Jewish National Fund-USA

What it reported doing in 2024

About jewish national fund a nonprofit organization, jewish national fund (jnf) builds a strong, vibrant future for the land and people of israel through bold initiatives and zionist engagement. Jnf is recognized as one of the most trusted philanthropies for the land and people of israel. The organization has consistently received charity navigator's maximum 4-star rating and has also been recommended by the better business bureau. History and mission jewish national fund began in 1901 as a dream and vision to reestablish a homeland for the jewish people on their ancestral soil in israel. Jews around the world collected coins in iconic blue boxes, purchasing land and planting trees until, ultimately, their dream of a jewish homeland became a reality. Impact and initiatives jnf strives to enhance the quality of life for all of israel's residents and to share these advancements with the world. The organization supports initiatives such as greening the desert with millions of trees, building thousands of parks across israel, creating opportunities in israel's north and south for new generations to call home, bolstering israel's water supply, developing innovative arid agriculture techniques, and educating both young and old about the founding and importance of israel and zionism. In 2025, jewish national fund entered its 124th year as one of the world's oldest jewish non-profits and remains as relevant today as when it was founded. The organization is synonymous with the blue box and tree planting. Today, it has created a strategic ecosystem throughout israel's north and south with the vision of attracting 800,000 new residents to these regions. Each project, program, and initiative is designed to create circles of impact, generating a ripple effect that leads to more jobs, greater economic development, and population growth. All of this is made possible mainly by donor-designated gifts. Responding to crisis in 2025, jnf continued to lead rebuilding, rehabilitation, and repair efforts in israeli communities devastated by the october 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. Through its "build together "reimagine" initiatives, the organization provided critical resources such as fire, rescue, and civilian security equipment, bomb shelters, emergency response centers, mental health services, temporary accommodation, and more to people in israel's north and south. By late 2025, 90% of displaced israelis from october 7th had returned home, thanks to jnf's work with local mayors and municipalities. Jnf's strategic ecosystem of infrastructure ensured the organization was ready to support during iran's 2025 ballistic missile attack on israel during the "12-day war." support was provided for firefighters, community groups cared for the children of first responders, and the rehabilitation village housed patients displaced by the attack on saroka hospital. Key projects and regional development. In israel's south, jnf's infrastructure and community building efforts include the be'er sheva river park, sderot indoor recreation center, central arava medical center, eshkol resilience center, project wadi attir, housing and employment opportunities, groovetech, sha'ar hanegev ofir libstein sports complex, mitzpe ramon start-up hub, and more. In the north, jnf operates the western galilee now tourist information center, the galilee culinary institute by jnf, and is a key partner in the margalit start-up city galil. The organization's kiryat shmona medical center and emergency response center are set to be completed soon, with additional bomb shelters being placed throughout the north. Community engagement and zionist education jnf drew a record crowd to its annual global conference for israel, with over 3,000 attendees at the largest gathering of zionists in the u.s., held in miami, Florida. The four-day event connected new and existing supporters to the organization's work for israel and inspired greater support for the jewish homeland. Jnf is the largest pro

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.8%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 84.9%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Fail
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 94%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 22.5%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.57; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings