58.81 $9.3M
- Government grants$39.78 $6.3M
- Program service revenue$1.41 $224K
Other revenue was negative: −$34,334. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 94.4% | 94.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 2.4% | 3.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.2% | 2.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 98.8% | 96.4% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 39.9% | 10.5% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $191,600 | $213,323 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.20% | 0.61% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 1.5 | 6.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 8 of 8 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseFor eight weeks each in the fall, spring, and summer, Brighter Bites provides 1) Produce Distributions - two bags containing 50 servings (25 lbs) of fresh produce for participants to pick up and take home when they pick up their child at school; 2) Nutrition Education - we train and support teachers in schools, camps, and educational centers to implement evidence-based health nutrition education programs approved for classrooms across the United States. Parents receive weekly educational tools with their bags, including nutrition handbooks, recipes, and tips to demystify produce. All…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $180,250 | $0 | $11,350 | $191,600 |
| Director of Finance Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $127,947 | $0 | $1,065 | $129,012 |
| VP Operations Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $106,694 | $0 | $7,276 | $113,970 |
| Director of Strategy Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $103,340 | $0 | $660 | $104,000 |
4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Brighter Bites (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $321K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b8 · 8 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5179
- Volunteers Part I, line 650,130
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| UT Health Data evaluation | $161,943 |
| City Harvest Inc Packaging produce box labor | $130,182 |
| Brothers Food Service (BFS) Packaging produce box labor | $107,270 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
22 private foundations reported grants to Brighter Bites totaling $504K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Brighter Bites's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Brighter Bites, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Brighter Bites spent in 2024, $94.37 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Brighter Bites's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Brighter Bites reported that 94.4% of its $15.9 million in expenses went to program services, 2.4% to management and general and 3.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Brighter Bites pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Brighter Bites reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $191,600, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Brighter Bites get its money?
Of $15.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 98.8% came from contributions and grants (including 39.9% from government grants) and 1.4% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Brighter Bites a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 47-4070026 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202522909349300842 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412709349300946 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342729349300534 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202242999349301104 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202122999349301347 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202003079349301400 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 47-4070026: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.