California Restaurant Foundation Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Create a brand of excellence in training for hospitality industry jobs by supporting prostart programs through the state of California in high schools. To create a new generation of restaurateurs by fueling a desire in young people to enter the restaurant community.nationally, prostart is recognized as the industry-backed training for high school culinary arts programs. The California restaurant foundation provides culinary and hospitality training and career opportunities to thousands of students in public high schools across the state. Prostart's job readiness training bridges the gap between education and employment. This bridge is critical for youth from all backgrounds, but especially for those who are first generation college bound and low-income. Vocational training (also known as career and technical education cte) programs provide practical skills that are directly transferable to various industries, including time management, teamwork and collaboration, and creative thinking. These benefits are critical for the students we serve. Prostart encourages students to develop their unique passions, interests, and abilities, whether that's in the culinary arts and hospitality, or another field entirely. While we hope to inspire the next generation of passionate food service professionals, we are more focused on reminding students early (starting in 9th grade) and often (throughout all four years of high school) that they can do anything they set their minds to. When income does not determine what opportunities are available to our youth, the world becomes more equitable and the possibilities for success are endless. Crf supports tomorrow's culinary talent and restaurant business leaders and promotes workforce enrichment programs. In addition, out of twenty current 9th graders, six will drop out of high school, six will go directly to work after high school and eight will become college freshmen. Dropping out of high school is related to a number of negative outcomes. Dropouts are less likely to be in the labor force than those with a high school credential. Students are motivated to stay in school and graduate because: they want to be successful in life; they want to have a good job; they want to attend college; and, they want to be good role models for their parents and siblings. The prostart program of crf is designed to capture the interest and engage the minds of young people who might otherwise be struggling staying in school. Learning the culinary and management skills taught by our prostart class provides practical skills for success.crf serves 140 prostart programs with 13,500 students. 50% of prostart students surveyed said prostart is a major reason why they come to school every day. 91% of prostart students credit prostart for teaching them job readiness skills. Through crf/prostart events 73% of students feel better prepared to apply for college and 36% are more likely to study hospitality management/culinary.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 82.9%; rating input score 83
• Program expense ratio: 93.1%; rating input score 93
• Fundraising efficiency: $114.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 20.8%; rating input score 21; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 17.1%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.53; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings