Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
611337601
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Phone
5022572476
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,842,535
Expenses
$7,495,986
Assets
$8,945,797
Liabilities
$656,316

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • EMMA HORN (SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • EMMA HORN (SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $173,011 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The KFC Foundation fulfills its mission through programs that provide scholarships and educational support, hardship assistance during times of crisis, personal development opportunities, and investments that strengthen local communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Hardship Assistance Program: This crisis assistance program is available to KFC U.S. restaurant employees who have been directly impacted by a severe hardship, crisis, or catastrophic incident that was beyond their control. The purpose of the program is to provide temporary, limited financial relief. While money can't eliminate the sorrow, it can eliminate the added stress that often accompanies it. In 2025, the program provided relief for 151 team members. Savings Match Program: This financial wellness program supports KFC U.S. restaurant employees in building savings habits and improving financial stability. Participants contribute weekly and are matched by the KFC Foundation after a six-month savings period. The program encourages positive financial behaviors, reduces financial stress, and helps employees build emergency savings through education and incentive-based support. Mental Health Program: This program provides KFC U.S. restaurant employees with access to confidential, online counseling through BetterHelp. Eligible team members and their dependents receive six therapy sessions with licensed providers for personal and work-related challenges. In 2025, the program provided access to mental health services for 55 team members, resulting in 165 therapy sessions being utilized.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 77% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 96.4%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $45.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: -28.3%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 96.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $173K · 11 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $105K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 65 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 64 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.