Elena Chu
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
A social worker by training, Elena has led RobinHood since 2015 and chairs the National Poverty Outcomes Working Group.
We move resources to where they change a life.
RobinHood is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Denver, Colorado, working in 12 states with 146 community partners and a staff of 214.
Mission & vision
Our mission
To end the cycle of poverty in American communities by funding, building and running programs that deliver measurable, lasting stability for families — and by holding ourselves publicly accountable for the results.
Our vision
A country where a hard month never becomes a lost decade. Where a parent who loses a shift does not lose an apartment. Where the zip code a child is born into stops predicting the life they get.
How we are different
We do three things most organizations pick only one of: we operate direct-service programs, we fund local partners who know their blocks better than we ever will, and we publish the evidence — including the pilots that failed and the ones we shut down.
214
staff across 5 regional offices
What guides us
Five values we are willing to be measured against
These are not wall decorations. Each one maps to a policy, a budget line or a published metric.
Evidence over instinct
No program scales past a pilot without an external evaluation. We budget 4% of program spending for measurement, every year.
Local first
Decisions are made in the community, not in Denver. Regional directors control 70% of their own program budget.
Every dollar accounted for
92 cents of each dollar reaches programs. Our audit, Form 990 and executive compensation are published in full.
Dignity, not charity
Client-choice pantries, private intake rooms, no sermons and no hoops. People know what their family needs.
Stay until it holds
We track families for 24 months after program exit. A win that unravels in month seven was never a win.
Say the hard thing
We publish what did not work. Three programs have been closed since 2016 because the data did not justify the spend.
Our story
From one pantry on Colfax to 12 states
In 2009, caseworkers Dana Whitfield, Marcus Reyes and Elena Chu were watching the same families come through emergency services three and four times a year. The system was designed to respond to crises, not to end them.
They rented a storefront, stocked it with produce from a wholesaler willing to take a late payment, and made one rule: anyone who walked in chose their own groceries. Seventeen years later, that rule still governs 84 pantries.
-
2009
The first Fresh Start pantry opens
1,900 square feet on East Colfax Avenue, staffed entirely by volunteers, serving 60 households a week.
-
2013
Housing work begins
After a study found that 41% of pantry clients were behind on rent, RobinHood launches deposit assistance and eviction defense.
-
2017
Career Launch and the first outcome audit
Workforce training starts in Denver and Phoenix, and we publish our first externally audited outcome tables — including a pilot we closed.
-
2021
National expansion
Regional offices open in Atlanta, Cleveland and Phoenix. The partner network passes 100 organizations.
-
2026
Today
Six program lines, 12 states, 214 staff, and 4.2 million meals distributed since the doors first opened.
Leadership
The people accountable for the work
Our executive team is based in Denver and in the regions. Compensation for all officers is disclosed in our Form 990.
Daniel Osei
Chief Financial Officer
Former public-sector auditor who rebuilt our grant accounting and drove program spending from 84% to 92% of expenses.
Priya Raman
Chief Program Officer
Oversees all six program lines and the partner network. Previously ran workforce policy for a mid-Atlantic county of 900,000.
Marcus Reyes
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer
Leads expansion, research partnerships and the annual impact report. Co-authored the eviction defense study with CU Denver.
Board of Directors
Dana Whitfield, Chair
Co-founder; retired director of community health, Cascade Health System.
Hon. Robert Ellison, Vice Chair
Retired district judge; 30 years in housing and family court.
Karen Boateng, Treasurer
Partner, regional CPA firm; chairs the audit committee.
Luis Ferrer
Founder, Union Logistics; leads our employer hiring coalition.
Dr. Amara Nwosu
Professor of public policy; directs our external evaluation reviews.
Teresa Alvarado
Program graduate, 2018; represents client voice on the board.
Financials & accountability
Where the money goes
Fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025), audited by an independent CPA firm. Total revenue: $48.6 million.
Programs & services92%
Fundraising5%
Management & general3%
Our audited financial statements, IRS Form 990 and state charitable registrations are available on request and published each October. Executive compensation is set by the board’s compensation committee against independent nonprofit salary data.
| Program | Spending | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Food Security | $13,940 | 31% |
| Housing & Shelter | $11,760 | 26% |
| Workforce & Careers | $8,150 | 18% |
| Education & Youth | $5,880 | 13% |
| Family Stability | $3,620 | 8% |
| Disaster Response | $1,810 | 4% |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Common questions
What donors ask us most
Yes. RobinHood Help Us, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law, and you will receive a written acknowledgement for every gift.
Unrestricted gifts are allocated to regional program budgets within one week. Restricted gifts are deployed to the designated program in the next funding cycle, which runs monthly.
You can. Our donation form lets you designate a program line, and our philanthropy team can structure gifts by region or by cohort. Unrestricted giving remains the most useful, because it lets program directors move funds to where need spikes.
Yes to all three. Appreciated securities, DAF grant recommendations, IRA qualified charitable distributions and bequests are all welcome. Contact our philanthropy team at (636) 389-7052 for transfer instructions.
We never sell, rent or trade donor information, and we do not share your data with other organizations for their fundraising. You can request anonymity on any gift and opt out of communications at any time.
Come see the work in person.
We host open program tours in every region on the first Thursday of the month. Bring your questions — especially the skeptical ones.