Feed the Children

This charity's score is 90 %, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.

Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Measurement. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.

This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990.

Rating Report

• Impact & Measurement
• Accountability & Finance
• Culture & Community
• Leadership & Adaptability

99

This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.

Key Accountability Metrics

Majority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members

Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see that a majority of board members are identified as independent on their tax form.

Independent Board Size - 12 independent members

Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three independent board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members

Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee

An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:

Material Diversion of Assets - None

A diversion of assets — any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.

Tax Form Disclosures and Policies

Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed

Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.

Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed

Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.

Whistleblower Policy - Listed

Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.

Document Retention and Destruction - Listed

Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.

Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes

Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.

An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.

Compensates Board - No

The IRS requires that the charity lists any compensation paid to the charity's governing body members on the IRS Form 990. Furthermore, all governing body members must be listed whether or not they are compensated. Our analysts verify that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and that no board members are compensated simply for being on the board.

Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed

Providing copies of the IRS Form 990 to the governing body prior to filing is considered a best practice, as it allows for thorough review by the individuals charged with overseeing the organization. The Form 990 asks the charity to disclose whether or not it has followed this best practice.

Loans to/from Officers - None

Making loans to related parties, such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it diverts the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems.

The IRS requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers.

Although employees and trustees are permitted to make loans to charities, this practice can also result in real and/or perceived conflict of interest problems for the charity. Furthermore, it is problematic because it indicates that the organization is not financially secure. Our analysts check to see if any loans have been made.

Reports CEO and Compensation on Tax Form - Listed

Charities must list their CEO's name and compensation on their tax forms, an issue of concern for many donors. Our analysts check to be sure that the charities complied with the IRS Form 990 instructions and include this information.

CEO Compensation Process - Listed

This process indicates that the organization has a documented policy that it follows yearly. The policy should indicate that an objective and independent review process of the CEO's compensation has been conducted, including benchmarking against comparable organizations. We check to be sure that the charity has reported on its IRS Form 990 its process for determining its CEO pay.

Website Disclosures

Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website as stated on Form 990 - Listed

For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.

Audit Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed

Charity Navigator checks the charity's website to see if it has published its audited financial statements for the fiscal year represented by the most recently filed IRS Form 990. Donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. We are rating charities on whether or not they publish their audit on their website.

Staff Members Listed on Nonprofit's Website - Listed

Donors and other stakeholders need to know who runs the organization day-to-day. While key staff should be reported on the IRS Form 990, the charity's staff may have changed since then. The charity typically reflects the most current members on the website.

Board Members Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed

The IRS requires that the charity lists any compensation paid to the charity's governing body members on the IRS Form 990. Furthermore, all governing body members must be listed whether or not they are compensated. Our analysts verify that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and that no board members are compensated simply for being on the board.

Donor Privacy Policy Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed, but is opt-out

Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy and if its contents are sufficient to protect the donor's information.

Financial Metrics

Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 2.06%

The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.

Program Expense: Ratio - 94.02%

The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.

Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.03

The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.

Working Capital: Ratio - 0.39 years

Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed IRS Form 990. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.

Additional Information

This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.

Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting

Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website

Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15 )

Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3 )

The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage accountability and finance data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name ( Feed the Children ) or EIN ( 736108657 ) in the 'Search Term' field.

80

This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.

Assessments

Impact

80 out of 100 points

$316,024,557 total costs / 77,000,000 meals provided = roughly $4.10 provides a meal to a person in need. [2021 USD]

Food and Personal Essentials: This program collects, stores, and distributes food to front-line organizations like food pantries and soup kitchens.

Impact scores of food distribution programs are based on the cost of a meal relative to the cost that a food-secure person incurs to buy a meal in that county. Programs receive an Impact score of 100 if they are less than 75% the cost of a meal and a score of 80 if they are less than 125%. If a nonprofit reports impact but doesn't meet the benchmark for cost-effectiveness, it earns a score of 65. This program's cost per meal is between 75% and 125% of the local meal cost.

This impact score was determined through the Food Bank methodology which is fully detailed in the Charity Navigator Guide to Ratings. Analysis conducted in 2023 by Charity Navigator using data submitted by the nonprofit, theory and evidence from scientific research studies, and public datasets.

Measurement

Unscored

Feed the Children cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.

Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.

100

This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.

Strategy

40 out of 40 points

The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission.

At Feed the Children, we feed hungry kids. We envision a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In the U.S. and internationally, we are dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. We distribute product donations from corporate donors to local community partners, we provide support for teachers and students, and we mobilize resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. Internationally, we manage child-focused community development programs in 8 countries. We welcome partnerships because we know our work would not be possible without collaborative relationships.

Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.

The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.

The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.

Goal One: Food and nutritional security for at-risk and vulnerable children, their families and communities.

Goal Two: Child-focused community development in countries around the world focusing on food and nutrition, health and water, education, and livelihoods.

Leadership

30 out of 30 points

Investment in Leadership Development

Feed the Children is dedicated to reducing childhood hunger and doing so in a way that is consistent with our values of defending the dignity of those we serve, championing partnership, valuing donors and preserving integrity. Our belief is that when our colleagues embody our organization’s values, our workplace exemplifies empathy, respect, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Feed the Children continually invests in training to deepen the knowledge, skills and behaviors to support effective leaders, the most recent leadership session was assessing the relationships between individuals’ Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, emotional intelligence and decision making.

External Focus on Mobilizing Mission

The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.

Our partnership model depends on mobilization and collaboration. This is demonstrated through a range of activities and partners: - We help mobilize a network of community partners across the U.S. who provide food and resources to at-risk families. - As part of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) coalition, we promote cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration between agencies. - We advocate for policy priorities as a part of our InterAction participation. – Our international Care Group model uses volunteers to promote life-changing information and our meal centers are run by community volunteers. – We share information to the general public to help raise the awareness of childhood hunger and poverty-related issues, as well as providing information about nutritious food, reducing food waste reduction, teaching philanthropy, etc., through Feed For Thought content on our website.

Adaptability

30 out of 30 points

Investment in Leadership Development

The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.

The lack of in-person service delivery during COVID necessitated a change in resource distribution to students and families. Working together with our community partners in the U.S., we supported new ways of getting food and essentials to partners and families. Internationally, we pivoted to using digital platforms to continue our work. For example, in Guatemala, a new virtual training platform and free messaging services via smartphones have allowed teen club activities to continue and members to stay connected with one another. Due to COVID-19 quarantines, Feed the Children staff communicated with Care Group members via text messages to monitor area families’ needs. Nutritious food was delivered to community drop off sites when school and community centers closed. Specialized food kits designed for children have accompanied some of these deliveries, along with Care Group training materials to help caregivers address their children’s developmental requirements. In Kenya, our team worked with families to install handwashing stations at more than 80% of homes in the areas we serve. We also communicated regularly to our staff, donors, partners about how we were managing during the pandemic. Not only were we one of the first to apply for the SBA loans established through the CARES act, we also returned monies as soon as we saw that we were financially stable.