Feeding America
Chicago, IL · EIN 363673599 · FY2023 is the latest filing on record · pre-cached
Feeding America's 1% compensation share isn't a badge of honor; it's a red flag for impact.
Feeding America reported total revenue of $4.9B and total expenses of $4.9B in its latest fiscal year, resulting in an operating margin of -0%. Over 12 years, its average operating margin has been 1%. The organization holds 1.4 months of operating reserves.
Myth
A charity spending only 1% of its budget on compensation is incredibly efficient and effective.
Reality
Feeding America spends just 1% of its budget on compensation, yet its operating reserve months are only at the 49th percentile among its peers, suggesting this low compensation share doesn't automatically translate to superior financial strength or impact.
Worth watching
- • Feeding America has had 1 consecutive deficit year recently.
- • The organization's operating reserve of 1.4 months is relatively thin, placing it at the 49th percentile compared to its peers.
- • A significant 97% of Feeding America's revenue comes from donations, indicating a high reliance on a single funding source.
Multi-year trend
Operating reserve months
Net assets ÷ monthly expenses — how long the org could run on savings alone.
Operating margin
(Revenue − expenses) ÷ revenue, per fiscal year.
How it compares to peers
Percentile rank among 73 Human Services organizations. Higher is framed as better on every bar here — including reserves and staff investment, which conventional overhead-ratio scoring would penalize.
Dashed line = peer median (50th percentile)
Ask about Feeding America
Answers are grounded only in this org's filed financial data above -- it won't guess at their programs, leadership, or anything not shown on this page.
Source: latest Form 990 PDF via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.