ALCHEMIST CDC

As filed

Subsection

03

NTEE code

S20

Classification

1000

Street

2901 K ST STE 302

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2024

• FARMERS' MARKETS OPERATIONS IN 2024, ALCHEMIST CDC TOOK OVER MANAGEMENT OF TWO ESTABLISHED FARMERS' MARKETS IN SACRAMENTO INCLUDING: FLORIN CERTIFIED FARMERS' MARKET AND RANCHO CORDOVA CERTIFIED FARMERS' MARKET (FORMERLY SUNRISE CERTIFIED FARMERS' MARKET). ALCHEMIST ALSO LAUNCHED MEADOWVIEW CERTIFIED FARMERS' MARKET IN THE MEADOWVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD IN SOUTH SACRAMENTO - AN AREA THAT IS CONSIDERED A FOOD DESERT. THREE EXPERIENCED MARKET MANAGERS WERE HIRED TO COORDINATE OPERATIONS OF THESE MARKETS. BETWEEN MARCH AND DECEMBER OF 2024, ALCHEMIST'S THREE CERTIFIED FARMERS' MARKETS WERE OPEN FOR A COMBINED 110 MARKET DAYS, PROVIDING A SPACE FOR 110,929 CUSTOMERS TO BUY LOCALLY-GROWN FOOD FROM A COMBINED 92 SMALL, FAMILY FARMERS.

  Expenses $172,688 · Grants $14,202 · Revenue $163,087

• NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT & COMMUNITY GARDENS: ALCHEMIST CDC IS COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH LOCAL NEIGHBORS TO REMAKE BLIGHTED LAND INTO VIBRANT, NEIGHBORHOOD AMENITIES THROUGH DIRECT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, DESIGN AND HANDS-ON PARTICIPATION IN CREATING PUBLIC GARDENS AND COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACES. THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE: THE OAK PARK ART GARDEN (UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE); OAK PARK SOL COMMUNITY GARDEN (FEATURING 17 RENTABLE PLOTS, AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN AND CHILDREN'S GARDEN/CREATIVE SPACE); AND THE PANSY COMMUNITY GARDEN PARK (FEATURING 9 RENTABLE PLOTS, CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND, PICNIC AREA AND 5 FRUIT TREES). ALCHEMIST CDC ALSO PROVIDES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE MIRASOL VILLAGE COMMUNITY GARDEN, FEATURING 68 PLOTS, OVER 30 FRUIT TREES AND GRAPE VINES, AND AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN AND EDUCATION AREA. THESE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY SPACES PROVIDE A PLACE TO GROW FOOD, EXPRESS AND SHARE CREATIVITY,DEMONSTRATE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND BUILD COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY.

  Expenses $152,329 · Revenue $186,145

• CALFRESH AT FARMERS' MARKETS: PROVIDED CALFRESH (SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE BENEFITS) PROCESSING SERVICES FOR 9 FARMERS' MARKETS, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO AN ADDITIONAL 12 PARTNER MARKETS AND FARM STANDS, TO ENSURE THAT LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS HAVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD. ALCHEMIST ALSO IMPLEMENTED THE MARKET MATCH INCENTIVE PROGRAM, THAT MATCHED CALFRESH BENEFITS SPENT AT FARMERS' MARKETS WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO PURCHASE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM CALIFORNIA FARMERS. MARKET MATCH EMPOWERS LOW-INCOME SHOPPERS TO MAKE HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES BY OVERCOMING FINANCIAL BARRIERS. IN 2024, ALCHEMIST CDC PROCESSED 45,576 CALFRESH TRANSACTIONS, AND FACILITATED THE DISTRIBUTION OF 798,231 IN CALFRESH BENEFITS, AND 802,824 IN MARKET MATCH INCENTIVES TO LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS (COMBINED ALCHEMIST CDC AND PARTNER MARKETS).

