San Diego Hunger Coalition
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SAN DIEGO HUNGER COALITION WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO CREATE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO FOOD ASSISTANCE THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY.
- Income
- $1.6 million
- Spending
- $1.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- 2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 80%
- Employees
- 9
- Volunteers
- 2
- Highest pay
- $123,550, president and ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 9% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.0 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 64% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 0% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 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, 2024, 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 (3)
- $1.3 million spent. CALFRESH: PROGRAM FOCUSED EFFORTS ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO CALFRESH THROUGH TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1. CALFRESH OUTREACH (CFO) CONTRACT: SUPPORTING A ROBUST NETWORK OF COMMUNITY BASED CALFRESH APPLICATION ASSISTORS. CALFRESH PROGRAM, HELPED AN ADDITIONAL 6536 HOUSEHOLD APPLY FOR BENEFITS AND 1930 HOUSEHOLDS KEEP CALFRESH BENEFITS, PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL 6.5M MEALS PER YEAR WHILE PASSING THROUGH $943,902 TO LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. CALFRESH PROGRAM TRAINED 401 ASSISTERS THROUGH 16 TRAININGS AND WITH 103 UNIQUE ORGANIZATIONS. PROGRAM ALSO HOSTED 4 CALFRESH TASK FORCE MEETINGS FROM 50 UNIQUE ORGANIZATIONS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PRIORITIES SUCH AS DISPELLING PUBLIC CHARGE MISCONCEPTIONS, LANGUAGE EQUITY, FAILURE TO PROVIDE TO REDUCE APPLICATION DENIALS, AND INTEGRATED OUR SCHOOL PARTNERS FOR THE CALFRESH IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN. PROGRAM ALSO CONTINUED SPECIALITY TRAININGS FOCUSED ON PROVIDING APPLICATION ASSISTANCE TO SPECIAL POPULATIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS, OLDER ADULTS/SSI RECIPIENTS, CHILDREN UNDER 18/SUNBUCKS & DISASTER CALFRESH. PROVIDED SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH CALFRESH APPLICATIONS FOR CBO PARTNERS WITH 48 INDIVIDUAL CALFRESH CASES, WITH 100% OF THE CASES COMPRISING OF SPECIAL POPULATIONS, INCLUDING COLLEGE STUDENTS, IMMIGRANTS AND MIXED STATUS FAMILIES, AND OLDER ADULTS/INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.PROGRAM ALSO PARTICIPATED IN TWO PANELS HOSTED BY SALVATIONS ARMY FOR TO HIGHLIGHT SPECIAL POPULATIONS WITH UNIQUE BARRIER TO ENROLLING IN BENEFITS: COLLEGE STUDENTS, IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, AND OLDER ADULTS/SSI RECIPIENTS AND PRESENTED AT 3 LIVEWELL MEETINGS HIGHLIGHTING DISASTER CALFRESH, OLDER ADULTS/SSI RECIPIENTS AND SUN BUCKS ELIGIBILITY.2. ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY: PROGRAM WORKED ON STRENGTHENING LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CALFRESH PROGRAM WITH THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO HHSA. THROUGH FACILITATED TABLES AND ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY, WE WORKED WITH THE CALSAWS ADVOCATES GROUP TO PUSH DEVELOPERS OF BENEFITSCAL TO ADD ADDITIONAL ROI INTEGRATION TO STREAMLINE APPLICATION ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT CALFRESH OUTREACH AND APPLICATION ASSISTANCE BY CBOS, WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS.
- $132,123 spent. HUNGER FREE SAN DIEGO ADVISORY BOARD & RESEARCH: PROGRAM CONTINUED TO LEAD A MULTI-YEAR, CROSS-SECTOR INITIATIVE TO END HUNGER IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY USING A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN, DATA-INFORMED, COLLABORATIVE APPROACH.GUIDED BY AN ADVISORY BOARD OF MORE THAN 30 LEADERS REPRESENTING ALL ASPECTS OF HUNGER RELIEF IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, HUNGER FREE SAN DIEGO IS A CROSS-SECTOR, COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN 2016 TO APPLY A DATA-INFORMED AND COMMUNITY-DRIVEN APPROACH TO ENDING HUNGER IN OUR REGION. ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS (AND OTHER HUNGER RELIEF PARTNERS) PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE DATA REPORTS TO THE HUNGER COALITION ON THE AMOUNT OF FOOD ASSISTANCE THEY PROVIDE EACH MONTH. THE HUNGER COALITION AGGREGATES THIS DATA PROVIDES ANALYSIS AND ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON NUTRITION INSECURITY AND PRODUCES MAPS AND DATA TABLES WITH THE FOLLOWING ESTIMATES DOWN TO ZIP CODE LEVEL EACH MONTH: NUMBER OF NUTRITION INSECURE INDIVIDUALS; PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION OF EACH ZIP CODE THAT IS NUTRITION INSECURE; NUMBER OF FOOD ASSISTANCE MEALS PROVIDED; THE CALFRESH (SNAP) PARTICIPATION RATE; THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CALFRESH (SNAP) ENROLLEES IN EACH ZIP CODE; AND THE MEAL GAP, WHICH IS THE NUMBER OF MISSING MEALS NEEDED FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO HAVE ACCESS TO THREE HEALTHY MEALS PER DAY. IN 2024, THE ADVISORY BOARD MET TWICE TO: REVIEW ITS COLLECTIVE DATA, METHODOLOGY, AND REACH; LEAD NARRATIVE CHANGE TO SOLIDIFY THE SECTORS FOCUS ON EQUITABLE ACCESS TO FOOD ASSISTANCE; DEVELOP DATA DASHBOARDS TO SUMMARIZE ITS MONTHLY DATA PRODUCTS BY ELECTORAL DISTRICTS; CONTRIBUTE TO THE HUNGER COALITIONS MARCH & NOVEMBER 2024 ISSUE BRIEFS ON THE STATE OF NUTRITION INSECURITY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY; AND TO HELP PLAN THE ANNUAL STATE OF HUNGER PROGRAM WHICH FEATURES A PANEL OF HFSD ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS EACH YEAR.THE ADVISORY BOARD ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE HUNGER COALITIONS QUARTERLY DATA RELEASES IN 2024 WHICH ANALYZED AND MAPPED NUTRITION INSECURITY, FOOD ASSISTANCE, AND THE MEAL GAP IN THEIR RESPECTIVE MONTHS BY ZIP CODE. QUARTERLY MAPS WERE POSTED ON THE HUNGER COALITION WEBSITES RESEARCH PAGE ALONG WITH THE DATA RELEASES. 