Backpack Buddy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
811903016
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Santa Fe, TX, USA
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Food Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$47,349
Expenses
$44,686
Assets
$136,260

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Susan Hall (Director)
  • Darlene Arnold (Director)
  • Gina Kearly (Director and Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Backpack Buddy program is to provide weekend nutrition for students struggling with weekend food insecurity. At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year we were providing approximately 150 bags each week. As the school year progresses counselors and other school staff work to identify students that could be eligible to receive the Backpack Buddy bags. When school ended in May of 2025 we were providing an average of 250 bags each week. We served students on five campuses 3 elementary campuses and 2 secondary campuses by delivering the filled bags each week to the campuses for distribution by the campus counselors.

What it reported doing in 2025

Weekend food distribution bags to students at the three elementary and two secondary campuses in Santa Fe ISD that struggle with weekend food insecurity during the school year.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.2%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 98.7%; rating input score 99

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.05; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -20.7% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -64.6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.2% of revenue deployed · 98.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $44K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.