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Passes our checks

Food Forest Collective

EIN 82-2990802 · Seattle, WA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceNot ratedThe short tax form does not cover thisImpact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Community Grows Here. We cultivate a community dedicated to building equitable food systems for all people, and steward our environment for the benefit of all species. We believe in Caring for the Earth. We steward our local ecosystem by building healthy soil and increasing the diversity of plants and habitat. We believe in Caring for the People. We bring people together to grow and share food, learn from each other, and know their neighbors. We work to create a Fair Share for all. We are on land stolen from the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other peoples, stewards and co-creators of abundance with the land since time immemorial. We work to dismantle an unjust food system rooted in white supremacy and conquest by nurturing its replacement, already alive and ready to grow. Through open harvest and collaboration within and among communities, we work to create a fair share for all.

Income
$182,369
Spending
$136,980
Reserves
8.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 97%

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 25% of income.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending October 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)
  1. $121,597 spent. FFC is the 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that oversees the Beacon Food Forest (BFF), an thirteen-year-old volunteer-driven project to design, plant and grow an edible urban forest garden that inspires our community to gather together, grow our own food and rehabilitate our local ecosystem. BFF is widely known not just in Seattle but nationally and internationally as the largest and most developed urban food forest on public land. It now occupies over three acres on the west slope of Jefferson Park at 15th Ave and Dakota Street and is continuing to grow. In Fiscal Year 2025, we greatly expanded a garden dedicated to Black, Indigenous and People of Color neighbors. We donated 600 pounds to the food bank, hosted 40 work parties, and logged 10,800 volunteer hours while members of the Beacon Hill community harvested 2,000 pounds of food.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending October 31, 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 October 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 February 2019.

    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.