2024 DATA DASHBOARDS NOW DEVELOPED AND INTERACTIVE THROUGH TABLEAU ARE POSTED ON THE HUNGER COALITIONS WEBSITE QUARTERLY. THE DASHBOARDS CAN BE VIEWED BY BOARD OF SUPERVISOR DISTRICT, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT, SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT, AND STATE SENATE DISTRICT. IN ADDITION TO THE DATA CREATED FOR THE ENTIRE HUNGER RELIEF SECTOR, HUNGER FREE SAN DIEGO ALSO INCLUDES RESPONDING TO PRESENTATION & DATA REQUESTS FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN WHICH THE HUNGER COALITION SHARES THE BASICS OF OUR METHODOLOGY & PRODUCES CUSTOMIZED DATA TABLES OR REPORTS TO FIT THE NEEDS OF THE REQUEST. THERE IS AN ONGOING QUARTERLY DATA REQUEST IN WHICH THE HUNGER COALITION PROVIDES DATA AND MAPS ON NUTRITION INSECURITY, FOOD ASSISTANCE, AND THE MEAL GAP FOR THE COUNTY POPULATION THAT IS 60+ FOR ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER MEALS ON WHEELS SUCH THAT THEY CAN ANALYZE THE CONDITIONS OF THE POPULATION THAT THEY SERVE SPECIFICALLY. HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR: PROGRAM EFFORTS YIELDED A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN ADDRESSING NUTRITION INSECURITY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY IN 2024. BY INTEGRATING FOOD ASSISTANCE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR (HFN) PROGRAM, THE TEAM CONDUCTED 12 HFN TRAININGS, RESULTING IN AN INCREASE OF 245 NAVIGATORS FROM 79 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO COUNTY.THE HFN PROGRAM MAINTAINED AND UPDATED MULTIPLE SOURCES OF FOOD ASSISTANCE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION, INCLUDING BILINGUAL RESOURCES WEBPAGES AND HFSD FOOD ASSISTANCE RESOURCE FLYERS THAT ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE, SHAREABLE, AND A TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR A TOTAL OF 13 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. IN ADDITION TO MONTHLY COUNTYWIDE NAVIGATOR TRAININGS, THE HFN TEAM SHOWCASED NAVIGATOR WORK BY NETWORKING WITH NEW PARTNERS AND STRENGTHENING EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS. SDHC USED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN LOCAL SECTORS INCLUDING HEALTHCARE NETWORKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AGRICULTURAL GROUPS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. SDHC IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR CONNECTING WITH SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES, AND THUS LAUNCHED NAVIGATOR TRAININGS IN SPANISH, EFFECTIVELY EXPANDING OUR AUDIENCE TO CHW/PROMOTORES AND SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY LEADERS. 15 SPECIALTY TRANINGS WERE HELD, TRAINING AN ADDITIONAL 419 PROVIDERS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
- $3,303 spent. POLICY ADVOCACY: PROGRAM INCREASED ACCESS TO NUTRITION THROUGH POLICY CHANGES AT THE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVEL. THE SAN DIEGO HUNGER COALITION STOOD WITH THE NEARLY ONE MILLION SAN DIEGANS EXPERIENCING NUTRITION INSECURITY AND THE MORE THAN 500 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND WORKED TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO FOOD BY: ELEVATING THE EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO ACCESS HEALTHY, AFFORDABLE FOOD. ENGAGED AND ACTED AS A RESOURCE FOR POLICYMAKERS BY PROVIDING RESEARCH, POLICY ANALYSES, AND CASE STUDIES OF WHATS HAPPENING IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. COORDINATED LOCAL ACTIONS, INCLUDING MEETINGS WITH POLICYMAKERS, CALL-IN DAYS, AND LETTER CAMPAIGNS TO SUPPORT LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION. 12 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS WERE SHARED WITH NEARLY 300 HUNGER FREE ACTIVISTS. THROUGH THIS PLATFORM, SDHC SERVE AS A BACKBONE AGENCY THAT COLLATES IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION, FACILITATES ENGAGEMENT WITH ELECTED OFFICES, AND ORGANIZES STRATEGIC ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS; HOWEVER, THESE EFFORTS NOW SERVE AND SUPPORT A BROADER COALITION OF ACTIVISTS AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS LOOKING TO TAKE ACTION. IN 2024, THROUGH HOSTING OF A LEGISLATIVE FORUM FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND ELECTED OFFICIAL STAFF, SAN DIEGO HUNGER COALITION IDENTIFIED A TOTAL OF 10 STATE BILLS. 1 CHILD NUTRITION BILLS AND 10 CALFRESH BILLS. OF THESE BILLS SDHC SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR 1 OF OUR BILLS TO BE PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW. SDHC ALSO IDENTIFIED 11 FEDERAL CALFRESH BILLS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 2024.
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 2009.
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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