The Jewish Federations of North America Inc
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City. Established in 1935, JFNA serves as an umbrella organization and continental federation movement representing 146 independent federations and a network of approximately 300 smaller communities across North America. The organization was formed from the merger of the United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Council of Jewish Federations, and the United Israel Appeal.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$504.2M
+46.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$542.9M
+139.0% YoY
Grant Count
196
-18.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$2.8M
+191.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
JFNA's mission is to build flourishing Jewish communities that are healthy, safe, caring, welcoming and inclusive, educated and engaged, active in civil society, and connected to global Jewry and Israel.
The organization operates according to three core Jewish values:
- Tikkun Olam (repairing the world)
- Tzedakah (charity and social justice)
- Torah (Jewish learning)
Primary program areas include:
International Assistance: Grants to United Israel Appeal, Inc., the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and World ORT for immigration and absorption services, Jewish identity programs, educational and vocational training, relief and welfare programs, and social development programs worldwide
Humanitarian Support: Grants to agencies for humanitarian assistance and work with overseas partners
Community Building: Helping federations learn from one another, building affinity groups, and providing training, collateral materials, and seed funding for innovation
Thought Leadership & Advocacy: Leadership in caregiving, aging, philanthropy, disability, foreign policy, homeland security, and healthcare
Crisis Response: Emergency support initiatives, including substantial fundraising and deployment of resources in response to international crises
Grantmaking
JFNA distributes substantial resources through the federation system. The collective federation movement raises and distributes over $2 billion annually through various mechanisms including direct grants, planned giving, and endowment programs.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
JFNA's funding reaches across North America, with particular concentration in New York, Florida, and California. The organization also maintains international focus areas, operating in multiple countries including Israel, Canada, Georgia, Cuba, and the United Kingdom.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $343.7 million
- Total Revenue: $279 million
- Total Expenses: $283 million
- Total Liabilities: $148 million
- Total Giving: $559.9 million (based on most recent IRS 990 filing)
Historical Data (2022):
- Total Assets: $337.5 million
- Total Revenue: $364.9 million
- Total Investments: $19.5 million
Staffing: The organization employs between 174 and 208 individuals, depending on reporting period.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $504,221,551 | $343,684,388 | $337,548,993 |
| Revenue | $702,409,132 | $278,666,826 | $364,901,523 |
| Expenses | $616,253,124 | $282,969,683 | $285,098,727 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $4,263,612 | $4,909,970 | $5,825,640 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Eric D. Fingerhut serves as President and CEO of the organization.
Mr. Gerrald (Jerry) Silverman is listed as a principal officer.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Fingerhut | President & CEO | 50 | $691,018 |
| Shira Hutt | Executive Vice President | 50 | $386,778 |
| Rebecca Caspi | Director General Israel Office | 50 | $340,108 |
| Michelle Kravetz | Chief Impact & Growth Officer | 50 | $327,893 |
| Sarah Eisenman | Chief Jewish Life Officer | 50 | $277,880 |
| Davi Ellis | Chief Information Officer | 50 | $284,074 |
| Elizabeth Fisher | Chief Talent Officer | 50 | $276,234 |
| Amanda Goldstein | VP, Philanthropy & FRD | 50 | $296,487 |
| Adam Teitelbaum | Snr Director Philanthr Initiat | 50 | $264,049 |
| Evan Hochberg | Deputy Director, Assoc VP IL | 25 | $108,769 |
| Elana Broitman | FORMER SR. VP, PA - THRU 10/23 | 50 | $218,482 |
| Pamela A Zaltsman | Senior Advisor,Israel&Overseas | 25 | $123,312 |
| Pamela Kurtzman | Managing Director, Bond Prog | 50 | $177,895 |
| Robert Spodek | FORMER CFO- thru 6/23 | 50 | $111,180 |
| Mark Wilf | Past Chair of the Board | 1 | — |
| David T Brown | Vice Chair of the Board | 20 | — |
| Julie B Platt | Chair of the Board | 20 | — |
| Ari Ackerman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Susanna Lachs Adler | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Sanford Antignas | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Stephen Aronson | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Ariel Bentata | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Gita Berk | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Dennis Bernard | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Deborah Brant | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Matt Bronfman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| David J Butler | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Amy Berger Chafetz | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Brett Cohen | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Leslie Dannin Rosenthal | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Cindy Finestone | Trustee | 1 | — |
| William Freedman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Judith Galler | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Theodore Goldberg | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Michael Goldberg | Trustee | 1 | — |
| David Golder | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Beth Goldsmith | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Meridith Goldstein | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Sara Gottlieb | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jacy Grais | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Suzanne B Grant | Treasurer | 20 | — |
| James Heeger | Trustee | 1 | — |
| J David Heller | Nat. Campaign Chair | 20 | — |
