Feed the Second Line
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Feed the Second Line is committed to building a resilient and sustainable future by strengthening the safety net, preserving culture through paid opportunities, and creating supportive pathways for all generations of culture bearers - uplifting the ones who make our city special.
- Income
- $1.6 million
- Spending
- $757,831
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 30.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 71%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 48
- Highest pay
- $105,921, 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 90% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 30.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 52% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 29% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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
Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $319,127 spent. Hire the Second Line is Feed the Second Lines job creation initiative designed to provide paid opportunities for the culture bearers who keep New Orleans traditions alive. This includes Masking Indians, Baby Dolls, musicians, Social Aid Pleasure Club members, drummers, and other practitioners of New Orleans cultural heritage. The program ensures that culture bearers are compensated for their cultural labor and can continue sharing their craft with the community. Across all Feed the Second Line programming, we hire culture bearers so that every event, workshop, and cultural activation directly supports the people who make New Orleans culture possible. Continued on Schedule O In 2024, Feed the Second Line created over 150 gig work opportunities for culture bearers through large-scale cultural events and recurring programming. Our annual For the Love of Culture Fest generated paid work for performers, musicians, dancers, and tradition keepers while bringing families together to celebrate culture. Our Carnival Kickoff expanded employment during the most significant cultural season of the year, providing paid roles for Baby Dolls, musicians, and Indian tribes. Culture bearers were also hired to perform and support our Juneteenth Celebration, where they led music, dance, cultural demonstrations, and community engagement activities. This event offered paid opportunities for performers and educators while strengthening community pride and participation. In addition, Feed the Second Line hosted Culture Love Nights, a recurring cultural event series designed to create steady work for culture bearers while supporting small businesses. These events were intentionally held at one of our Stay Lit resilience hubs to drive customers to a locally owned restaurant during its slow season. The series provided paid gigs, increased visibility for participating artists, and generated needed revenue for a community-based business. Throughout the year, culture bearers were hired to perform, teach workshops, support community events, mentor youth, and represent New Orleans culture at public gatherings. Through these efforts, Hire the Second Line strengthened the cultural economy, supported culture bearers and their families, and helped preserve the traditions that make New Orleans unique. Feed the Second Line provides culture support to help culture bearers and New Orleans families remain stable, continue their cultural practices, and stay connected to community. This support includes financial assistance, cultural materials, emergency help, and access to our cultural hub. Every program we offer creates paid opportunities for culture bearers, ensuring they are supported while they support the community. In 2024, Feed the Second Line assisted culture bearers and families with rent, utilities, food support, funeral assistance, and materials needed for regalia and cultural work. Culture bearers also used our building for sewing, rehearsals, planning, meetings, and preparing for cultural events. The space serves as a reliable location where they can gather, create, and prepare for the cultural obligations that keep New Orleans traditions strong. We also partner with cultural groups throughout the year to sponsor bands for their parades, helping reduce financial barriers so these groups can continue participating in second lines and community celebrations without taking on the full cost themselves. Our community giveaways strengthen families across the city. Through our annual Turkey Giveaway, we provided 200 turkeys to households in New Orleans. Our Toy Giveaway reached over 1,000 children in the greater New Orleans area. These events helped families experience joy and relief during the holiday season and supported households facing financial pressure. In every program and event, Feed the Second Line hires culture bearers to lead activities, distribute resources, support families, and share cultural knowledge. This approach provides immediate community support while creating consistent income for the people who keep the culture alive. Culture Support remains one of Feed the Second Lines central pillars. It stabilizes families, preserves cultural traditions, and strengthens the cultural fabric of New Orleans year-round.
