Foodwise Community
Education. Farmers markets. Community.
Foodwise Community
EIN: 94-3212988
as of November 2023
as of November 13, 2023
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Foodwise Kids
Foodwise Kids is a free program for elementary school classes that uses the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market as a classroom for empowering the next generation of healthy eaters. Through comparative tastings, exploring the market, and a hands-on cooking lesson, we nurture children’s love for fruits and vegetables, teach them to prepare healthy, seasonal foods, and raise their awareness of their role in a sustainable food system.
Foodwise Teens
Launched in January 2019, Foodwise Teens is a semester-long paid job training program where teens build skills to sustain healthy lives and a healthy planet. Building on eight years of success in CUESA’s Schoolyard to Market program, Foodwise Teens transforms CUESA’s youth programming and takes it to the next level. Students learn about food justice, develop job skills, and get hands-on experience in the garden, in the kitchen, and at the farmers market, while getting paid for their work.
Community Food Access
Shoppers who use CalFresh (SNAP/EBT) benefits at CUESA farmers markets can double their dollars up to $15 per market day with Market Match and receive free market coins to spend on fruits and vegetables. Market Match is a nutrition incentive program that makes fresh produce more affordable. Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, but they cost more per calorie than most processed foods, so families on a tight food budget are often unable to afford enough for optimum health. Market Match helps level the playing field by making local and sustainable produce more accessible to people with limited income.
Sustainability Talks
CUESA hosts occasional evening lectures and panel discussions inside the Ferry Building. Past speakers have included Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, and Vandana Shiva. The talks cover pertinent issues about our food system, such as farming in an age of climate change, humane animal husbandry, and the rise of urban agriculture around the country.
Public Education
From seasonal tastings and cooking programs to evening talks and farm tours, CUESA provides educational experiences for you to meet farmers and food makers, learn and share food knowledge, and take action.
Farm Tours
What better way to learn about where your food comes from than to visit the place where it was produced? Each year in the spring, summer, and fall, CUESA offers about six full-day excursions to explore the farms and facilities of Ferry Plaza Farmers Market sellers. Through CUESA’s tour program, participants see, taste, and learn about their food first-hand, guided by the farmers and artisans themselves. Most tours have two stops, some include hands-on experiences (like kitchen skills classes and U-pick harvesting), and all include a delicious farm-fresh lunch.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
5.63
Months of cash in 2022 info
7.7
Fringe rate in 2022 info
16%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Foodwise Community
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Apr 01 - Mar 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Apr 01 - Mar 31
This snapshot of Foodwise Community’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $126,982 | -$116,268 | -$154,108 | $660,642 | $199,366 |
As % of expenses | 8.0% | -6.1% | -8.2% | 50.4% | 11.3% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $107,088 | -$134,666 | -$179,211 | $635,984 | $174,854 |
As % of expenses | 6.7% | -6.9% | -9.4% | 47.7% | 9.7% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,726,179 | $1,861,525 | $1,664,783 | $1,991,324 | $2,014,702 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | 6.8% | 7.8% | -10.6% | 19.6% | 1.2% |
Program services revenue | 60.4% | 55.4% | 55.8% | 41.5% | 44.0% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Government grants | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 21.4% | 18.8% |
All other grants and contributions | 37.7% | 41.5% | 37.0% | 35.4% | 34.2% |
Other revenue | 0.5% | 2.1% | 5.7% | 1.7% | 3.0% |
Expense composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses before depreciation | $1,583,197 | $1,920,793 | $1,880,557 | $1,309,772 | $1,769,996 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | 1.3% | 21.3% | -2.1% | -30.4% | 35.1% |
Personnel | 66.9% | 64.1% | 68.2% | 58.3% | 58.0% |
Professional fees | 7.9% | 11.7% | 8.0% | 7.7% | 11.8% |
Occupancy | 7.8% | 9.5% | 10.7% | 13.4% | 10.8% |
Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Pass-through | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 6.0% | 2.1% |
All other expenses | 16.0% | 14.8% | 13.1% | 14.6% | 17.3% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,603,091 | $1,939,191 | $1,905,660 | $1,334,430 | $1,794,508 |
One month of savings | $131,933 | $160,066 | $156,713 | $109,148 | $147,500 |
Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $108,650 | $0 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $1,735,024 | $2,099,257 | $2,171,023 | $1,443,578 | $1,942,008 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 9.1 | 7.7 |
Months of cash and investments | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 9.1 | 7.7 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 4.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cash | $467,086 | $419,349 | $159,964 | $992,377 | $1,141,827 |
Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Receivables | $163,335 | $157,339 | $183,642 | $256,120 | $154,496 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $379,261 | $337,959 | $446,610 | $446,610 | $448,641 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 45.6% | 44.4% | 39.2% | 44.7% | 50.0% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 12.5% | 16.1% | 32.1% | 28.4% | 14.9% |
Unrestricted net assets | $734,171 | $599,505 | $420,294 | $1,056,278 | $1,231,132 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | $23,000 | $80,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $23,000 | $80,000 | $18,334 | $39,244 | $84,584 |
Total net assets | $757,171 | $679,505 | $438,628 | $1,095,522 | $1,315,716 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ms. Christine Farren
As Executive Director, Christine Farren (she/her/hers) is responsible for managing Foodwise's overall operations and performance, implementing policies and deliverables set by the Board of Directors, and leading Foodwise to achieve annual goals and objectives. She also oversees our fundraising events, individual and corporate donor cultivation, and annual reports. Christine feels that shopping at a farmers market is one of the most life affirming and community building activities possible, and enjoys interfacing with numerous members of the food community here in San Francisco. She holds a BA in American Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Foodwise Community
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Foodwise Community
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Foodwise Community
Board of directorsas of 10/04/2022
Board of directors data
Marie Trimble Holvick
Gordon & Rees
Term: 2019 - 2021
Erin Archuleta
ICHI Dozo, Square
Marty Cepkauskas
Hearst Corporation
Sonya Dreizler Schinske
Solutions with Sonya
Aomboon Deasy
K&J Orchards, Pomet
Lee Koffler
Voleon Group
Shakirah Simley
Booker T. Washington Community Service Center
Daniel Capra
Paula LeDuc Fine Catering
Andrew Freeman
Andrew Freeman & Co.
Saeeda Hafiz
San Francisco Unified School District
Nafis Jamal
Mopub, Twitter
Stacy Jed
Bluestem Brasserie
Aaron Tidman
Dilan Urun
Les Partenaires Ottomans
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data