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Arlington Food Assistance Center

EIN 54-1473207 · Arlington, VA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

To provide dignified access to free groceries for qualified families in Arlington, VA and surrounding counties.

Income
$10.2 million
Spending
$9.3 million
Spent on programs
87%
Reserves
12.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 79%
Employees
29
Volunteers
2,700
Highest pay
$276,360, 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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 94% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 12.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 2% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 4% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    87% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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 31% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    15 of 15 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

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $8.1 million spent. The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is an independent, community-based, nonprofit food pantry that provides dignified access to nutritious supplemental groceries to all Arlington neighbors in need. AFAC works to relieve long-term food insecurity in Arlington County and nearby jurisdictions. AFAC focuses its food offerings on the high-cost items in a grocery basket that are essential for a healthy, nutritious diet, which are often avoided by low-income families - proteins (chicken, fish, hotdogs & ground beef), fresh fruit & vegetables, eggs, and milk among a number of culturally important food products. This allows families to reduce their food budget to make other necessary purchases without sacrificing their health, housing, or nutritional needs. AFAC operates its main distribution site out of their warehouse/headquarters at 2708 South Nelson Street and distributes food at 20 other locations around Arlington County. This includes a Home Delivery service for home-bound individuals in need of food. In the year ended June 30, 2025, AFAC served an average of 4,201 families each week just under 12,000 individuals, a third of whom are children under the age of 18. In total, 8,455 unique families were served during 199,820 visits for food. This was an 8.9% percent increase over the previous year (FY24) which saw a 30.4% on top of the FY23 increase of 29.4 percent increase. This increase in families has significantly strained AFAC's resources by requiring the purchase of over $1 million in additional food to be distributed to AFAC's families. AFAC works in close cooperation with the Arlington County Department of Human Services, the Arlington Public Schools, and over 20 other social safety net nonprofits to refer families in need of food to AFAC. With a referral, a family can receive free groceries once a week for six months. A referral can be renewed as long as a social worker believes the family will continue to benefit from AFAC's services. AFAC collects donated food from local grocery stores, farmers' markets, community gardens, local farms, congregations, schools, businesses, community organizations, and from numerous food drives conducted by or on behalf of AFAC. The donated food is brought to AFAC where it is weighed, sorted, and prepared for distribution to the many families that rely on AFAC for help. In addition to 1.4 million pounds of donated food, AFAC distributed nearly 3.7 million pounds of food purchased from local and national wholesale and retail distributors for a total of 5.1 million pounds distributed to its families in the year ended June 30, 2025.AFAC relies on the support of numerous individuals, businesses, foundations, and Arlington County to provide the financial resources, donated food, and the volunteer services essential to the operation of AFAC. Over 2,700 volunteers provided 51,000 hours of time to AFAC, the equivalent of 25 full-time employees.

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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1989.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 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.