Empty Stocking Fund Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Established in 1927, The Empty Stocking Fund (ESF) is a cornerstone of Atlanta's philanthropic community. While originally founded to bring joy to children during the holiday season, ESF has evolved into a year-round 501(c)(3) bridging the resource gap for low-income families and under-resourced educators across the metropolitan area. ESF operates with a dual focus: ensuring every child experiences the dignity of the holidays and every student has the tools to succeed in the classroom. We accomplish our mission through three programs: 1. Support for Families during the Christmas and Holiday Season: This past December, ESF served 27,000+ children from over 10,000 families, providing gifts that promote joy, dignity, and inclusion. No organization in Georgia has the infrastructure or capacity to meet at this high level of need. 2. Teacher Resource Center (TRC): ESF operates the largest TRC in Georgia, supporting Title I educators. Last year over 4,000 teachers "shopped" for up to $500 worth of classroom supplies and essentials. With over 9,000 teachers currently on their waiting list, ESF is aggressively scaling its operations to ensure no classroom in the Greater Atlanta area goes unsupported. The TRC is supported mainly through in-kind donations received and processed at our 25,000+ square foot warehouse in Atlanta. 3. Student Readiness Kits: Leveraging purchasing power through national partnerships and closeout vendors, ESF distributed nearly 30,000 Student Readiness Kits packed with core learning essentials through strategic school district partnerships. Nearly a century after our founding, we continue to evolve-scaling our reach to meet the growing needs of metropolitan Atlanta's families, students, and educators, one gift and one classroom at a time.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 90.2%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: $23.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 18.3%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.8%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings