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Food Forward
Food Forward reported $195.3 million in revenue and $193.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $98.49 went to program services, $0.92 to management and general costs and $0.59 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $281,897 (FOUNDER/CEO). 10 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 325% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $193MFor 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 $195M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$98.77 $193M
- Government grants$0.42 $831K
- Program service revenue$0.08 $155K
- Investment income$0.73 $1.4M
Other revenue was negative: −$155K. 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) | 98.5% | 94.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 0.9% | 3.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.6% | 2.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.3% | 96.4% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 10.5% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $281,897 | $213,323 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.15% | 0.61% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 10 | 3 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 1.1 | 6.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 14 of 15 | 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 expenseFood Forward's large-scale wholesale recovery program recovers surplus fruits and vegetables donated by the produce industry at its produce pit stop warehouse. Retailers, shippers, packers, and others with large quantities of fresh produce donate their surplus by the pallet and truckload. This fresh food is distributed to communities free of charge by hunger relief partner organizations across the region
Through its volunteer-powered community programs, Food Forward organizes thousands of dedicated volunteers annually to participate in harvests and gleans that fight hunger and reduce food waste. The flagship backyard harvest program provides fruit to partner organizations from harvests led by volunteers on hundreds of backyards, orchards, and other fruit tree properties. The farmers market recovery program is a market-endorsed donation system for farmers and vendors wanting to help fight hunger with their unsold produce; volunteers glean at the end of the markets and distribute to local…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOUNDER/CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $226,957 | $0 | $54,940 | $281,897 |
| CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Key employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $190,534 | $0 | $12,423 | $202,957 |
| CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $161,139 | $0 | $16,624 | $177,763 |
| DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES Highest compensated employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $129,110 | $0 | $41,251 | $170,361 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING Officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $137,369 | $0 | $18,351 | $155,720 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $128,518 | $0 | $5,001 | $133,519 |
| DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Highest compensated employee, 55.00 hrs/week | $121,134 | $0 | $10,989 | $132,123 |
| DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Highest compensated employee, 42.00 hrs/week | $107,824 | $0 | $17,677 | $125,501 |
10 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Food Forward (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $641K (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–1b15 · 14 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 565
- Volunteers Part I, line 62,111
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| LION POWER EXPRESS INC Third party driver | $229,750 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
48 private foundations reported grants to Food Forward totaling $1.6M 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 Food Forward's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Food Forward, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Food Forward spent in 2024, $98.49 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
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- Sharing ExcessPhiladelphia, PA · revenue $180M · programs 99.0% · FY2025
All food, agriculture & nutrition charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of Food Forward's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Food Forward reported that 98.5% of its $193.4 million in expenses went to program services, 0.9% to management and general and 0.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Food Forward pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Food Forward reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $281,897, for the role of FOUNDER/CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Food Forward get its money?
Of $195.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.3% came from contributions and grants (including 0.4% from government grants) and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Food Forward a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 90-0678872 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 202542969349301589 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202443119349301554 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202302929349301650 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203189349309020 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202131609349301218 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202011359349304116 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 90-0678872: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.