Food Research & Action Center
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237200739
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2029862200
- Rating
- 90
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Food Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $20,791,928
- Expenses
- $21,482,914
- Assets
- $12,293,335
- Liabilities
- $6,243,516
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CRYSTAL FITZSIMONS (Interim President)
- Luis Guardia (President (THROUGH 4/5/2024))
Highest reported compensation
- ELLEN SUSAN TELLER (CHIEF GOVT AFFAIRS OFFICER): $229,200 total reported compensation
- COLLEEN BARTON (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS): $210,533 total reported compensation
- CRYSTAL FITZSIMONS (Interim President): $197,737 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the united states through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions.
What it reported doing in 2024
Child nutrition: frac seeks to reduce childhood hunger, improve nutrition, improve food security and economic security, improve health and school achievement, and use child nutrition programs to support services for school aged children in communities across the country. Frac works with local, state, national groups and public agencies to assure that as many eligible children as possible are enrolled in programs such as school breakfast, school lunch, the summer food program and after school nutrition programs, and that the food served is as nutritious as possible. Frac provides research, public policy advocacy, analysis, training, technical assistance, materials and regranting.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 69% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 65% of its reported program spending out as grants.
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: 94
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 22
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 97.5%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 94.3%; rating input score 94
- Fundraising efficiency: $43.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Pass
- 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: 99.6%; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 25th 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: -3.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.57; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 97.5% of revenue deployed · 94.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $20.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $229K · 22 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 82 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 74 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.