The Food Trust

What it reported doing in 2024

Farmers market and healthy corner store initiative - to increase healthy food access in southeastern Pennsylvania, tft works in collaboration with local farmers, community organizations, schools and community members to operate a network of over 20 farmers markets and farm stands in underserved communities across philadelphia. Many of these markets are located in lower income neighborhoods with low access to healthy, affordable food. The farmers market program continued its outreach efforts to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by providing on-site nutrition education and cooking demonstrations at a number of markets in underserved communities in philadelphia. The healthy corner store initiative (hcsi) increases the availability of nutritious food in underserved neighborhoods that lack supermarkets or other fresh-food retailers. Tft works in partnership with local public health departments, commerce departments, community and economic development departments, healthcare partners, and community-based partners and residents to develop healthy corner store networks in both rural and urban communities. Food trust staff currently lead direct programming in over 1,000 grocery stores across six states. Additionally, staff has supported healthy food retail programming in small stores in more than 30 states as a technical assistance provider, sharing resources, including bilingual marketing materials and one-on-one training to help storeowners stock and sell healthy food. Tft employs hcsi ambassadors to identify culturally relevant healthy food for inventory, promote hcsi programming in their community, and help store owners improve and sustain the healthy retail environment. Another component of the food trust's hcsi is the "heart smarts" program, a store-based nutrition education model that includes lessons, taste tests, and incentives to encourage consumers to make heart-healthy choices as stores begin stocking new healthy products. In collaboration with local health care partners, tft offers free blood pressure, heart-risk assessment and/or anxiety screenings with counseling and referrals in some of the stores we work with.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.5%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 78.1%; rating input score 78
• Fundraising efficiency: $39.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd 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: Pass
  • 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; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 6%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.74; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.8; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings