Capital Area Food Bank

What it reported doing in 2024

Food for today: cafb works to address hunger today for people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area's hunger relief infrastructure, cafb supplies food to hundreds of local partner organizations and directly distributes food through a variety of programs. In total, cafb distributed or facilitated the distribution of 72.6 million pounds of food during fiscal year 2025.- food distribution partnerswith help from retail grocers, manufacturers, and local growers, along with our generous supporters, the food bank distributes the food for over 60 million nutritious meals each year through a network of over 400 regional nonprofit organizations. These partners include a range of organizations, including pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and others. For most of these partners, cafb is the primary or sole source of the food they distribute.- direct distribution programswhile most of the food cafb provides reaches our neighbors through our network of partners, sometimes it is necessary for cafb to directly provide food to kids, seniors, and families where they live and learn. These programs reach three major groups:- community at large: cafb operates multiple direct food distributions that are widely accessible by all members of the community. These include mobile and community markets, which are monthly no-cost pop-up markets that bring food directly into neighborhoods where it's needed.- children and families: recognizing the particular importance of nutrition for young people, cafb supplies children and their families with the food they need through multiple programs operated in partnership with schools and childcare locations. These include:1. Family markets: hosted in schools throughout the region and offer no-cost food for kids and families in a convenient market-like setting.2. Joyful food markets: operated in partnership with the organization martha's table and provide food for families through school and community center-based markets in dc's wards 7 and 8.3. After school meal sites: kids receive hearty snacks or evening meals at a variety of afterschool programs throughout the area via the federal child and adult care food program.4. Summer meals: provides the nutritious meals kids need to continue growing and learning when school meals are unavailable through the federal summer food service program.- older adults: to meet the unique needs of food insecure seniors, cafb operates multiple programs that include:1. The senior bag program: provides monthly, senior-specific bags of healthy groceries to people over 55.2. Commodity supplemental food program : sites through which income-eligible seniors over 60 living in dc, montgomery and prince george's counties in Maryland, and northern Virginia can receive nutritious groceries each month via this federal program for older adults. In Maryland, the program is known as my groceries to go!; in dc, it is known as grocery plus.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 81.1%; rating input score 81
• Program expense ratio: 89%; rating input score 89
• Fundraising efficiency: $22.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 88.4%; rating input score 88; 21st percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 8.9%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.86; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings