Houston Food Bank
501(c)(3) Donations tax-deductible
93% goes to programs $2 to raise $100 Declining revenue
Houston Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Houston, Texas, registered in 1984, with $366,329,444 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A+, and it directs about 93% of spending to programs.
535 Portwall St, Houston, TX, 77029 EIN 74-2181456 Since 1984
Revenue (FY2023)
$366.3M
▲ 22.7% vs prior year
Expenses (FY2023)
$358.4M
Net assets
$144.8M
Employees
469
CharityIndex rating
One independent A+ to F grade from four published criteria, each scored separately from IRS filings and combined by weight.
A+
A+Program efficiency40% of the rating93% to programs · $2 to raise $100
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 Houston Food Bank: 93% to programs · $2 to raise $100 earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
AFinancial health25% of the rating5 mo reserves · +2% margin
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 Houston Food Bank: 5 mo reserves · +2% margin earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Governance25% of the rating6 of 6 checks met
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 Houston Food Bank: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Transparency10% of the rating5 of 5 disclosure signals
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 Houston Food Bank: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Mission
The mission is to provide food for better lives. last year we provided 136 million nutritious meals in 18 counties through our 1,600 community partners.
What they do
Child hunger initiatives - approximately 60% of children in the houston area rely on free and reduced lunch during the school year. proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children. children without proper nutrition have difficulties concentrating in school, experience tardiness, and are more prone to chronic illness that can hinder their growth and advancement. the houston food bank operates five programs that equip children and their families with tools they need to be successful: backpack buddy, kids cafe, school market, teachers aid, and nutrition education. last year, 11.0 million meals were provided to children through one of hfbs child hunger-relief programs.
Community assistance program - houston food bank's community assistance program (cap), educates the community about available social services and state-funded programs. through certified community resource navigators, cap provides application and technical assistance for the following benefits: snap (supplemental nutrition assistance program), medicaid, tanf (temporary assistance for needy families), and chip (children's health insurance program). the houston food bank can assist in submitting those applications electronically to the state. cap also offers the referral partner program to assist with additional resources outside of state benefits, including rent and utility assistance, and connections to local pantries and food distributions. services are available in english, spanish, and vietnamese. in fy24 14,105,850 meals were accessed through cap assistance. nutrition education - the houston food bank offers free nutrition education programming in english and spanish to address food insecurity, to promote good nutrition habits for better health, and to reduce risk of diseases such as diabetes. classes in nutrition, food safety, meal preparation, and budgeting are taught in collaboration with food bank partner agencies by houston food bank's team of registered dieticians and nutritionists. these classes revolve around healthy eating tips based on the usda myplate and dietary guidelines for americans. each class includes the creation of a recipe highlighting the material of the class. last year, 293 classes were provided by hfb's nutrition education program; 5,232 individuals and 390 partners participated. classes are offered virtually and in-person to hfb partners, community organizations, and schools. senior box - the senior box program also known as the commodity supplemental food program (csfp) is a federally-funded national food distribution effort from the united states department of agriculture (usda) that is designed to improve the health and nutrition of income-eligible seniors (60+). through this program seniors receive a box of non-perishable food (valued at approximately $50) each month, which helps stretch their available grocery dollars. the senior box program is currently serving over 9.995 seniors each month.
Other program services: food for change is an innovative strategy that goes beyond emergency food assistance to address the root causes of hunger. this program uses food as a catalyst, in partnership with social service programs that provide workforce programs, higher education institutions, and health partners, to help individuals improve their quality of life through economic, higher ed, and health-related programs that encourage family financial stability or help participants manage their healthcare needs. the food bank's role is to provide food resources to support neighbors participating in the various economic, higher education, and health opportunity programming. this support comes in the form of food scholarships or food prescriptions (food rx). estimated annual value of food scholarships/food rx clients: $2,160/yr with 30 lbs of produce provided bi-weekly and other nutritious food. in addition, neighbors are connected to nutrition education and our community assistance program (cap)to assist them with state servi
Contact & location
Financial trends
Revenue grew from $155.4M (FY2013) to $366.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Financial health & position (FY2023)
Liabilities $12.0MNet assets $144.8M
Operating margin
2.2%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$156.8M
Total liabilities
$12.0M
Net assets
$144.8M
Salaries & benefits
$31.0M
9% of expenses
Board members
17
16 independent
Financials by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $366,329,444▲22.7% | $358,419,910▲13.8% | $144,792,712▲5.7% | $156,837,283▲1.2% | 990 |
| 2022 | $298,504,285▼20.7% | $314,899,919▼13.7% | $136,997,004▼9.3% | $154,916,055▼3.3% | 990 |
| 2021 | $376,356,914▼16.8% | $364,898,828▼14.6% | $151,090,402▲5.7% | $160,263,387▼8.3% | 990 |
| 2020 | $452,622,380▲41.0% | $427,475,898▲45.6% | $142,975,536▲21.2% | $174,736,730▲25.7% | 990 |
| 2019 | $321,020,841▲54.0% | $293,506,374▲35.6% | $117,956,196▲30.5% | $138,990,726▲43.4% | 990 |
| 2018 | $208,517,475▼38.7% | $216,457,290▼29.8% | $90,383,864▼8.9% | $96,909,840▼10.9% | 990 |
| 2017 | $340,247,658▲61.7% | $308,361,319▲51.1% | $99,219,322▲47.2% | $108,755,326▲46.1% | 990 |
| 2016 | $210,380,616▲7.2% | $204,124,432▲5.0% | $67,396,465▲9.6% | $74,451,398▲15.6% | 990 |
| 2015 | $196,309,512▲10.2% | $194,359,768▲8.3% | $61,492,591▲3.3% | $64,390,298▲4.5% | 990 |
| 2014 | $178,117,664▲14.6% | $179,409,681▲8.8% | $59,553,645▼2.2% | $61,613,765▼0.7% | 990 |
| 2013 | $155,438,740 | $164,960,161▲2.9% | $60,870,458▼13.5% | $62,037,513▼15.6% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $160,337,175▲17.6% | $70,341,179▲3.9% | $73,507,899▲1.3% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $136,287,951▲3.7% | $67,674,943▲1.2% | $72,582,872▲1.5% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $131,399,457 | $66,898,753 | $71,482,023 | 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.
