Question 1

Why donate to Feed America?

Accepted Answer

Feed America (EIN 92-1761881) operates the largest free US food-assistance directory: 327,476 verified locations across 50 states + DC + territories. Every dollar funds the open-data infrastructure that helps food-insecure Americans find food in less than 60 seconds — independent of income screening, fees, or login walls. The organization holds the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, commits to ≥85% program-spending ratio, and publishes audited financials annually. CC BY 4.0 license on all data ensures the directory benefits 211 networks, healthcare SDOH platforms, and academic research even outside our platform.

Question 2

How is Feed America different from Feeding America?

Accepted Answer

Feed America (EIN 92-1761881, Houston TX, founded 2023, founded by Sharika Parkes) is a SEPARATE 501(c)(3) from the larger Chicago-based homonym Feeding America (EIN 36-3673599, founded 1979). Different organizations, different boards, different financials, different missions. Donor confusion has caused checks meant for Feed America to be sent to the homonym instead — confirming our EIN (92-1761881) on grant agreements ensures your gift reaches us. We do directory infrastructure work nationally; the homonym runs a network of regional food banks. Both have hunger-relief missions, but the work differs.

Question 3

What does Feed America actually do with donations?

Accepted Answer

Donations fund the operating infrastructure that keeps the directory current: data verification staff (confirming hours / services / contact info on 327,476 locations), partner-operator outreach (helping pantry operators claim their listings to self-update freshness signals), Spanish editorial expansion (currently 14+ surfaces, expanding for 41M+ Hispanic Americans), disaster response (FEMA-declared events trigger 7-day rapid deployment), and the open-data feeds (HSDS 3.0, OpenAPI, MCP server) that 211 networks and healthcare SDOH platforms depend on. ≥85% of every dollar goes to program work.

Question 4

Is Feed America a legitimate, IRS-recognized charity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Feed America Inc. is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 92-1761881, listed in IRS Publication 78 (master file of organizations to which contributions are tax-deductible). Verify on IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=921761881. The Form 990 is mirrored at ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Candid (formerly GuideStar) has awarded Feed America the Platinum Seal of Transparency — the highest of four tiers.

Question 5

How much overhead does Feed America spend?

Accepted Answer

Feed America commits to a program-spending ratio of ≥85%, meaning ≤15% covers fundraising overhead and management/general expenses. This puts us at the top-quartile of US hunger-relief 501(c)(3)s. The actual ratio is calculated from the audited Statement of Functional Expenses each fiscal year and disclosed in /financials.

Question 6

Can I see exactly where my money goes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The audited financial statements (published 90 days after fiscal year end at /financials) include the Statement of Functional Expenses with line-item allocation across program, management/general, and fundraising. The IRS Form 990 (mirrored at ProPublica) provides additional detail. Restricted contributions are tracked in a separate net asset class per FASB ASC 958-205 and reported separately. KPI dashboards available to grants ≥$50K.

Question 7

What are some specific outcomes my donation will help create?

Accepted Answer

Concrete outcomes: (1) faster food-assistance discovery for end users — current target sub-60-second search experience; (2) more partner-verified pantries (currently 516, target 5,000+) — each one is a freshness multiplier; (3) more Spanish-language surfaces — 41M+ Hispanic Americans, of whom ~4.5M are food-insecure; (4) faster D-SNAP disaster response — 7-day deployment SLA after FEMA declaration; (5) more 211 network + healthcare SDOH platform integrations through the HSDS 3.0 feed.

Data verification staff	Continuously confirming hours, services, and contact info on 327,476+ locations.
Partner-operator outreach	Helping pantry operators claim their listings (currently 516, target 5K+). Each claim is a freshness multiplier — operators self-update faster than any centralized verification team.
Spanish editorial expansion	14+ Spanish-language surfaces. 41M+ Hispanic Americans, ~4.5M food-insecure. Strategic high-impact priority.
Disaster response	OpenFEMA-sourced active disaster ingest with 6-hour sync. D-SNAP eligibility surfacing. 7-day deployment SLA after FEMA declaration.
Open-data feeds	HSDS 3.0 Open Referral feed, OpenAPI 3.1 spec (105 endpoints), MCP server for AI clients. Used by 211 networks, Findhelp, Unite Us, healthcare SDOH platforms.
Required overhead	≤15% (top-quartile commitment). Audit fees, IRS filings, legal review, basic fundraising operations.

Why Feed America?

What Feed America does

What your donation funds

Trust signals — verifiable independently

What we don\u0027t do

How to give

Online (any amount)

Donor-advised fund

Stock / securities

Mail a check

Foundation grant

Employer match

Avoid sending to the wrong place

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