Where Does $100 to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Go (2023)?

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501 (c) 3 founded by a rabbi in 1983 as a way to “bless Israel and the Jewish people around the world with humanitarian care and life-saving aid” while “building bridges between Christians and Jews.”

How is revenue spent at IFCJ?  The short answer is that 46% is spent on grants to Jewish organizations – in the US and in Israel – while about about 38% is spent on fundraising, printing and postage, television and radio airtime, staff compensation, fees for services, office-related expenses, and travel,, with the remaining (16%) put into savings.  For more detail, read on.

Based in Chicago, Illinois, IFCJ raised $271 million in 2023 (compared to $228 million in 2022, $220 million in 2021, $158 million in 2020, $118 million in 2019 and $119 million in 2018), most of which came from contributions, gifts, and grants.

Expenses of $228 million can be categorized as follows:

• $125 million (46% of revenue):  Grants
• $ 69 million (25% of revenue):  Printing,Postage, TV and Radio, Telemarketing, Adv & Prom
• $ 16 million (6% of revenue):  Compensation
• $ 10 million (4% of revenue):  Fees for Services
• $  8 million (3% of revenue):  Office-Related Expenses

Using the above information, every $100 in revenue was spent as follows:

$100:  Revenue

-$ 25: Printing, Postage, TV, Radio, Programs, Telemarketing, Advertising and Promotion

-$  6:  Compensation

-$  4:  Fees for Services

-$  3:  Office-Related Expenses

-$ 38: Subtotal: Organizational Expenses

 $ 62: Remaining Revenue

-$ 46:  Grants

$ 16:  Remaining Revenue:  To General Fund

As illustrated above, the largest expense for the IFCJ is grants, which totaled $125 million in 2023.

GRANTS

The Form 990, Part IX, Statement of Functional Expenses reports IFCJ made $49 million in grants to domestic organizations and $76 million in grants to foreign organizations.  IFCJ has historically made a large portion of grants to Hakeren L’Yedidut, which operates as the Israeli representative of the IFCJ in Israel (“The  Amutah”),  a non-profit in Israel.

The Form 990, Schedule I, Part II, reports 8 grants greater than $5,000 totaling $49 million were made to 8 organizations in the US primarily for food and humanitarian support:

• $16 million: The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
• $11  million:  The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
• $11  million:  Colel Chabad
• $ 6 million: Friends of the IDF
• $ 2 million:  TBN Networks
• $ 1 million:  Chamah
• $ 1 million:  Tikva Corporation
• $ 1 million:  Jewish Agency for North American Council

In summary, it appears that nearly all grants of the IFCJ were made to Jewish organizations: about $76 million ($18 million less than in 2022) was awarded in grants to foreign entities primarily in Israel and about $49 million was awarded to domestic Jewish organizations.

FUNDRAISING

The IFCJ participates in a variety of fundraising methods (i.e. mail, internet, e-mail, phone, and in-person solicitations and also solicitation of non-government grants) but relies primarily on direct mail. The Form 990, Schedule G, Part I reports outside organizations raised $160 million, retained $5 million, netting IFCJ $155 million (65% of total revenue)

COMPENSATION

Compensation is the second largest expense. 136 employees received $16 million in compensation, which equates to an average compensation of $118,000.  However, only 37 employees received more than $100,000 with the most highly compensated employee reported to be Yael Eckstein – Farkas, whose total compensation was reported to be $769,244.  IFCJ paid for first class or charter travel, travel for companions, and provided gross up payments or tax indemnification.  Specifically, Yael Eckstein-Frakas “travels in business class when traveling…”

NET ASSETS

IFCJ had $96 million in net assets at the end of 2022 (compared to $106 million at the beginning of the year) but because IFCJ spent $44 million less than they raised in 2023 along with recognizing $7 million in unrealized gains on investments, IFCJ ended 2023 with $147 million in net assets – more than $50 million than the beginning of the year).

In summation, IFCJ appears to raise money to support Jewish organizations, primarily in Israel but also in the US.  The organization relies heavily on fundraisers with about 65% of revenue ($160 million of $271 million) from these outside organizations.  However IFCJ spends heavily for these dollars spending $74 million in printing, postage, advertising, promotion, television and radio ads, and telemarketing fees.   Less than 50% of total revenue is awarded in grants while about 40% was spent on organization expenses (i.e. pay employees, fundraise, pay office-related expenses and fees, etc) and increase the general fund.

To read the IRS Form 990 (2023), click here.