Meals on Wheels of Alameda County
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
MOWAC's mission is to assist frail, homebound seniors to maintain their independence by fundraising and providing financial support, community outreach and strategic assistance to Meals on Wheels programs in Alameda County that deliver nutritious meals and perform wellness checks.
- Income
- $2.1 million
- Spending
- $2.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 70%
- Reserves
- 4.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 200
- Highest pay
- $122,344, executive dir.
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: 74 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.2 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 29% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1570% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 19 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 74% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 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
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 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 (2)
- $1.5 million spent. Meals on Wheels of Alameda County (MOWAC) fundraises to underwrite food and delivery costs of the five Meals on Wheels providers in Alameda County who, collectively, deliver about 2,200 meals to homebound seniors each week day. We fundraise with special events, grant writing, direct mail, & newsletters.
- The Senior Services Coalition of Alameda County (SSC) was formed in 1996, with support from the Area Agency on Aging, to help senior service providers address policy issues together. That year, SSC built consensus and brought the collective voice of providers to the table where policy decisions were being made about the distribution of federal dollars in the County.Since then, SSC has provided a continuing forum for members to share information and innovations in service delivery and public policy. The addition of staff in 2002 created capacity to participate in emerging efforts to drive systems change. Since then, SSC has convened events to focus policy maker and public attention on senior issues; built relationships with local and state elected officials; established a reputation as a local resource on senior services and policy; won local investments in aging services; built cooperative advocacy partnerships throughout the safety net; and coordinated efforts to ensure that state and local budget decisions do not put vulnerable seniors at risk.Meals on Wheels of Alameda County (MOWAC) serves as SSC's fiscal sponsor.
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
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 June 2025.
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 July 1980.
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.