Food Forward Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 900678872
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- North Hollywood, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8187641022
- Rating
- 91
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Food Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $195,263,115
- Expenses
- $193,381,743
- Assets
- $19,019,673
- Liabilities
- $1,151,084
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
23 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- RICHARD NAHMIAS (FOUNDER/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- RICHARD NAHMIAS (FOUNDER/CEO): $281,897 total reported compensation
- KRISTEN JOHNSON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $202,957 total reported compensation
- JENNIFER COX (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $177,763 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Food forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same.
What it reported doing in 2024
Through its volunteer-powered community programs, food forward organizes thousands of dedicated volunteers annually to participate in harvests and gleans that fight hunger and reduce food waste. The flagship backyard harvest program provides fruit to partner organizations from harvests led by volunteers on hundreds of backyards, orchards, and other fruit tree properties. The farmers market recovery program is a market-endorsed donation system for farmers and vendors wanting to help fight hunger with their unsold produce; volunteers glean at the end of the markets and distribute to local hunger relief partners.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% 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: 97
- Transparency & Controls: 87
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 98.5%; rating input score 98
- Fundraising efficiency: $170.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 44th 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: 1%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.1; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 24.8% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 24.7% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 30% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 98% of revenue deployed · 98.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $190.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $282K · 23 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $230K reported
- Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 199 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 187 filed related-organization links
- 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 37/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.