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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: August 2025 Expires: August 2027

Food & Water Watch

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

1616 P Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC, 20036

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Food & Water Watch meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to stop corporate control of the public's food and water and find solutions to create and economically an environmentally viable future."

Year, State Incorporated:
2005, DC

Food & Water Watch (FWW) works with grassroots organizations and other allies around the world. The organization's food program provides public education about health and environmental issues that promote food production that is sustainable and local, chemical free, humanely raised, family farmed, and clearly labeled. FWW's water program educates and advocates about affordable, publicly-controlled drinking water, health and environmental dangers of fracking and fossil fuels, the importance of moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and the importance of public investment in infrastructure. The organization's climate program works at the state and local level to pass legislation to stop catastrophic climate change by eliminating the production and use of fossil fuels which makes progress towards banning fracking and stopping new and existing fossil fuel infrastructure.

For the year ended June 30, 2024, Food & Water Watch's program expenses were:

Food: $5,912,763

Water: $3,407,913

Climate: $1,890,314

Total Program Expenses: $11,210,990

Chief Executive
Wenonah Hauter, Founder and Executive Director

Compensation*
$268,396

Chair of the Board
Maude Barlow

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Author and activist

Board Size
8

Paid Staff Size
100

*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Direct mail appeals, Radio, Telemarketing

FWW incurred joint costs of $721,932 for informational materials and activities that included fundraising materials. Of those costs, $261,361 was allocated to fundraising expenses, $242,140 was allocated to program expenses, and $218,431 was allocated to administrative expenses.

Fundraising costs were 9% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $20,949,670, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Food & Water Watch's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.

Source of Funds
Grants and contributions $20,949,670
Investment return, net $750,954
Other revenue $131,128
Total Income $21,831,752

Programs: 71% Fundraising: 12% Administrative: 17%

Total Income $21,831,752
Total expenses: $15,870,356
  Program expenses $11,210,990
  Fundraising expenses $1,884,538
  Administrative expenses $2,774,828
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $5,961,396
Beginning Net Assets $18,788,742
Other Changes In Net Assets $1,045,254
Ending Net Assets $25,795,392
Total Liabilities $5,326,653
Total Assets $31,122,045

Note: In the financial section above, "other changes in net assets" refers to a gain from lease modification ($577,921) and proceeds from a settlement ($467,333).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance