Means Database Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
See Schedule O.
- Income
- $161.6 million
- Spending
- $161.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 100%
- Reserves
- 0.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 14
- Volunteers
- 12
- Highest pay
- $71,389, executive director
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
Fair: 66 out of 100. Higher than 42% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, over $100m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 14% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 58% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 15100% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Good: 73 out of 100. Higher than 0% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, over $100m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 3 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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
Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.
Results it reports
- Recovered 81,386,380 pounds of food, drinks, and other essential items.Work delivered
- 150 catered meals were distributed to community members during an event.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 (2)
- $161.4 million spent. Core Food Recovery Program - Our core program at FoodRecovery.org is our food recovery program, where food businesses with extra food can post a donation, and our system automatically emails and texts nearby emergency food providers. Our goal is to connect surplus and need in communities across the country. Our outreach team works to grow our network of donors and recipients, and our tech team works to maintain our website, expand its functionality, and improve accessibility features to best serve our users. This program is completely free for both food donors and recipient organizations to use. In 2024, FoodRecovery.org recovered 81,386,380 pounds of food, drinks, and other essential items. This product ranged from extra catered meals in Philadelphia, to school lunches in Orlando, and palletized loads of yogurt in Salt Lake City. We split our operations into two groups: small donations (less than 1000 lbs, fits into a standard car or van) and large donations (often palletized, coming from a warehouse or farm, requires a specialized truck for pickup), because the partners, process, and logistics for each donation type is different. FoodRecovery.org does not purchase recovered food, but funding is used to provide transportation of the product. Small donations- We partner with a variety of food businesses, including restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, venues, and schools, to recover their extra product. We work nationwide, and have partners in every state, and our most robust programs are in Florida, New Jersey, New England, California, and New York. Large donations- Our team works to reroute truckloads of extra food from warehouses to nonprofits across the country. We use our connections to donate millions of pounds of food, such as meat, yogurt, milk, and produce, to organizations fighting food insecurity across the country. This year, we were able to step in to support disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Since moving semi-truck loads of produce is not always a feasible option for our partners, we spent funds towards transportation. By working with a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) company, we paid for drivers to pick up these palletized donations and deliver them to food banks and community organizations across the country. We continued our massive growth from food industry donations (i.e. warehouses, rejected truckloads, and other corporate partnerships)! All donation weights are verified by our nonprofit partners. Emissions estimates are calculated by separating donations into one of sixteen categories, and using the guidelines set by Food Loss and Waste Protocol (FLWP), developed by the World Resources Institute, Food and Agriculture Association, and the United Nations Environment Programme. Water Waste Prevented is a simple conversion of pounds of bottled drinks to gallons of water. Finally, donation values are derived from the $1.97 per pound standard set by Feeding America. Community Meal Program - In 2024, FoodRecovery.org continued our Community Meal Program thanks to our partnership with the Grubhub Community Fund! Through this program, we purchase catered meals from small and medium sized businesses, and donate those meals to nearby nonprofits serving their neighbors. These events happened across the country, from Florida to California, and many places in between! We hosted an awesome Community Meal Program event in December with La Casa Norte in Chicago! 150 delicious meals of chicken, collard greens, green beans, yams, mac n cheese, and cornbread were catered by Grubhub business 6978 Soul Food, and distributed to community members during an event. Alina from La Casa Norte said, We were able to have this donation coincide with our Winter Wellness event... We had about 10-12 vendors who provided resources for our clients. Everyone LOVED the food. Our Programs staff had an arts and craft station, open mic, raffle and gifts for our clients. One quote from a client: It feels like the Thanksgiving dinner youd have at home.
- Organizations missionThrough our platform, we connect organizations with surplus food to communities in need, championing sustainability by diverting edible food away from landfills. All for free.
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 February 2016.
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.
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.