Project Bread
Project Bread is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that fights hunger through direct services (FoodSource Hotline, SNAP outreach, school and summer meals), healthcare partnerships, community grantmaking, and policy advocacy. It serves food-insecure residents statewide and is funded by individual donations, foundation grants, and the annual Walk for Hunger.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Project Bread does
Project Bread is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and headquartered at 145 Border Street, East Boston, Massachusetts. The organization's mission is to end hunger in Massachusetts by addressing both immediate food needs and the systemic root causes of food insecurity. It serves Massachusetts residents experiencing food insecurity, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations including seniors, families, and school-age children. Project Bread is governed by a board chaired by Peter Levangie (Bay State Milling Company) and led by President & CEO Erin McAleer, supported by a 100+ person staff across executive, operations, community engagement, communications, policy, and programs functions.
Project Bread's core program portfolio includes: the FoodSource Hotline (telephone-based food assistance navigation), SNAP Outreach via gettingsnap.org, the School Meals and Summer Eats child nutrition programs, the Chefs in Schools Recipe Index (developed over 20 years by chef educators and registered dietitians), Healthcare Partnerships through the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) program, the Community Power Fund (grantmaking to grassroots food justice organizations), and the Make Hunger History policy advocacy campaign. The signature Walk for Hunger is an annual peer-to-peer fundraising event. The organization does not operate proprietary technology platforms beyond its website and donation portal; service delivery is human-mediated through phone, community partnerships, school and healthcare system relationships, and direct community engagement.
Project Bread's revenue model is philanthropic, consisting of individual donations (one-time, monthly, DAF, and IRA via FreeWill partnership), corporate sponsorships and foundation grants, and Walk for Hunger event-based peer-to-peer fundraising. Services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. The organization is geographically restricted to Massachusetts and does not pursue a multi-state expansion strategy. Awards include the Boston Business Journal 2024 Best Places to Work (consecutive year) and the 2025 Latino & Hispanic Leadership Award to Director of Community Partnerships Adriana Mendes-Sheldon.
Project Bread firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Project Bread
- Legal name
- Project Bread
- Website
- https://projectbread.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Project Bread is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that fights hunger through direct services (FoodSource Hotline, SNAP outreach, school and summer meals), healthcare partnerships, community grantmaking, and policy advocacy. It serves food-insecure residents statewide and is funded by individual donations, foundation grants, and the annual Walk for Hunger.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Project Bread industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hunger Relief and Food Assistance Services
- NAICS
- Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Special Food Services (7223)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), Child Nutrition & Meal Programs (CACFP/Snack Programs) (EDACAMAA), Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE)
Keywords
Where Project Bread is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Project Bread business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Project Bread receives donations from individuals through its website donation portal, monthly giving programs, and holiday tribute gifts. The organization also offers DAF and IRA donation options for tax-efficient giving.
- Corporate & Foundation Support: Corporate sponsorships and foundation grants provide major funding, including support for programs like the Walk for Hunger and Community Power Fund grants.
- Walk for Hunger Event: Annual fundraising event that mobilizes community participation and peer-to-peer fundraising to generate donations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Project Bread product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Project Bread is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that delivers free food-assistance services to residents experiencing food insecurity through a FoodSource Hotline, SNAP outreach and enrollment support, School Meals and Summer Eats child nutrition programs, and Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) referrals through healthcare partnerships. It complements direct service with policy advocacy ("Making Food Accessible"), grassroots community engagement and grantmaking (Community Power Fund), and an annual Walk for Hunger fundraiser, supported by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Product overview
Project Bread operates as a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected food assistance programs in Massachusetts rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the FoodSource Hotline for direct caller support, SNAP enrollment assistance, School Meals and Summer Eats programs for child nutrition, and Healthcare Partnerships connecting clinical settings to food resources. The Chefs in Schools Recipe Index provides recipe resources for school meal programs. Additional programs include Community Engagement initiatives, policy advocacy through Making Food Accessible, the annual Walk for Hunger fundraising event, and grant opportunities for grassroots organizations. The organization focuses on addressing both immediate food needs and systemic causes of hunger through direct service delivery, community organizing, and policy advocacy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FoodSource Hotline Telephone hotline providing guidance, support, and referrals for Massachusetts residents navigating food insecurity, connecting callers to SNAP benefits, school meals, and other food resources. Available to any Massachusetts resident seeking food assistance.
- SNAP Outreach Program Outreach and application assistance program helping Massachusetts residents understand eligibility for and enroll in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Free to eligible Massachusetts residents.
- School Meals Program Free school meal program providing nutritious meals to students in Massachusetts schools through partnerships with school districts, with recipes and resources developed by professional chef educators.
- Summer Eats Program Free summer meal program providing meals to children and teens during the summer break when school meals are unavailable, delivered through partner sites across Massachusetts.
