Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$688,629

Total expenses

$652,427

Contributions and grants received

$603,059

Grants paid

$210,993

Program service revenue

$80,829

Investment income

$260

Other revenue

$4,481

Total assets, end of year

$792,025

Total liabilities, end of year

$106,100

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$685,925

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$483,504

Management and general expenses

$129,297

Fundraising expenses

$39,626

Program service expenses (Part III)

$483,504

Program services were 74.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• FONDY INCREASES ACCESS TO HEALTHY, LOCAL FOOD AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACROSS GREATER MILWAUKEE BY OPERATING LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR; PROVIDING ACCESS TO LAND, RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO SMALL-SCALE FARMERS; AND BUILDING A BETTER FOOD SYSTEM TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY & FOOD JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WAS CREATED IN 2000 ON MILWAUKEES NORTH SIDE AS A RESPONSE TO FOOD SECURITY & SYSTEM ASSESSMENTS THAT IDENTIFIED A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF HUNGER, POVERTY, AND DEPENDENCE ON EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRIES IN THE AREA - AND THE KEY ROLE THAT THE STRUGGLING FONDY FARMERS MARKET PLAYED. THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE STARTED THE MARKET IN 1917 AND MANAGED OPERATIONS UNTIL THE BUDGET WAS CUT IN THE 1980S. FARMERS STRUGGLED TO KEEP THE MARKET GOING UNTIL FONDY WAS CREATED WITH THE EXPLICIT MANDATE TO ENSURE THE SUPPLY OF FRESH, LOCALLY GROWN FOOD TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS MARKET IMPROVES PUBLIC HEALTH, STRENGTHENS THE LOCAL ECONOMY, PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT, AND SERVES AS A COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE. OVER THE PAST DECADE, FONDY HAS GROWN FROM ONE FARMERS MARKET TO AN ORGANIZATION CREATING STRATEGIC FOOD SYSTEMS CHANGE WITH MULTI-SECTOR PARTNERS. FONDY NOW OPERATES TWO MARKETS -FONDY FARMERS MARKET AND MILWAUKEE WINTER FARMERS MARKET - THAT SUPPORTED OVER A HUNDRED VENDORS AND THOUSANDS OF SHOPPERS IN 2021. IN 2010, FONDY STARTED THE FONDY FARM PROJECT, WHICH SUPPORTS LOW-RESOURCE FARMERS WITH ACCESS TO THE LAND, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS. AND IN 2015, IN ORDER TO EXPAND THE AGENCYS PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT, FONDY LAUNCHED THE MILWAUKEE FARMERS MARKET COALITION - A CITY-WIDE HEALTHY, LOCAL FOOD ACCESS INITIATIVE THAT CONNECTS MORE LOW-INCOME CONSUMERS TO MORE MILWAUKEE AREA FARMERS MARKETS. IN 2017 FONDY PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE TO BUILD A NEW ECO PARK AND COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE NEXT TO THE FONDY FARMERS MARKET.THE FONDY FARMERS MARKET (FFM): FFM IS MILWAUKEES LARGEST AND MOST DIVERSE FARMERS MARKET AND THE SPRINGBOARD FOR THE AGENCYS HEALTHY FOOD EFFORTS. IT IS A NATIONAL LEADER IN CONNECTING WITH LOW- INCOME AND DIVERSE CONSUMERS, AND IS THE STATE LEADER IN FARMERS MARKET SNAP REDEMPTION AND NUTRITION INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. THE FFMS OPEN AIR MARKET CREATES SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY-SHOPPERS OF ALL AGES, ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVES, ARTISTS, AND PERFORMERS-TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND THE MORE THAN 40 PRODUCERS WHICH SELL AT THE MARKET FROM JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SHOPPERS VISIT THE MARKET EACH YEAR-PRIMARILY DRAWING FROM THE MILWAUKEES NORTH SIDE. THE MARKET HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A KEY COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE AND THE NEW FONDY PARK GREATLY EXPANDS THAT ROLE. THE MILWAUKEE WINTER FARMERS MARKET (MWFM): THE MWFM IS THE PREMIER WINTER FARMERS MARKET IN THE REGION. ITS LONGTIME MISSION IS TO PROMOTE LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE; INCREASE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL FAMILY FARMS AND INNOVATIVE FOOD BUSINESSES; PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO WHOLESOME FOOD; AND BUILD A VIBRANT GATHERING PLACE FOR METRO MILWAUKEE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS. FONDY FOOD CENTER TOOK OVER STEWARDSHIP OF THIS MARKET IN THE FALL OF 2015.

  Expenses $386,401 · Grants $210,993 · Revenue $73,182

• THE FONDY FARM PROJECT (FFP): THE FFP WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2010, WHEN STAFF REALIZED THAT FONDY FARMERS MARKETS PRIMARILY LOW INCOME, HMONG AMERICAN FARMERS WERE DROPPING OUT OF FARMING DUE TO NUMEROUS CHALLENGES. THE FFP OFFERS AFFORDABLE, LONG-TERM LEASES ON QUALITY LAND PLUS THE AMENITIES NEEDED TO SUCCEED, SUCH AS IRRIGATION, GREENHOUSES, TRACTORS, AS WELL AS TECHNICAL TRAINING AND BUSINESS ASSISTANCE FROM THE FONDY FARM DIRECTOR. IN 2017, RESPONDING TO INCREASED DEMAND FOR FARMLAND, AND LAND CLOSER TO THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE WHERE MOST OF OUR FARMERS LIVE, FONDY MOVED ITS FARM TO THE MEQUON NATURE PRESERVE (MNP) AND INCREASED THE NUMBER OF FARMERS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT TO OVER 20. THE FFP IS ALSO ENGAGED IN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPLORE LAND SOVEREIGNTY FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS, WITH A GOAL OF CONNECTING SMALL SCALE FARMERS TO LAND WHILE PRESERVING FARMLAND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, AND UTILIZING SUSTAINABLE FARMING TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN THE MILWAUKEE RIVER WATERSHED.

  Expenses $92,268 · Revenue $7,647

• PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCACY - LED BY THE ORGANIZATION, THE MILWAUKEE FARMERS MARKET COALITION PARTNERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD A HEALTHIER AND MORE EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEM ACROSS MILWAUKEE. THIS CITY-WIDE HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS INITIATIVE CONVENES FARMERS MARKETS, HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, HUNGER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN ORDER TO INCREASE ACCESS TO, AND UTILIZATION OF, FARMERS MARKETS BY LOW INCOME CONSUMERS. THIS WORK IS INCREASING PRODUCE INTAKE WITHIN MILWAUKEE AREA COMMUNITIES WHILE STRENGTHENING THE LOCAL ECONOMY THROUGH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING, AND JOINT MARKETING EFFORTS.

  Expenses $4,835

As filed on the 2023 return.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

11 March 2026

IRS schema version

2023v6.0

Source object

202621699349300917

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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