About Means Database
An online platform connecting organizations with surplus food to communities in need, preventing food waste and addressing food insecurity by diverting edible food away from landfills and redistributing it free to community partners.
Focus Areas
food recoveryfood waste reductionhunger reliefcommunity meal programslogistics for large donationstechnology-enabled donation matching
Who They Fund
people facing food insecuritylocal nonprofits and food bankscommunity meal programsfood industry donors and distributors
Funding Style
capacity building
About Means Database
Means Database Inc. stands out for using large-scale grantmaking to support food recovery and hunger relief through an online platform model. The biggest recent award in the data went to Farm Share, which received $26,670,327 in 2025, and the next year Farm Share received another $13,213,664, showing a repeated relationship with a major food-access intermediary. Other high-dollar grants point to the same pattern of backing organizations that move surplus food into community distribution, including Hands of Hope at $11,771,179 in 2025 and El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Ban at $7,864,514 in 2025. The foundation’s grant list also includes food banks, emergency food groups, and community meal partners, which aligns with its stated focus on food recovery, food waste reduction, and hunger relief. The portfolio suggests an emphasis on infrastructure as much as direct meal support. Recipients such as Palm Beach County Food Bank, Northwest Harvest, Feed the Children, and Food Forward appear alongside local organizations serving specific communities, indicating a mix of large distribution networks and place-based partners. Across the data, the foundation’s work is tied to moving edible food away from waste streams and toward nonprofits that can distribute it to people facing food insecurity.
What Means Database Funds
Food recovery is the clearest thread in the grant list. Means Database Inc. gave $5,450,722 in 2024 to Farmlink Project in New York, New York, and $1,928,088 in 2025 to Food Forward in North Hollywood, California, both fitting its food-rescue and redistribution focus. Emergency food distribution also appears repeatedly. In 2025, Feed the Children in Oklahoma City received $5,396,653, while Northwest Harvest in Seattle received $3,430,387. These grants sit within the foundation’s hunger-relief and food-bank support work. The foundation also supports community meal and local distribution capacity. Freedom Tour in Lake Wales, Florida received $6,873,943 in 2025 and $2,314,963 in 2024, while Inspired Vision Compassion Center in Dallas, Texas received $2,894,259 in 2025. Those awards reflect its interest in nonprofits that can turn recovered food into ready-to-serve meals and neighborhood-scale assistance.
How Means Database Gives
Typical awards cluster at substantial mid-six-figure to low-seven-figure levels, with a p25 of $28,062, a median of $75,137, and a p75 of $192,620. The recent grants list also shows much larger outliers, which means the distribution is wide rather than tightly bunched. The data shows repeat support to the same organizations across years, including Farm Share, Hands of Hope, Freedom Tour, Palm Beach County Food Bank, World Emergency Relief, Arm Full of Help, Goodness Project, Inspired Vision Compassion Center, and MidOhio Food Collective. Means Database Inc. is a Pure DAF Provider, and the active program list shows unsolicited giving is accepted in several programs, including Food Recovery Program, Community Partnership Program, and RAC Raise.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$113.5M
Total Assets
$832K
Total Revenue
$161.6M
Total Expenses
$161.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $28K and $193K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$28K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$193K
Geographic Reach
National38 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Samantha Paul
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