Hunger Action Los Angeles Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Market match: hunger action la's chief program in terms of size and reach is market match, which provides bonus dollars in the form of coupons (reimbursable by us to the farmers who accept them) for California grown fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets. During 2024, there were 39 farmers markets participating in market match with hunger action la. The markets track the number of coupons distributed and spent, and the amount is reimbursed by hunger action la to the farmers market operators who in turn reimburse the farmers. The funding for the program is largely from the federal gusnip and state cnip grants, which are provided to the principal contractor the ecology center in berkeley. Hala subcontracts to the ecology center and receives monthly reimbursements from them, and pays monthly checks to the farmers market operators (adams Vermont: thai cdc: eastmont community center: California farm direct: southland farmers market association: fm & lce: pasadena farmers market: healthy community project; providence health: ven a ver; and others.) in late 2023 and continuing into 2024, the county of los angeles began to also provide considerable funding to market match. This funding supplements that which we receive from the federal and state funds that pass through the ecology center, and does not duplicate any expense incurred that is paid for by that other funding. This funding is administered through another nonprofit organization, see la which during 2024 and early 2025 changed it's name to food access la. Market match continued to be popular as food price inflation continued to affect people in 2024. Throughout the year we were able to offer $20 per customer transaction for market match. Hala funded $1,224,579 in market match transactions in 2024 compared to $761,762 in 2023. It is the first year we have exceeded a million dollars of fruits and vegetables provided to low income families. Of that amount $805,512 was through the ecology center invoices, funded ultimately by the state and federal sources, and $419,067 was through the county arpa funding. There were 2,978 new customers to the program and a total of 67,183 transactions altogether. The customers spent $1,631,637 of their calfresh benefits to obtain the bonus coupons meaning a total of $2,856,216 was spent by them on fruits and vegetables benefitting 285 local farmers as well as their households with nutritious food. There were 39 participating markets throughout the year. California department of social services fruit and vegetable pilot: the market match has proven successful over the years, resulting in legislative advocacy to create a system that simplifies market match, and allows it to be operated at grocery stores as well as farmers markets, by transferring the bonus benefits directly onto participants' ebt cards (calfresh) rather than the market match system of providing paper bonus coupons. As a result of this, the state contracted with the ecology center to pilot this version of the program at farmers markets in a few areas of California. Hunger action la subcontracted to operate the pilot at the adams Vermont farmers market. Because the benefits are put directly onto the participant's cards, the only expenses billed to the state by hunger action la, via the main contractor the ecology center, were for personnel expenses. The popularity of the program exploded through efforts of hunger action la's allies in the korean community, leading sometimes to over 500 participants at the market in one day. This is about 5 times the usual participants under the traditional market match program. The number of participants did require hunger action la to hire ultimately 10 people, nearly all of them part-time contractors, to manage the market and the participants, and provide constant interpretation into korean as the clientele at the market became 90% korean seniors. In april 2024 the contract with the state department of social services expired and hu

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 95.3%; rating input score 95
• Program expense ratio: 97.9%; rating input score 98
• Fundraising efficiency: $169.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • 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: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 2.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.13; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 29.5% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 27.4% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings