Hunger Free America Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
HUNGER FREE AMERICA (HFA) IS A NONPARTISAN, NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BUILDING THE MOVEMENT TO ENACT THE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS NEEDED TO END DOMESTIC HUNGER AND ENSURE THAT ALL AMERICANS HAVE SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD.
- Income
- $5.2 million
- Spending
- $5.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 1.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 63%
- Employees
- 45
- Volunteers
- 1,047
- Highest pay
- $213,927, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 63 out of 100.
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.9 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 17% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 13 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $4.4 million spent. HUNGER FREE AMERICA IS A NONPARTISAN, NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BUILDING THE MOVEMENT TO ENACT THE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS NEEDED TO END DOMESTIC HUNGER AND ENSURE THAT ALL AMERICANS HAVE SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD. SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 1983, WE HAVE BEEN AN EFFECTIVE CHAMPION IN THE FIGHT FOR ECONOMIC, RACIAL, AND FOOD JUSTICE. AS A LEADING RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION, WE WORK TO IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE YET PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO HUNGER. WE WORK TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF HUNGER AND ENGAGE AMERICANS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS IN THE FIGHT TO ENSURE THAT OUR SOCIETY SUPPLIES LIVING WAGE JOBS AND AN ADEQUATE GOVERNMENT NUTRITION SAFETY NET. WE ALSO SUPPLY DIRECT SERVICE, HELPING AMERICANS ACCESS GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES OF FOOD AND BY BUILDING A NEW GENERATION OF ANTI-HUNGER LEADERS. PROGRAMS: ADVOCACY, RESEARCH, AND POLICY: OUR ADVOCACY TEAM IS A VOICE FOR THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO STRUGGLE AGAINST U.S. HUNGER. ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND COURAGEOUS ADVOCACY GROUPS IN THE NATION, WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE CITY, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVELS TO ADVANCE POLICIES TO END HUNGER AND PROMOTE ECONOMIC JUSTICE, LIKE THE HOPE ACT, A BILL THAT WILL MAKE IT DRAMATICALLY EASIER FOR LOW-INCOME AMERICANS TO APPLY FOR AND ACCESS PUBLIC BENEFITS. WE ALSO CONDUCT GROUND-BREAKING RESEARCH AND PUBLISH CUTTING-EDGE REPORTS THAT PROPOSE BOLD AND CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO HUNGER AND POVERTY, SUCH AS RECENT REPORTS DETAILING THE NEED FOR MORE COORDINATION BETWEEN UNEMPLOYMENT, SNAP, AND WIC APPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE US AND OUR COMPREHENSIVE, NATIONAL PLAN TO END HUNGER IN AMERICA. AMERICORPS VISTA: OUR AMERICORPS VISTA NATIONAL SERVICE TEAMS ENABLE PARTICIPANTS TO SERVE THE COUNTRY WHILE FIGHTING HUNGER. IN 2025, HFA FACILITATED 460 VOLUNTEER TRAININGS AND RECRUITED 3,282 VOLUNTEERS, MANAGED 47,569 VOLUNTEERS WHO SERVED A TOTAL OF 75,638 HOURS. OUR EFFORTS CREATED 281 PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY. HELPED 6,501 PEOPLE ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT FOOD SECURITY PROGRAMS. VISTA MEMBERS ALSO ASSISTED WITH GRANTS, RESULTING IN $200,000 IN FUNDING AND ANOTHER $6,896,432 IN IN-KIND DONATIONS. ALL OF HUNGER FREE AMERICA'S PROJECTS ARE UNITED BY THE BASIC GOALS OF REDUCING HUNGER, IMPROVING NUTRITION, AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO OBTAIN MORE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES. "BENEFITS ACCESS: OUR TEAM WORKS TO CONNECT LOW-INCOME NEW YORKERS WITH BENEFITS TO ACCESS FOOD ACROSS ALL FIVE BOROUGHS. OUR STAFF SCREENS FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS FOR FEDERAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND HELPS THEM THROUGH THE APPLICATION AND RECERTIFICATION PROCESS. IN 2025, WE PRE-SCREENED 6,482 HOUSEHOLDS FOR SNAP BENEFITS, ASSISTED 5,927 HOUSEHOLDS SUBMIT THEIR SNAP APPLICATION, AND SUCCESSFULLY ENROLLED 4,361 HOUSEHOLDS. OUR 2025 EFFORTS GENERATE APPROXIMATELY $21.6 MILLION IN SNAP BENEFITS ANNUALLY." IN ADDITION TO FOOD ASSISTANCE, PARTICIPANTS WHO ARE ENROLLED ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO VALUABLE SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING FREE NUTRITION AND BREASTFEEDING COUNSELING. THESE SERVICES PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN PROMOTING HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES, IMPROVING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND HELPING FAMILIES NAVIGATE NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGES DURING THESE CRUCIAL YEARS IN THEIR LIVES. OUR ONGOING OUTREACH EFFORTS ENSURE THAT FAMILIES NOT ONLY ACCESS BENEFITS BUT ALSO GAIN THE NECESSARY TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. HFA'S SOCIAL SERVICES JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, CURRENTLY IN ITS SECOND YEAR, IS A PAID 16-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM TO ENABLE UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED PEOPLE IN CHICAGO AND BALTIMORE TO OBTAIN THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE THEY NEED TO OBTAIN LIVING WAGES CAREERS IN THE SOCIAL SERVICES SECTION. CHILD NUTRITION: OUR CHILD NUTRITION EFFORTS ARE DEDICATED TO ENSURING THAT EVERY CHILD IN AMERICA HAS ACCESS TO SUFFICIENT AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD. THROUGH OUTREACH AND POLICY WORK, WE FOCUS ON INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN FREE SUMMER MEALS AND SCHOOL BREAKFASTS, CONNECTING CHILDREN WITH THE NUTRITION THEY NEED TO GROW AND THRIVE. IN 2025, HFA PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN PROMOTING THE SUMMER EBT PROGRAM. OUR CEO, JOEL BERG, PROPOSED THE CREATION OF A COALITION OF KEY ANTI-HUNGER ORGANIZATIONS, SUPPORTED BY THE ALBERTSONS FOUNDATION, TO LEAD A NATIONAL OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. THIS INITIATIVE INVOLVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DEDICATED WEBSITE THAT ALLOWS FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO CHECK IF THEIR STATE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE SUMMER EBT PROGRAM. THE SITE ALSO REDIRECTS FAMILIES TO THEIR STATE'S SUMMER EBT APPLICATION PORTAL, MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO ACCESS BENEFITS. ADDITIONALLY, WE EXPANDED OUR WORK WITH HEAD START PROGRAMS, PARTICULARLY THROUGH OUR COLLABORATION WITH THE NEW YORK STATE (NYS) HEAD START TEAM. THIS PARTNERSHIP HAS ENABLED US TO CONNECT WITH AND WORK ALONGSIDE 74 LOCAL HEAD START PROGRAMS. WE HAVE CONDUCTED A RANGE OF WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS FOR BOTH FAMILIES AND FAMILY-FACING STAFF MEMBERS, HELPING TO PROVIDE THEM WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION ON NUTRITION, RESOURCES, AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THEM. OUR TEAM WAS A KEY ADVOCATE FOR UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS IN NEW YORK STATE, HELPING TO PUSH FOR FREE MEALS FOR ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF INCOME. AS A RESULT, GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ANNOUNCED A PLAN IN HER 2025 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS TO PROVIDE FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TO ALL 2.7 MILLION STUDENTS IN THE STATE. THE PROGRAM AIMS TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY AND COULD SAVE FAMILIES ABOUT $165 PER CHILD EACH MONTH (AROUND $2,000 ANNUALLY). THE STATE IS ALLOCATING $340 MILLION TO FUND THE INITIATIVE. FOOD ACTION BOARD (FAB): OUR PIONEERING FAB PROGRAM EMPOWERS LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING SKILLS. FOR OVER 16 YEARS, OUR FOOD ACTION BOARD HAS BUILT A COMMUNITY OF OVER 200 LOW-INCOME, IMMIGRANT, AND MAJORITY NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING MEMBERS FROM UNDER-RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY, TO FIGHT FOR A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES AND TO BUILD THE ANTI-HUNGER MOVEMENT IN NEW YORK CITY A
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1988.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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