  Expenses $380,313 · Revenue $515,445

• COMMUNITY FOOD CONNECTIONS (CFC): PROVIDED FOOD ACCESS SUPPORT TO 296 FAMILIES IDENTIFIED BY SACRAMENTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (SCUSD) STAFF AS FOOD, HOUSING, AND/OR TRANSPORTATION INSECURE ENROLLED IN 47 SCUSD SCHOOLS (1,289 PEOPLE SUPPORTED MONTHLY, 60% WERE CHILDREN). THIS INCLUDED 23,367 IN FRESH SEASONAL PRODUCE PROCURED FROM LOCAL FARMERS, WHICH WAS DISTRIBUTED TO TARGETED FOOD-INSECURE FAMILIES. SPEARHEADED A PROJECT TO IMPACT FOOD SECURITY SCHOOL-WIDE BY INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL-PROVIDED BREAKFAST, WHILE EXPANDING PROGRAM CAPACITY TO PROVIDE TARGETED SCHOOL-BASED AND HOME DELIVERY OF FOOD BOXES, FOCUSED ON VULNERABLE SUBGROUPS, IDENTIFYING IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SCUSD NUTRITION SERVICES TEAM. ADDITIONALLY, LAUNCHED COMMUNITY MEALS, A MONTHLY EVENT WHERE UNHOUSED FAMILIES, PART OF THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO PROJECT HOMEKEY MOTEL VOUCHER PROGRAM, ARE OFFERED NUTRITIOUS MEALS THAT CAN BE REPLICATED WITH THEIR LIMITED RESOURCES, WHILE HELPING THEM CONNECT WITH OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP THEM MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS. COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AND STUDENTS SUPPORTED CFC PROVIDING OVER 2,104 HOURS TO PACK, DELIVER AND/OR SUPPORT THE EVENT LOGISTICS AT THE COMMUNITY MEALS. DISTRIBUTED 42,000 POUNDS OF FOOD IN 2024. ALCHEMIST KITCHEN: ALCHEMIST KITCHEN IS A FOOD BUSINESS INCUBATOR FOCUSING ON ENTREPRENEURS FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS AND UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. IN 2024, THE PROGRAM SERVED 64 BUSINESSES. SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, THE ENTREPRENEURS WE'VE SERVED ARE 73% ENTREPRENEURS OF COLOR, 63% LOW-INCOME, 63% FEMALE, 21% LGBTQIA+, 18% ENTREPRENEURS WITH A DISABILITY AND 3% VETERANS. THE ALCHEMIST MICROENTERPRISE ACADEMY (AMA) IS A 12-WEEK FOOD BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAM COVERING FUNDAMENTAL TOPICS FOR STARTING AND GROWING A FOOD BUSINESS. IN 2024 WE GRADUATED 31 BUSINESSES ACROSS TWO COHORTS WITH EACH COHORT OF AMA HAVING OVER 48 HOURS OF INSTRUCTION AND 25 GUEST INSTRUCTORS. THE ALCHEMIST KITCHEN INCUBATOR PROGRAM (AKIP) PROVIDES ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT, GOAL PLANNING, CONNECTIONS TO RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND REDUCED-RENT AT COMMERCIAL KITCHEN SPACES FOR PARTICIPATING FOOD BUSINESSES. IN 2024 WE GREW THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES IN THE INCUBATOR PROGRAM TO 28, PROVIDING THEM A COMBINED TOTAL OF OVER 600 HOURS OF 1-ON-1 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. INCUBATOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS USED OVER 1,500 HOURS AT ALCHEMIST KITCHEN (SHARED COMMERCIAL KITCHEN SPACE), AND HAD A COMBINED TOTAL OF OVER 980,000 IN SALES. ALCHEMIST PUBLIC MARKETS: ALCHEMIST PUBLIC MARKET IS A FORTHCOMING COMMUNITY HUB IN SACRAMENTO'S RIVER DISTRICT. THE SITE WILL FEATURE A CAF, CORNER MARKET, A SHARED-USE KITCHEN, COWORKING SPACE, FOOD PODS, AND ALL-ELECTRIC TRAILER INCUBATORS THAT WILL SUPPORT EMERGING FOOD ENTREPRENEURS FROM OUR ALCHEMIST KITCHEN PROGRAMS. ALONGSIDE RETAIL AND DINING SPACES, THE MARKET WILL HOUSE ALCHEMIST WORKFORCE ACADEMY, A NEW PROGRAM OFFERING RESTAURANT AND HOSPITALITY TRAINING AND CAREER PATHWAYS FOR PARTICIPANTS FACING BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT. TOGETHER, THESE ELEMENTS CREATE A SPACE THAT BLENDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND FOOD ACCESS IN A SINGLE, INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT. IN 2024, WE ADVANCED ALCHEMIST PUBLIC MARKET FROM CONCEPT TO SCHEMATIC DESIGN AND, BY YEAR'S END, INTO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, WHILE RECALIBRATING PLANS IN RESPONSE TO RISING COSTS AND SHIFTING PROGRAM NEEDS. BUDGETS WERE MOST IMPACTED BY INCREASES IN GENERAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS, FEARS OF TARIFFS AND AN UNSTABLE ECONOMY, AND HIGHER PREVAILING WAGE REQUIREMENTS. ONE KEY ADJUSTMENT MADE TO KEEP THE PROJECT FINANCIALLY VIABLE INCLUDED SHIFTING DESIGNS TOWARD THE INCLUSION OF ALL-ELECTRIC TRAILERS AND FOUR FOOD PODS, RATHER THAN EIGHT FULLY BUILT PODS. AT THE SAME TIME, ALCHEMIST MADE THE STRATEGIC DECISION TO OPERATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE CAF, BAR, AND MARKET DIRECTLY IN-HOUSE RATHER THAN RELY ON A THIRD-PARTY OPERATOR, STRENGTHENING ALIGNMENT WITH ITS MISSION AND LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY. BY SUMMER, A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER HAD BEEN HIRED TO CONSULT OUR TEAM ON DEVELOPER DECISIONS, CONSTRUCTION FENCING SECURED THE SITE, CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST GRANT ADVANCE FUNDS WERE DEPOSITED, AND PLANNING WITH SMUD BEGAN AROUND ELECTRIFICATION AND EFFICIENCY. RIVER CITY BANK APPROVED THE CREATION OF A MICRO-LENDING PROGRAM TO SERVE INCUBATOR PARTICIPANTS, AND ALCHEMIST REFINED OPERATIONAL PLANS TO INTEGRATE ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT WITH COMMUNITY-SERVING RETAIL. IN THE FALL, ENTITLEMENT DOCUMENTS WERE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO, AND A CEQA EXEMPTION WAS SECURED. COMMUNITY VISIBILITY GREW THROUGH A RIVER DISTRICT FORUM, PARTNERSHIPS WITH KAISER PERMANENTE AND AMERICORPS NCCC, AND EXPANDED COLLABORATIONS TO STRENGTHEN THE MARKET'S EVENTUAL ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY. WHILE COSTS AND TIMELINES REMAINED CHALLENGING, BY YEAR'S END ALCHEMIST HAD REGAINED MOMENTUM, SECURED CRITICAL APPROVALS, AND LAID A CLEAR PATH TOWARD PERMITTING, BIDDING, AND THE LAUNCH OF CONSTRUCTION IN 2025. OTHER PROGRAMS: PARTICIPATED IN COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO DEVELOP AND EXPLORE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED HEALTH AND WELLBEING CHALLENGES FOR LOW-INCOME AND UNDER-RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS. ADVOCATED FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.

