Center for Responsible Food Business
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 933747535
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Bethlehem, PA, USA
- Phone
- 5014815477
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $773,712
- Expenses
- $259,807
- Assets
- $621,032
- Liabilities
- $8,042
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Taylor Ford (President and Treasurer)
Highest reported compensation
- Taylor Ford (President and Treasurer): $100,032 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Through rigorous research and evidence-based advocacy, we work to create a more transparent and accountable food sector.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, the Center for Responsible Food Business expanded its research, analysis, and public engagement around pressing issues in the food industry. We published in-depth articles and policy commentary on topics including food safety, chemical contamination, market consolidation, food labeling, and corporate animal welfare policies. Our team conducted investigative research into the practices of major food companies and examined the implications of regulatory actions, mergers, and supply chain standards on consumer welfare and public health. We launched targeted communications campaigns, such as our "no milk tax" initiative, designed to engage consumers, shift corporate behavior, and advance responsible food policies. Across these efforts, we used petitions, paid and organic media, and outreach to decision-makers to promote transparency, accountability, and better outcomes in the food system.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% 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
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 55
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 60
- Sustainability: 74
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 28.9%; rating input score 29
- Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $318.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 66.4%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.39; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 37.4%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 146.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 136.8% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 145% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 28.9% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $220K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 29/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.