Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 562605694
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2025–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 8625762029
- Rating
- 47
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Printing, Publishing
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $76,945
- Expenses
- $24,732
- Assets
- $144,288
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Najib Aminy (Vice President)
- Aymann Ismail (President)
People named in this filing
- Najib Aminy (Vice President)
- Aymann Ismail (President)
- Mahdis Keshavarz (Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Through mentorship, community, and advocacy, AMEJA strengthens fair, accurate, nuanced coverage and helps journalists build more connected, durable careers in U.S. media. Fostering curiosity and learning by supporting pathways into journalism for students and emerging professionals. Objective is to recognize and financially support excellence in journalism covering Arab, Middle Eastern, North African, and West Asian communities, and emphasize journalism that demonstrates AMEJA's values, including increased visibility for underrepresented journalists, and strengthening our network and community.
What it reported doing in 2025
Administering an open submission process (members and non-members eligible). Convening an independent volunteer jury of professional journalists to evaluate 124 entries across seven categories. Hosting an in-person awards ceremony to recognize winners and finalists Providing $1,000 cash prizes per category (7 total awards) 107 attendees participated in the awards ceremony. Event included live cultural programming (musical performance). Books and merchandise were donated and sold to support the organization. Number of persons benefited: Direct award recipients: 7 journalists. Ceremony attendees: 107 individuals. Submission participants: 124 entrants. Itemized expenses: Venue and catering: $6,000, Musician (Clarissa Bitar): $485, Photographer (Daleelah Saleh): $250, Travel reimbursement: $835, Awards prize pool and trophies: $7,457 total ($6,770 in prize money, $687.88 for trophies) Programs + Laminating Sheets: $317.39, Miscilaneous expenses (Table Cloths, Square Payment Reader, etc): $187.85
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 81% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 20
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 77
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 11.4%; rating input score 11
- Program expense ratio: 35.4%; rating input score 35
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 67.9%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.83; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 11.4% of revenue deployed · 35.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
- Schedules: 2 filed schedules
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 11/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 35/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.