  Expenses $655,519 · Revenue $3,356,693

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Officers and directors · 2024

As listed in Part VII of the 2024 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

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. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

• 2024

  Revenue

  $4,527,313

  Expenses

  $1,616,614

  Contributions

  $4,127,743

  Grants paid

  $14,202

• 2023

  Revenue

  $1,172,050

  Expenses

  $1,101,593

  Contributions

  $985,600

  Grants paid

  $24,226

• 2022

  Revenue

  $1,032,560

  Expenses

  $816,241

  Contributions

  $724,339

  Grants paid

  $32,694

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $828,485

  Expenses

  $639,122

  Assets (EOY)

  $718,285

• 2020 · 990

  Revenue

  $430,576

  Expenses

  $437,488

  Assets (EOY)

  $426,459

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $430,179

  Expenses

  $396,147

  Assets (EOY)

  $259,789

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $430,179

  Expenses

  $396,147

  Assets (EOY)

  $259,789

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $344,135

  Expenses

  $316,116

  Assets (EOY)

  $312,736

• 2017 · 990

  Revenue

  $254,390

  Expenses

  $265,898

  Assets (EOY)

  $105,999

• 2016 · 990

  Revenue

  $376,544

  Expenses

  $353,273

  Assets (EOY)

  $93,904

• 2015 · 990

  Revenue

  $443,762

  Expenses

  $410,137

  Assets (EOY)

  $52,061

• 2014 · 990

  Revenue

  $288,589

  Expenses

  $294,809

  Assets (EOY)

  $19,328

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all.

Form 990-N e-Postcard, tax year 2007

Tax period

1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007

Principal officer

Lisa Nelson

Mailing address

3451 Fifth AveSacramento CA 95817

Website

www.alchemistcdc.org

As filed, from the IRS e-Postcard file of 2 November 2026. The IRS publishes only each organization's most recent postcard, so earlier years are not shown. A 990-N carries no financial detail. The postcard also gives the principal officer's address, which is not shown here.

Grants made

• FOOD LITERACY CENTER

  $32,694

  2022 · FOOD PROGRAMS

• FOOD LITERACY CENTER

  $22,780

  2023 · FOOD PROGRAMS

• FOOD LITERACY CENTER

  $14,202

  2024 · FOOD PROGRAMS

Where these grants went next →

Grants received

• ECOLOGY CENTER

  $915,603

  2024 · FOOD INSECURITY NUTRITION INCENTIVE (FINI) GRANT PROGRAM

• ECOLOGY CENTER

  $745,515

  2023 · FOOD INSECURITY NUTRITION INCENTIVE (FINI) GRANT PROGRAM

• ECOLOGY CENTER

  $624,773

  2022 · FOOD INSECURITY NUTRITION INCENTIVE (FINI) GRANT PROGRAM

• SUTTER VALLEY HOSPITALS

  $200,000

  2023

• SHARE OUR STRENGTH

  $82,000

  2023 · COMMUNITY NUTRITION

• KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS

  $50,000

  2022 · Alchemist Diverse Business Growth

• KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS

  $29,284

  2024 · Alchemist Kitchen - Food Business Incubator

• KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS

  $27,350

  2023 · Alchemist Kitchen- Food Business Incubator

• NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TR

  $20,000

  2024 · PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $12,913

  2024 · PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Other IRS files