Feed Nova Scotia is a five-star, financially transparent charity with a Good impact rating. It has an above average A- results reporting score, reasonable overhead spending, and a reasonably sized reserve fund. For every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 1984, Feed Nova Scotia collects, purchases, organizes, and distributes food to its 140-member agency network across Nova Scotia. This network then provides this food to those in need. The charity also funds meals programs and farming initiatives across the province. According to the charity, 22% of Nova Scotians (213,000 people) were food insecure in 2022 and this number is increasing every year.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity 

Feed Nova Scotia runs two programs: food distribution operations and the Innovation and Learning Lab. It spent $7.0m cash to operate its programs and distributed $12.7m worth of food in the fiscal year ending in March 2024 (F2024).

Food distribution operations were 86% ($6.1m) of the charity’s program spending. The charity distributed 6,430,211 lb of food to 140 agency partners that reached 57,232 unique clients throughout F2024. According to the charity, 83% of the food it distributes includes protein, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and grain.

The charity's Innovation and Learning Lab was 14% ($963k) of its program spending. In F2024, Feed Nova Scotia funded 14 projects aimed at reducing future reliance on Nova Scotia’s food banks. It spent $257,000 on food distribution efficiency, $124,062 on community farming education, and $165,460 on advocacy projects ($546,522 total) during F2024.

Feed Nova Scotia’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means it clearly disclosed how much it spent on program, administrative, and fundraising activities in its financial statements.

During F2024, the charity received $7.6m worth of cash donations (33% of total revenue) and $13.4m worth of donated food (59% of total revenue). Donations increased by 15% since F2023 ($6.6m received) while food donations decreased by 10% ($14.9m received).

Administrative costs are 6% of total revenue less investment income while fundraising costs are 9% of cash donations. This means Feed Nova Scotia’s total overhead spending is 15%. For every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

In F2024, the charity spent $7.0m on its programs and distributed $12.7m worth of food. It also distributed $1.1m worth of donor-designated grants in F2024. Feed Nova Scotia’s operating cash flow decreased from $829k to ($9k) from F2023 to F2024. Its operating cash flow is negative for the first time since F2020.

At the end of F2024, the charity had $11.0m worth of net reserve funds (cash and investments) that can cover 156% or around one year and seven months of its annual program spending.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on April 17, 2025. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.