Food Forward Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based in North Hollywood, California, registered in 2011, with $195,263,115 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it B+, and it directs about 98% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$195.3M
▲ 11.5% vs prior year
Food & Agriculture median: $197K
Expenses (FY2024)
$193.4M
Net assets
$17.9M
Employees
65
Rated on 4 of 4 criteria.
Held down by its weakest criterion — a strong score on one criterion can't hide a weak one.
How the rating works →Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Food Forward Inc: 98% to programs · $1 to raise $100 earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Food Forward Inc: 1 mo reserves · +1% margin earns a C+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Food Forward Inc: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Food Forward Inc: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Food forward(r) is one of the nation's largest independent urban produce recovery organizations.
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.
Revenue grew from $8.8M (FY2014) to $195.3M (FY2024) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
1.0%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$19.0M
Total liabilities
$1.2M
Net assets
$17.9M
Salaries & benefits
$4.7M
2% of expenses
Board members
15
14 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $195,263,115▲11.5% | $193,381,743▲10.6% | $17,868,589▲9.2% | $19,019,673▲8.8% | 990 |
| 2023 | $175,170,201▲19.0% | $174,912,851▲21.4% | $16,369,437▲3.8% | $17,482,876▲2.9% | 990 |
| 2022 | $147,215,098▲14.9% | $144,104,133▲16.0% | $15,765,389▲24.6% | $16,985,422▲31.1% | 990 |
| 2021 | $128,150,149▲7.5% | $124,179,353▲10.6% | $12,654,424▲45.7% | $12,955,667▲46.6% | 990 |
| 2020 | $119,164,188▲159% | $112,276,221▲145% | $8,683,628▲384% | $8,834,924▲369% | 990 |
| 2019 | $45,983,049▲11.4% | $45,867,892▲12.0% | $1,795,661▲6.9% | $1,882,136▲4.5% | 990 |
| 2018 | $41,262,856▲23.2% | $40,942,318▲22.3% | $1,680,503▲23.6% | $1,800,915▲25.0% | 990 |
| 2017 | $33,504,777▲26.9% | $33,467,017▲28.7% | $1,359,965▲2.9% | $1,440,578▲5.6% | 990 |
| 2016 | $26,402,209▲71.0% | $26,012,419▲69.3% | $1,322,205▲46.0% | $1,364,360▲48.1% | 990 |
| 2015 | $15,438,389▲74.6% | $15,362,714▲79.3% | $905,340▲34.9% | $921,324▲34.7% | 990 |
| 2014 | $8,844,061 | $8,567,717 | $670,977 | $683,897 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Richard Nahmias — $226,957 (0.12% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Nahmias | Founder/ceo | 40 | $226,957 |
| Kristen Johnson | Chief Operating Officer | 50 | $190,534 |
| Jennifer Cox | Chief Development Officer | 50 | $161,139 |
| Diane Helfrey | Director of Finance & Accounting | 50 | $137,369 |
| Jodi Jacobsen | Director of Human Resources | 45 | $129,110 |
| Amir Zambrano | Managing Director of Programs | 50 | $128,518 |
| Nkemdilim Nwosu | Director of Communications | 55 | $121,134 |
| Samantha Teslik | Director of Community Programs | 42 | $107,824 |
| Betty Zamorano-pedregon | Board Member | 4 | — |
| Brian Lazarus | Board Member | 3 | — |
| Christy Chin | Board Member | 5 | — |
| Cindy Lee | Board Member | 1 | — |
| David Lake | Board Member | 3 | — |
| Donella Wilson | Secretary (as of 4/1/24) | 1 | — |
| Jason Crayne | Treasurer | 4 | — |
| Jedd Gold | Board Member | 1.5 | — |
| Jeff Harris | Board Chair (as of 6/19/24) | 10 | — |
| Jim Berliner | Board Member | 3 | — |
| Mark Rhein | Secretary (thru 3/31/24) | 1 | — |
| Neil Haltrecht | Board Member | 3 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Lion Power Express Inc | Third Party Driver | $229,750 |
103 grants to Food Forward Inc totaling $89.5M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmlink Project | To provide healthy fresh produce to families in need | 2024 | $8,848,153 |
| Farmlink Project | To provide healthy fresh produce to families in need | 2024 | $3,735,200 |
| Means Database Inc | — | 2024 | $1,928,088 |
| Impactassets Inc | General support | 2024 | $150,000 |
| Jewish Community Fdn of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater La | General support | 2024 | $22,700 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $17,109 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Food, nutrition | 2024 | $11,000 |
| Santa Barbara Foundation | Food systems | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Foundation For the Carolinas | Charitable gift | 2024 | $6,000 |
| Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund | General support | 2024 | $5,000 |
| Farmlink Project | To provide healthy fresh produce to families in need | 2023 | $29,176,638 |
| Jewish Community Fdn of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater La | General support | 2023 | $265,600 |
| National Philanthropic Tr | Human services | 2023 | $205,250 |
| Impactassets Inc | 2023 food recovery scale up | 2023 | $125,000 |
191 grants totaling $185.2M in FY2024 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Food Forward Inc →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Farmlink Project | Fresh produce donation | $31,973,860 |
| Mahi International Inc | Fresh produce donation | $15,465,723 |
| Ministerio Cristiano Faro De Luz | Fresh produce donation | $11,065,228 |
| Monte Sion Center | Fresh produce donation | $8,117,617 |
| Young Mens Christian Association of Metropolitan Los Angeles | Fresh produce donation | $8,081,170 |
| Mccobb Ministries | Fresh produce donation | $7,332,472 |
| High Desert Second Chance | Fresh produce donation | $7,086,872 |
| Inland Harvest | Fresh produce donation | $5,537,705 |
| Los Angeles the Dream Center | Fresh produce donation | $4,915,822 |
| Centro Restaurador Cristiano Inc | Fresh produce donation | $3,430,109 |
| Protestant Episcopal Church In the United States of America | Fresh produce donation | $3,081,460 |
| El Camino A Cristo Adventista Del Septimo Dia | Fresh produce donation | $2,945,668 |
| Watts Community Core | Fresh produce donation | $2,895,890 |
| Templo Calvario | Fresh produce donation | $2,775,216 |
| Gods Pantry | Fresh produce donation | $2,611,980 |
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Data for Food Forward Inc (EIN 90-0678872) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.