Food and agriculture charities, by the numbers.
4,028 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $23.4B between them.
- 4,028
- charities filing a full Form 990, 1,358 spending $1M+
- $23.4B
- spent in their latest year, with $21.9B coming in as gifts and grants
- 31%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
What “food and agriculture” covers.
The biggest slice is food banks and pantries, at 87% of all spending in the cause. Spending outside these groups is in charities the IRS coded more generally.
Spending in each charity's latest e-filed Form 990 (Part I, line 18), grouped by the NTEE code in the IRS master file.
The biggest 400 food and agriculture charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feeding AmericaOur file Chicago, IL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $5.0B | 98% | 1¢ | 1 mo | $1.05M |
| 2 | Second Harvest HeartlandOur file Brooklyn Park, MN · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $314.5M | 93% | 5¢ | 3 mo | $765K |
| 3 | Second Harvest of Silicon ValleyOur file San Jose, CA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $261.3M | 94% | 2¢ | 14 mo | $413K |
| 4 | Atlanta Community Food BankOur file Atlanta, GA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $260.4M | 94% | 3¢ | 1 mo | $430K |
| 5 | St Mary's Food Bank AllianceOur file Phoenix, AZ · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $255.3M | 95% | 4¢ | 2 mo | $485K |
| 6 | Food Bank of Central & Eastern NcOur file Raleigh, NC · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $249.4M | 96% | 2¢ | 5 mo | $301K |
| 7 | Greater Chicago Food DepositoryOur file Chicago, IL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $243.2M | 92% | 4¢ | 10 mo | $415K |
| 8 | El Pasoans Fighting HungerOur file El Paso, TX · Food banks and pantries · FY 2024 | $232.7M | 99% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $286K |
| 9 | City HarvestOur file New York, NY · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $223.3M | 93% | 7¢ | 5 mo | $762K |
| 10 | Community Food Bank of New JerseyOur file Hillside, NJ · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $212.8M | 94% | 3¢ | 6 mo | $407K |
| 11 | Feeding America Tampa BayOur file Tampa, FL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $208.9M | 97% | 2¢ | 3 mo | $369K |
| 12 | Farm ShareOur file Homestead, FL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $202.4M | 99% | 0¢ | 2 mo | $175K |
| 13 | Food ForwardOur file North Hollywood, CA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2024 | $193.4M | 99% | 1¢ | 1 mo | $227K |
| 14 | Northern Illinois Food BankOur file Geneva, IL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $186.1M | 95% | 2¢ | 4 mo | $360K |
| 15 | Sharing ExcessOur file Philadelphia, PA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $179.2M | 99% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $109K |
| 16 | Vitamin Angel AllianceOur file Goleta, CA · Nutrition · FY 2025 | $165.1M | 93% | 4¢ | 12 mo | $441K |
| 17 | Second Harvest Food Bank of MetrolinaOur file Charlotte, NC · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $162.6M | 97% | 2¢ | 6 mo | $369K |
| 18 | Food LifelineOur file Seattle, WA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $162.3M | 96% | 2¢ | 1 mo | $247K |
| 19 | Means Database Washington, DC · Food banks and pantries · FY 2024 | $161.6M | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $70K |
| 20 | Second Harvest Inland NorthwestOur file Spokane, WA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $161.1M | 98% | 1¢ | 1 mo | $202K |
| 21 | Food Bank of the RockiesOur file Aurora, CO · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $161.0M | 92% | 5¢ | 6 mo | $330K |
| 22 | Feeding South FloridaOur file Pembroke Park, FL · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $159.3M | 98% | 1¢ | 4 mo | $262K |
| 23 | Food Bank of Contra Costa and SolanoOur file Concord, CA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $157.4M | 97% | 2¢ | 3 mo | $99K |
| 24 | Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TnOur file Nashville, TN · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $149.6M | 96% | 5¢ | 6 mo | $403K |
| 25 | Central Pennsylvania Food BankOur file Harrisburg, PA · Food banks and pantries · FY 2025 | $133.5M | 96% | 2¢ | 3 mo | $269K |
Program share = program expenses ÷ total expenses (Part IX, line 25). Cost to raise $1 = fundraising expenses ÷ contributions (Part IX, Part VIII line 1h). Savings = net assets ÷ annual spending × 12, which includes buildings, endowments and restricted gifts, so zoos and aquariums run high. CEO pay is reportable compensation from the charity (Part VII). “CPA view” moves joint fundraising costs reported on line 26 out of programs. Names link to our file where we have one, otherwise to the filing on ProPublica.
Benchmarks for food and agriculture.
Medians across 1,358 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 92%
- median program share, as reported
- 2¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 7 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 902 | $100K | 89% |
| $5–25M | 300 | $152K | 93% |
| $25–100M | 116 | $199K | 95% |
| $100M+ | 40 | $305K | 96% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of food and agriculture charities answering “yes” (or failing a basic check) in their latest Form 990. The charities answer these themselves.
charities told the IRS they discovered a significant diversion of assets (theft, embezzlement or misuse).
charities reported a paid fundraiser that kept half or more of what it raised.
charities reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
charities had $2M+ in revenue and no audited financial statements.
charities had $1M+ in revenue and no conflict-of-interest policy.
charities reported loans to or from officers or directors.
A “yes” is a reason to read the filing, not a verdict. Learn what each answer means in how to check a charity, and see how we read a 990.
Every food and agriculture charity we cover.
- Arizona Food Bank Network
- Atlanta Community Food Bank
- Capital Area Food Bank
- Central California Food Bank
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
- Central Texas Food Bank
- City Harvest
- Community Food Bank
- Community Food Bank of New Jersey
- El Pasoans Fighting Hunger
- Farm Share
- Feed More
- Feeding America
- Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
- Feeding America Tampa Bay
- Feeding San Diego
- Feeding South Florida
- Food Bank of Central & Eastern Nc
- Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
- Food Bank of the Rockies
- Food Forward
- Food Lifeline
- Food Rescue US
- Forgotten Harvest
- Freestore Foodbank
- Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
- Good Shepherd Food Bank
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Greater Cleveland Food Bank
- Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
- Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida
- Harvesters - the Community Food Network
- International Food Policy Research Institute
- Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
- Manna Food Bank
- Northern Illinois Food Bank
- Philabundance
- Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
- Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
- Roadrunner Food Bank
- Second Harvest Food Bank Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tn
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Nc
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
- Second Harvest Heartland
- Second Harvest Inland Northwest
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
- Sharing Excess
- St Mary's Food Bank Alliance
- Three Square
- Vitamin Angel Alliance
Questions about food and agriculture charities.
What is the largest food and agriculture charity?
By spending, Feeding America (IL), at $5.0B in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do food and agriculture charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a food and agriculture charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $100K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $305K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to food and agriculture charities goes to programs?
The median food and agriculture charity spending $1M or more reported 92% of its spending on programs, on Form 990 Part IX. That is the charity's own split. Some charities count part of their fundraising mail as program work; our pages show the number both ways.
How many food and agriculture charities are there?
4,028 food and agriculture organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 1,358 of them spending $1 million or more. Thousands more file the short 990-EZ or the 990-N postcard.
Where this comes from.
Each charity's latest Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, joined to the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File for its NTEE cause code. Organizations that file as charities but aren't funded like one (research contractors, sports bodies and similar) are left out of the comparison table. Charities that file a 990-EZ or 990-N aren't included. Figures are as filed; we haven't reviewed each one, except where a charity has our full file.
Charity Math, “Food and agriculture charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/food-and-agriculture/