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Northern Illinois Food Bank

EIN 36-3203648 · Geneva, IL

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood72 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceReports resultsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

With the support of our community, we provide over 90 million meals annually through our network of over 900 member food pantries and programs across thirteen counties, currently reaching over a half million individuals each month with increased access to nutritious food and resources.

Income
$189.1 million
Spending
$186.1 million
Spent on programs
95%
Reserves
2.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 98%
Employees
209
Volunteers
16,272
Highest pay
$417,012, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 72 out of 100. Higher than 54% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, over $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 14% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 5% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    95% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, over $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    25 of 25 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.

Results it reports

  • The food bank served nearly 600,000 neighbors each month.Work delivered
  • Produce made up 25% of the food distributed.Work delivered

Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $177.6 million spent. LIKE MOST ORGANIZATIONS WE'VE FACED MANY CHALLENGES THIS PAST YEAR. FROM INFLATION AND RISING FOOD PRICES TO SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES AND GREAT ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY. BUT THROUGH IT ALL, OUR TEAM AT THE FOOD BANK HAS FOCUSED ON ADAPTING, ACCELERATING AND ADDING TO BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY BY LIVING OUT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN THRIVE. WE'RE EMPOWERING OUR NEIGHBORS EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY BY DESIGNING WITH THEM FOR BETTER CHOICE, BETTER ACCESS AND LESS STIGMA. FOR YEARS IT'S BEEN IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE FOOD CHOICES TO OUR NEIGHBORS, ALLOWING THEM THE DIGNITY TO SHOP FOR THEIR GROCERIES AS WE ALL DO. NOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT CHOICE AND EMPOWERMENT, WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE CHOICE IN HOW NEIGHBORS MIGHT ACCESS FOOD AS WELL. THROUGH OUR SPECTRUM OF PROGRAMS, NEIGHBORS CAN CHOOSE TO SHOP AT A PANTRY, DRIVE THROUGH PICK UP AT A PANTRY OR MOBILE MARKET, ORDER ONLINE FOR PICK-UP OR DELIVERY AND CALL, TEXT OR CHAT ONLINE WITH OUR TEAM FOR HELP WITH SNAP BENEFITS. WE'RE EVOLVING THE FOOD BANK, BECOMING STRONGER AND MORE ADAPTABLE WHILE GROWING COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND AWARENESS OF FOOD INSECURITY THROUGHOUT OUR 13 COUNTIES. THIS YEAR WE WELCOMED OVER 16,000 UNIQUE VOLUNTEERS WHO DONATED AN INCREDIBLE 155,000 HOURS OF THEIR TIME. WE RAISED $24M IN CONTRIBUTED REVENUE FROM OUR MANY GENEROUS DONORS TO FURTHER OUR MISSION. WE'RE ENHANCING OUR FOOD SUPPLY BY PROVIDING NUTRITIOUS FOOD, CONSISTENTLY AND EQUITABLY. IN FY25 WE PROVIDED 93.6M MEALS, 3% GROWTH FROM PREVIOUS YEAR. OUR FOOD MIX HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY COMPARED TO PRE-PANDEMIC. WE PURCHASED 20% OF OUR FOOD, COMPARED TO ABOUT 10% PRE-COVID. PART OF THIS IS TO MAKE UP FOR THE DECLINE IN GOVERNMENT AND DONATED FOOD AND PART OF IT IS OUR FOCUS ON MAKING SURE WE ARE OFFERING THE NUTRITIONAL FOOD OUR NEIGHBORS NEED AND WANT - INCLUDING PRODUCE, PROTEIN AND DAIRY, AND ALSO FOOD THAT IS CULTURALLY AFFIRMING. WE MET OUR GOAL OF 25% OF THE FOOD WE DISTRIBUTE TO BE PRODUCE LAST YEAR. WE'RE ENGAGING OUR NETWORK TO INCREASE ACCESS TO FOOD AND ADVANCE NEIGHBOR-CENTRIC PRACTICES WITH OUR 900 AGENCIES AND FEEDING PROGRAMS. THE FOOD BANK SERVED NEARLY 600,000 NEIGHBORS EACH MONTH, BUT WE DIDN'T DO THIS ALONE. IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER, THROUGH THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF OUR NETWORK OF FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS, AND MOBILE MARKET SITES. OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHILD AND SENIOR PROGRAMS ALSO PROVIDED 2M MEALS. WORKING TOGETHER WE'RE IMPROVING THE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS SEEKING HELP BY CREATING MORE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, OFFERING TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND PROVIDING OVER $300,000 IN CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS. AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO THIS NEXT YEAR, WE KNOW THE CHALLENGES ARE REAL. BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO INNOVATE AND ADVOCATE TO HELP EVERYONE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS HAVE ACCESS TO THE FOOD THEY NEED TO THRIVE.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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 September 7, 2026.

  2. 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 September 30, 2026.

  3. 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 1982.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.