Leadership & compensation (FY2023)
Highest-paid: Brian Greene — $350,400 (0.10% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Greene | President & Ceo | 40 | $350,400 |
| Nicole Lander | Chief Impact Officer | 40 | $219,808 |
| Amy Ragan | Chief Development Officer | 40 | $209,886 |
| Bernardo Martins | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $205,411 |
| Kendace Culbreth | Chief Human Resource Officer | 40 | $187,812 |
| Casey Ferrell | Senior Director of Data & Tech | 40 | $130,240 |
| Paula Mckenzie | Director of Major Gifts | 40 | $128,402 |
| Kenia M Way | Data Director | 40 | $121,678 |
| Katherine Howard Byers | Government Relations Officer | 40 | $115,505 |
| Terence Franklin | Director of Staff Engagement | 40 | $113,233 |
| Ben Samuels | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Charles Davidson | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Chinelo Aralu | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | — |
| Eimear Bonner | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Eve Mcfadden | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Greg Grissom | Board Member | 1 | — |
| James Bell | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Jeff Dodson | Board of Directors Chair | 1 | — |
| Laura Juliano | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Lisa Helfman | Board Member | 1 | — |
Top vendors & contractors (FY2023)
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Rkd Alpha Dog | Mailing Services | $1,768,975 |
| Tellepsen Corporation | Architectural Services | $1,710,238 |
| Truesense Marketing | Marketing Services | $1,523,730 |
| Kirksey Architects Inc | Architectural Services | $986,818 |
| Myers-holum Inc | It Services | $621,836 |
Grants received · $861.6M total
718 grants to Houston Food Bank totaling $861.6M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feeding America | Fight hunger | 2024 | $100,543,862 |
| Vitamin Angel Alliance Inc | Nutritional supplements | 2024 | $1,043,053 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Food, nutrition | 2024 | $876,400 |
| Food Forward Inc | Fresh produce donation | 2024 | $803,202 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $746,778 |
| Greater Houston Community Foundation | Human services | 2024 | $503,849 |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Charitable donation | 2024 | $161,671 |
| United Way of Greater Houston | Disaster - beryl | 2024 | $150,000 |
| Farmlink Project | To provide healthy fresh produce to families in need | 2024 | $113,365 |
| Farmlink Project | To provide healthy fresh produce to families in need | 2024 | $77,574 |
| The Blackbaud Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $75,482 |
| Give Back Foundation | Program support | 2024 | $56,675 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | Food supply | 2024 | $56,439 |
| Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund | To further the organization's exempt purpose | 2024 | $54,000 |
| T Rowe Price Program For Charitable Giving Inc | Multiple | 2024 | $52,550 |
Grants made · $282.6M in FY2023
866 grants totaling $282.6M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Houston Food Bank →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County Food Bank Inc | Food distribution program | $16,973,681 |
| Galveston County Food Bank | Food distribution program | $13,585,920 |
| Crc At Houston Food Bank (ea) | Food distribution program | $10,564,819 |
| Bethels Heavenly Hands | Food distribution program | $7,749,797 |
| Brazos Valley Food Bank Inc | Food distribution program | $5,998,138 |
| Annam Community Development Corporation | Food distribution program | $5,582,085 |
| Impact Houston Church of Christ | Food distribution program | $5,578,508 |
| Iglesia Bautista Melrose (ps) | Food distribution program | $4,651,128 |
| Living Water International Apostolic Ministries | Food distribution program | $4,190,012 |
| Keegan Kitchen (kc) | Food distribution program | $4,129,616 |
| Redeemed Christian Church of God Rccg | Food distribution program | $3,917,800 |
| Hearts and Hands of Baytown (sb) | Food distribution program | $3,779,362 |
| Royalty Church | Food distribution program | $3,740,498 |
| Katy Christian Ministries | Food distribution program | $3,611,042 |
| West Houston Assistance Ministries (wham) (sb) | Food distribution program | $3,124,163 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Houston Food Bank a legitimate nonprofit?
- Yes. Houston Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under EIN 74-2181456, based in Houston, Texas. Donations are tax-deductible.
- What is Houston Food Bank's EIN?
- Houston Food Bank's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 74-2181456.
- How much revenue does Houston Food Bank report?
- Houston Food Bank reported $366,329,444 in total revenue on its fiscal year 2023 IRS Form 990 filing.
- How much of Houston Food Bank's spending goes to programs?
- Houston Food Bank spends about 93% of its total expenses on programs, based on its latest IRS Form 990.
- What financial grade does Houston Food Bank have?
- CharityIndex grades Houston Food Bank A+, based on program efficiency and fundraising cost.
- How much does Houston Food Bank's highest-paid employee make?
- The highest reported compensation on Houston Food Bank's latest Form 990 is $350,400, paid to Brian Greene (President & Ceo).
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Data for Houston Food Bank (EIN 74-2181456) 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.