- Healthcare Partnerships (HRSN) Initiative connecting healthcare systems and providers to Project Bread's food assistance resources through Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) referrals, enabling clinical settings to address food insecurity as a social determinant of health.
- Community Power Fund Grants Grantmaking program awarding funds to Massachusetts grassroots organizations for community-led food justice, community leadership, and hunger mitigation initiatives.
- Chefs in Schools Recipe Index Collection of healthy school meal recipes developed by professional chef educators and registered dietitians, tested and refined over twenty years to support Project Bread's School Meals Program.
- The Walk for Hunger Annual community walk and peer-to-peer fundraiser that mobilizes Massachusetts residents to raise money for Project Bread's anti-hunger programs.
- Online Donation Portal Online donation platform enabling supporters to give one-time gifts, become monthly donors, give holiday tribute gifts, and make tax-efficient donations via Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, powered by a partnership with FreeWill.
- Making Food Accessible (Policy Advocacy) Policy advocacy and systems-change initiative working with Massachusetts legislators and partners to strengthen critical nutrition programs and address the underlying factors contributing to hunger.
Quantifiable outcome
- Community Power Fund awarded $97,000 to grassroots organizations for food justice initiatives
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Project Bread
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Project Bread technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Project Bread partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Project Bread competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greater Boston Food Bank: Regional food bank serving eastern Massachusetts with food distribution and SNAP outreach. Directly comparable to Project Bread on geography (overlapping MA footprint), beneficiary type, and program mix including SNAP enrollment and child nutrition.
- No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): National campaign focused on ending childhood hunger via school meals, summer feeding, and SNAP — directly overlapping with Project Bread's School Meals, Summer Eats, and SNAP Outreach programs and policy advocacy model.
- WhyHunger: National nonprofit connecting people to food resources via a hotline (Find Food) and advocating to end hunger — directly parallel to Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline plus its policy advocacy and resource directory.
- Hunger Free America: National anti-hunger advocacy and direct-service organization focused on federal nutrition programs and food access — closely aligned with Project Bread's SNAP outreach, policy work, and hotline service model.
- Meals on Wheels America: National network delivering meals and nutrition support to seniors and vulnerable populations. Comparable on direct food delivery and food access mission, though Project Bread's Massachusetts focus skews more to SNAP and school-age children than senior meal delivery.
- Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): National nonprofit working to improve federal nutrition programs and food access for low-income Americans through research, advocacy, and technical assistance — closely aligned with Project Bread's policy advocacy and program outreach on SNAP and child nutrition.
Broad incumbents
- Feeding America: National network of 200+ food banks and the largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S. Operates broadly across food assistance, SNAP, and child nutrition — a broader incumbent that competes for the same donor and policy space as Project Bread at national scale.
- Catholic Charities USA: Large national social services network providing food, housing, and emergency assistance across multiple states. A broader incumbent with overlapping social-service and food-assistance functions but a wider portfolio than Project Bread's hunger-focused remit.
Regional players
- Food Bank of Western Massachusetts: Regional food bank serving western Massachusetts with food distribution, SNAP outreach, and child nutrition programs. Comparable mission and program portfolio, though geographically complementary rather than directly overlapping with Project Bread.
- Worcester County Food Bank: Central Massachusetts food bank operating food distribution, SNAP, and child nutrition programs. Similar anti-hunger mission and program mix to Project Bread, serving a different but adjacent region of Massachusetts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Project Bread social profiles
Digital presenceProject Bread financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Project Bread leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Project Bread funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Project Bread M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Project Bread
What does Project Bread do?
Project Bread is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that delivers free food-assistance services to residents experiencing food insecurity through a FoodSource Hotline, SNAP outreach and enrollment support, School Meals and Summer Eats child nutrition programs, and Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) referrals through healthcare partnerships. It complements direct service with policy advocacy ("Making Food Accessible"), grassroots community engagement and grantmaking (Community Power Fund), and an annual Walk for Hunger fundraiser, supported by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Is Project Bread a public or private company?
Project Bread is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Project Bread founded?
Project Bread was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Project Bread based?
Project Bread is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Project Bread make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate & Foundation Support and walk for Hunger Event.
Who are Project Bread's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greater Boston Food Bank, No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength), WhyHunger, Hunger Free America, Meals on Wheels America and Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). Broad incumbents are Feeding America and Catholic Charities USA. Regional players are Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Worcester County Food Bank.
Does Project Bread have an API?
No public API is recorded for Project Bread.
What industry is Project Bread in?
Project Bread's product category is Hunger Relief and Food Assistance Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAA, Food Assistance & Food Banks, with a secondary code of BPAIAKAF, Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs. Its NAICS code is 624210 and its SIC code is 8300.