| Dana Hirt | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Andrew S Hochberg | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Andy Hodes | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Rachel Hoffer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Cynthia Janower | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Brian Katz | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Judith Kaye | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Linda Kerzner | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Simone Knego | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Heather Kline | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lori Klinghoffer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Raena Korenman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Shelly Kupfer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Deborah Minkhoff | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Maxine Murnick | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Marcey Orley | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Cintra Pollack | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Albert Praw | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Dena Boronkay Rashes | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jill Rose | Trustee | 1 | — |
| David Saginaw | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Richard V Sandler | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jane Schiff | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Marissa Schlaifer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jeffrey Schoenfeld | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Robert Schottenstein | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Hope Silverman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jodie Sobel | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Susan Sorkin | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Tracey Spiegelman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lecia Sud | Trustee | 1 | — |
| David Sufrin | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Darren Sukonick | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Pam Szokol | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Beth Wain Brandon | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Neil Wallack | Secretary | 20 | — |
| Andrea Weinberger | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Ellen Weinstein | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jeffrey Wild | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Robert Yass | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Gary Youra | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Daniel Zelman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jody Ellant | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Robin Kauffman Saran | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Max Schrayer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jodi Schwartz | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jodie Kaufman Davis | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Ellie Bressman Davis | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Suzanne Doft | Trustee | 1 | — |
| April Eisen-Leavy | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lisa Engel | Trustee | 1 | — |
| LaDona Fishkin | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Iris Kraemer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jack Maizel | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Yehuda Neurberger | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jon Parritz | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Susan Shulman Pertnoy | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Joseph Probasco | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Ariella Rohringer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Joel Segal | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lillian Serviansky | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Andre Tarraf | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Helen Zalik | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Wendy Abrams | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Sharon Janks | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Zoe Riekes | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Ann Pava | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jacob Shapiro | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Beth Arogeti | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Amy Benedikt | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Barry Berg | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lisa Brashem | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Amy Bressman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jill Dulitsky | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Bryan Goldberg | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Cynthia Golub | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Kim Hartman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Dot Hayman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Betsy Heuer | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Dan Kinel | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Jan Levinson | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Beth Liss | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Joan Lubar | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Michael Markman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lana Marks Pulver | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Bradley Sherman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Robin Stein | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Paul Wolff | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Leslie Richmond | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Danielle Breslow Gross | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Rena Kopelman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Brett Tanzman | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Lynne Cohen | Trustee - began service Aug'23 | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
JFNA has been active in several key initiatives:
**Ukraine Crisis Response**: Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, JFNA and United Israel Appeal partnered with the Jewish federation system, the Jewish Agency, and other organizations to raise and deploy substantial funds supporting emergency needs of refugees displaced by the war
Jewish Federation of St. Louis Helps Secure More Than $1.5 Million in Federal**Federal Security Grants**: JFNA has worked to help local Jewish organizations secure federal security grants through FEMA's grant application process
Federations Thank FEMA for Opening Security Grant Applications Process**PCTI Care Expansion**: The organization received a federal grant to expand PCTI (Psychiatric Crisis Team Intervention) care nationwide
Federal Grant Awarded to Jewish Federations to Expand PCTI Care Nationwide\n\**Community Security**: The Tepper Foundation granted $9 million to JFNA to protect Jewish spaces and promote interfaith unity
Jewish Federation of St. Louis Helps Secure More Than $1.5 Million in FederalSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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