Donor Bill of Rights

Feed America (EIN 92-1761881) adopts the AFP / Giving USA Donor Bill of Rights verbatim. Below: each of the 10 rights, plus our specific implementation policy.

The 10 rights

"Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:"

1. To be informed of the organization\u0027s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
   Our policy: Feed America\u0027s mission is published at /about. Our use of donated resources is documented in the audited financials (Statement of Functional Expenses) and in the IRS Form 990. Our capacity to use donations effectively is documented in our data-quality methodology and the live program-scope on /atlas. Program-spending ratio commitment: ≥85%.
2. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization\u0027s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
   Our policy: Board composition is disclosed annually in IRS Form 990 Part VII (Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees) and is publicly viewable via ProPublica\u0027s 990 mirror. The board operates under documented bylaws, a published conflict-of-interest policy, and a documented whistleblower policy (all attached as Form 990 Schedule O).
3. To have access to the organization\u0027s most recent financial statements.
   Our policy: Audited financial statements are published 90 days after fiscal year end on /reports and /financials. IRS Form 990 is filed annually and mirrored at ProPublica. The full financial-transparency hub is at /financials.
4. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
   Our policy: Restricted contributions are tracked in a separate net asset class per FASB ASC 958-205. Each restricted gift gets a separate sub-account; the audited Statement of Activities reports restricted vs. unrestricted spending. Restricted-gift reports are issued at the cadence the donor specifies (typically annually). Misuse of restricted funds would be a material misstatement of the audited financials and a federal violation — neither has occurred and the structural protections make it implausible.
5. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
   Our policy: Every donor receives an IRS-compliant gift acknowledgement letter within 5 business days of gift receipt. The letter contains: gift amount, date received, gift method, statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange (or fair-market value if any), Feed America\u0027s legal name + EIN, and a statement that the contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors who prefer anonymity may opt out of public recognition (see right #6 below).
6. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with the respect and with the confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
   Our policy: Donor information is stored encrypted at rest. We do not sell, trade, or share donor lists. We do not publicly identify donors without written consent. Aggregate giving data may appear in audited financials and IRS Form 990 (legally required), but individual donor identities are kept confidential except where required by law (e.g., gifts ≥$5,000 disclosed on Form 990 Schedule B). See full privacy policy at /privacy.
7. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
   Our policy: Feed America staff and contractors are bound by a code of professional conduct. We do not engage in high-pressure fundraising tactics, in-person solicitation without invitation, or telephone fundraising. We respect "do not contact" requests immediately and permanently. Concerns about staff conduct can be reported confidentially to ethics@feedam.org.
8. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization, or hired solicitors.
   Our policy: Feed America does NOT use hired professional fundraisers, telemarketers, or solicitation firms. All donor outreach is conducted by Feed America employees, board members, or vetted volunteers — never on commission. If you receive a solicitation claiming to be on behalf of Feed America, verify the caller\u0027s identity by calling our published number at /donate/find-us or emailing donations@feedam.org.
9. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
   Our policy: We do not share, sell, rent, or trade mailing lists. Period. To remove yourself from any Feed America mailing list (donor newsletter, partner updates, etc.), email unsubscribe@feedam.org or use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email. Removal is processed within 1 business day and is permanent.
10. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.
    Our policy: Donor questions are answered within 1 business day at donations@feedam.org. For grant-specific questions, email grants@feedam.org. For finance / W-9 / banking, email finance@feedam.org. We commit to truthful answers — including answers to uncomfortable questions about indirect cost, executive compensation, sister-entity relationships, or the Feeding America (Chicago, separate organization, EIN 36-3673599) homonym confusion.

Beyond the bill of rights

Feed America voluntarily commits to additional donor-protection practices beyond the 10-right baseline:

• ≥85% program-spending ratio — top-quartile of US hunger-relief 501(c)(3)s. Documented in audited Statement of Functional Expenses.
• ≥3 months operating reserves — held in cash, US Treasuries, FDIC-insured deposits only. No equities, derivatives, or crypto.
• Annual independent CPA audit per US Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS).
• Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency — highest of 4 tiers.
• EIN disambiguation on every grant agreement, wire instruction, donor-advised-fund recommendation. We are Feed America (EIN 92-1761881), not the larger Chicago-based homonym Feeding America (EIN 36-3673599, separate organization).
• Open-data commitment — entire directory under CC BY 4.0 license, machine-readable via HSDS 3.0 + OpenAPI 3.1 + 14+ JSON endpoints.
• Public security disclosure policy — see /security + RFC 9116 /.well-known/security.txt.

How to file a concern

If you believe Feed America has violated any of the 10 rights or our additional commitments:

• Donor concerns: donations@feedam.org
• Ethical concerns / whistleblower: ethics@feedam.org (anonymous reports accepted)
• Mailing list / unsubscribe: unsubscribe@feedam.org
• Board / governance: board@feedam.org

External oversight

Feed America is subject to oversight from:

• Internal Revenue Service — annual Form 990 + Form 990 Schedule O + Schedule J disclosures
• Texas Attorney General — state-level nonprofit oversight (Feed America incorporated in Texas)
• State charitable solicitation regulators — Feed America registers in states that require it
• Independent auditor — annual CPA audit per US GAAS
• Candid (formerly GuideStar) — Platinum-tier transparency verification

Related

• /financials — financial transparency hub
• /reports — annual reports + open data
• /grants — foundation officer landing
• /privacy — privacy policy
• /security — security + responsible disclosure
• /transparency — sister-entity transparency hub

The Donor Bill of Rights is a service mark of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and the Giving Institute. Feed America Inc. (EIN 92-1761881) adopts the bill verbatim and provides implementation policies for each right. Last reviewed 2026-04-29.