- $272,247 spent. Get Lit Stay Lit is Feed the Second Lines solar-resilience initiative designed to protect residents during power outages by transforming neighborhood restaurants and community spaces into solar-powered resilience hubs. These hubs are equipped with solar panels and battery storage, allowing them to operate as cooling centers, phone-charging stations, and safe gathering spaces when the grid goes down. In 2024, Feed the Second Line installed two new resilience hubs, bringing the total network to eight solar-powered hubs across New Orleans. These locations are positioned in neighborhoods that experience frequent outages and have limited access to traditional disaster resources. Throughout the year, New Orleans experienced several brief outages during regular business hours. Continued on Schedule O During these interruptions, multiple Stay Lit hubs activated for up to two hours at a time, providing cooling, charging, and community support until power was restored. These short activations helped maintain food safety, prevent business disruptions, and provide immediate relief to residents. During Hurricane Francine, when the city faced a 72-hour outage, four of the eight hubs were fully activated in ZIP Codes 70126, 70119, 70125, and 70113. These sites provided cooling, device charging, restrooms, bottled water, and community support, with two locations also offering hot meals. More than 1,000 residents received assistance across the three-day activation. To reach neighborhoods without a hub, mobile teams delivered bottled water and ice to households in ZIP Codes 70127, 70128, 70129, 70122, and 70113. Feed the Second Line also coordinated over 20 emergency transportation trips for elders, families, and medically vulnerable residents who needed access to cooling centers. The organization engaged six culture bearers in paid emergency roles to support supply distribution, transportation logistics, and neighborhood outreach. These roles provided critical income while reinforcing the trusted leadership of culture bearers during emergencies. Solar systems at partner restaurants prevented an estimated 18,000 in food spoilage, enabling quicker reopening and reducing economic loss after the storm. Get Lit Stay Lit demonstrates the power of community-led disaster response by reducing heat risk, preserving food resources, stabilizing small businesses, and offering hands-on workforce experience in solar resilience. The initiative continues to build and strengthen a citywide network of hubs that help safeguard New Orleans residents year-round.
- $6,694 spent. Young Keepers of the Culture YKC is Feed the Second Lines youth leadership and cultural education program that prepares the next generation of New Orleans culture bearers. YKC combines hands-on learning, literacy support, leadership development, and cultural arts engagement to help children build confidence and connect with the traditions around them. Young Keepers of the Culture YKC is Feed the Second Lines youth leadership and cultural education program that prepares the next generation of New Orleans culture bearers. YKC combines hands-on learning, literacy support, leadership development, and cultural arts engagement to help children build confidence and connect with the traditions around them. In 2024, YKC engaged over 75 youth through year-round programming that included cultural workshops, creative expression, storytelling, music, movement, and mentorship from Baby Dolls, Masking Indians, drummers, and musicians. Youth were able to learn directly from the culture keepers who shape the heartbeat of New Orleans. Continued on Schedule O Through this program, we also hire culture bearers to speak with the children and provide authentic cultural storytelling, ensuring youth learn accurate history and lived experiences directly from the tradition keepers themselves. This creates paid opportunities for culture bearers and deepens cultural understanding for the students. The program also continued our established Second Line Education Program, which teaches children the history, purpose, and structure of second lines-from Social Aid Pleasure Club traditions to music, dance, and community etiquette. Students learn how these traditions represent joy, resilience, community care, and collective unity. YKC students performed at multiple major community events throughout the year, including our annual For the Love of Culture Fest and our Juneteenth Celebration. These performances gave youth the opportunity to showcase what they learned through dance, movement, storytelling, and cultural presentations. Their participation highlighted the important role youth play in preserving and celebrating New Orleans culture, while creating meaningful moments for families and the community. The years work also culminated in a youth-led second line parade that brought families, culture bearers, and children together. This event allowed students to demonstrate their learning, express themselves creatively, and participate in a tradition they had studied-supported by the culture bearers who guide them. It strengthened family engagement and created a joyful environment where parents, guardians, and neighbors could celebrate the childrens growth. YKC continues to provide a safe, inclusive, and culturally rich environment where youth can build leadership skills, explore creativity, strengthen literacy, and engage with New Orleans culture. Through this work, Feed the Second Line is cultivating young leaders who will help carry the citys traditions forward.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since August 2021.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.