Our mission is to cultivate Food justice in northeast ohio and beyond by building enduring local Food systems from the ground up. We believe fresh, local Food, like-minded residents and passionate partners can transform under-resourced neighborhoods into thriving, self-sustaining communities.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
68¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 834 volunteers and 7 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $150K a year · 28% of revenue · last 5 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 5 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
68%
of spending
Fine: 68% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$60K
to officers and key staff · 9% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 9% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 7.2 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $48K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$38K
5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 5% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
13
of 13 voting members
Looks good: 13 of 13 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.0M
+78% vs prior year
Spent
$648K
To programs
68%
Net assets
$782K
By yearFY2021–FY2025
Revenue
$1.0M
FY2025▲ +78%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2021$137K
FY2022$464K
FY2023$516K
FY2024$577K
FY2025$1.0M
Expenses
$648K
FY2025▲ +22%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2021$66K
FY2022$254K
FY2023$474K
FY2024$530K
FY2025$648K
Net assets
$782K
FY2025▲ +93%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2021$104K
FY2022$314K
FY2023$356K
FY2024$404K
FY2025$782K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 2018.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

68 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 68% · $442K Management & general 29% · $187K Fundraising 3% · $19K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

14 people listed on the 990; $60K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$60,010Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Sara Continenza’s $60K as Executive Director is at the 17th percentile of top reported officer pay among 818 $1–10M food & agriculture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022
Sara Continenza$60,010$58,466$54,138$38,308

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Builds local food systems to cultivate food justice and transform neighborhoods.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $442K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Urban Restoration

Superior avenue community farm and coit road learning gardenfood strong's urban restoration work focuses on transforming land and community spaces into places for food production, education, environmental stewardship, workforce development, and neighborhood GATHERING.IN 2025, food strong continued its work at the food strong learning…

$275Kprogram expense
02

Youth Education

Food sovereignty school programfood strong's food sovereignty school program provides hands-on education in gardening, culinary arts, nutrition, environmental studies, and entrepreneurship for youth across northeast ohio.

$140Kprogram expense
03

Community Engagement

Care-a-van, workshops, and community educationfood strong's community engagement programming brings residents, families, volunteers, partners, and community organizations together around food access, health, wellness, education, and neighborhood connection.

$27Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$48K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.0M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$926K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$97K
Investment incomeLn 3$2K
Money outPt IX
$648K
Ln 25
Programscol B$442K
Managementcol C$187K
Fundraisingcol D$19K
Owns and owesPt X
$782K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$386K
Total assetsLn 16$820K
LiabilitiesLn 26$38K
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a13
IndependentVI 1b13
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$926K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$393K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$97K
Investment incomeLn 3$2K
Other incomeLn 4–11$79
Total revenueLn 12$1.0M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$162K
SavingsLn 2$225K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$386K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$429K
Total assetsLn 16$820K
LiabilitiesLn 26$38K
Net assetsLn 32$782K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 57
VolunteersI 6834
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$419K$386K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0$429K
Total assetsLn 16$419K$820K
LiabilitiesLn 26$15K$38K
Net assetsLn 32$404K$782K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$60K$37K$23K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$157K$98K$59K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$1K$1K
Payroll taxesLn 10$18K$11K$6K
Legal feesLn 11b$34K$33K$425
Accounting feesLn 11c$3K$3K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$54K$51K$2K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$5K$3K$2K$557
Office expensesLn 13$5K$392$4K$305
Information technologyLn 14$8K$2K$6K$58
OccupancyLn 16$32K$17K$15K
TravelLn 17$12K$5K$6K$403
InterestLn 20$529$529
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$3K$3K
InsuranceLn 23$10K$2K$8K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$245K$177K$50K$18K
All other expensesLn 24e$1K$476$597$198
Total functional expensesLn 25$648K$442K$187K$19K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.0M$648K$378K$782K 990 PDF
FY2024 $577K$530K$48K$404K 990 PDF
FY2023 $516K$474K$42K$356K 990 PDF
FY2022 $464K$254K$211K$314K 990 PDF
FY2021 $137K$66K$72K$104K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,025,741 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $490,170$926,329
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $82,503$96,995
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $4,710$2,338
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$79
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $577,383$1,025,741
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $235,981$235,978
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $293,724$412,161
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $529,705$648,139
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $47,678$377,602
Part VI · Governance 13 of 13 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body13
VI-1b Independent voting members13
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,025,741 across 7 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$926,329
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$393,064
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$926,329
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $96,995$96,995
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $2,338$2,338
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax $79$79
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $96,995 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $2,417$1,025,741
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $648,139 across 17 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $37,206 · Management $22,804$60,010
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $98,153 · Management $59,030$157,183
IX-9 Other employee benefitsManagement $1,190$1,190
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $11,213 · Management $6,382$17,595
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $33,208 · Management $425$33,633
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $3,200$3,200
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $51,113 · Management $2,466$53,579
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $2,571 · Management $2,093 · Fundraising $557$5,221
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $392 · Management $4,041 · Fundraising $305$4,738
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $1,943 · Management $5,659 · Fundraising $58$7,660
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $17,124 · Management $14,715$31,839
IX-17 TravelPrograms $5,432 · Management $6,029 · Fundraising $403$11,864
IX-20 InterestPrograms $529$529
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $3,335$3,335
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $1,925 · Management $8,065$9,990
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $177,428 · Management $50,151 · Fundraising $17,723$245,302
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $476 · Management $597 · Fundraising $198$1,271
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $442,048 · Management $186,847 · Fundraising $19,244$648,139
Part X · Balance sheet $819,763 assets, 11 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $418,650$161,894
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$224,554
X-4 Accounts receivable$4,000
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $0$429,315
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $418,650$819,763
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $6,045$3,431
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $8,700$34,825
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $14,745$38,256
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $403,905$781,507
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $403,905$781,507
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $418,650$819,763
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $781,507 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,025,741
XI-2 Total expenses$648,139
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$377,602
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$403,905
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$781,507

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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