Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
382379678
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Flint, MI, United States
Phone
General Info: (810) 239-4441; Operations: (810) 237-9059; Warehouse: (810) 239-2
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Food Banks, Pantries

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$73,555,192
Expenses
$73,553,508
Assets
$39,680,429
Liabilities
$4,426,455

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kara Ross (President and CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kara Ross (President and CEO): $308,831 total reported compensation
  • Tiffanie Paielli (CFO): $113,745 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

At the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan (FBEM), our mission is to nourish our community by serving as a trusted source of food and support for those in need. The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan provides careful stewardship of its resources and demonstrates integrity by working to uphold its mission with the trust of our staff, board, donors, volunteers, recipients, and partners. Because we receive strong support from donors, foundations, businesses, and the food industry, the Food Bank keeps administrative costs low – approximately 2 cents on the dollar. The Food Bank maintains a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that transactions are properly executed and recorded in all material aspects. Assets are safeguarded and established policies and procedures are carefully followed.

What it reported doing in 2024

See Schedule OAs the leading hunger relief organization in eastern Michigan, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan sources and distributes food, both purchased and rescued to food insecure residents throughout our 22-county service area. Collaborating with 700 hunger relief partners, such as; food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, shelters, and human service agencies, the Food Bank is a vital component in the battle against hunger and food insecurity. The Food Bank is a contract reclamation site with eight corporate retailers (ALDI, Dollar General, Costco, Kroger, Meijer, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart) via 227 store locations; and provides disaster relief mobile distributions during public emergencies. Together with our partners, we distribute nutritious foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, protein, dairy and shelf-stable options so our neighbors in need can create well-balanced meals. In 2024/2025, 42.1 million pounds of food supported nearly 211,000 people. The Food Bank has solidified itself as the "Food Source" in eastern Michigan and has become the authority of addressing the needs of the hungry.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.7%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 97.5%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $83.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th 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: 0%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.6%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 97.7% of revenue deployed · 97.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $71.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $309K · 16 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.