Jewish Federation of Greater Houston
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 741109654
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Houston, TX, United States
- Phone
- 713-729-7000
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $23,188,223
- Expenses
- $25,489,232
- Assets
- $16,513,700
- Liabilities
- $5,657,316
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
60 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Renee Wizig-Barrios (President/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Renee Wizig-Barrios (President/CEO): $408,064 total reported compensation
- Karyn Ullman (Chief Philanthropy Officer): $253,430 total reported compensation
- Jessica Segal (Chief Impact Officer): $169,848 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston is working to build a vibrant and inclusive community where every Jewish Houstonian feels connected and supported. The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston provides careful stewardship to our resources and demonstrates integrity in all that we do. We uphold our mission with the trust of our board, donors, staff, community, and partners. View Form 990. WE SUPPORT KEY INSTITUTIONS The Federation funds key institutions in Houston’s Jewish community – including the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, and Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services – so that programs and services are available for those who need them. WE CARE FOR JEWS IN ISRAEL.
What it reported doing in 2024
Strategy, Education and Engagement (SE&E) - This Department nurtures the continuity and quality of Jewish life in the Greater Houston area by fostering and strengthening life-long engagement and learning in the Jewish community. Within education, the department is dedicated to enhancing the quality of formal and informal Jewish education, promoting enrollment and participation at all levels, advocating on behalf of students, parents, institutions and professionals involved in Jewish education, encouraging professional growth of educators, and facilitating cooperation among schools and community organizations.Continued on Schedule O The Federation strives to engage all members of our community in Jewish life through multiple meaningful entry points. The engagement portfolio includes young families through PJ Library, which provides free high-quality Jewish books and activities to more than 1,800 children ages 0-12. Young adults ages 22-45 connect through the Minnette and Jerome Robinson Family Young Adult Division (YAD), which offers social, educational, cultural, and philanthropic programming including FedU leadership development and Honeymoon Israel trips. The broader community engages through programs such as Yom Limmud (now in its 31st year as the community's annual Day of Jewish Learning), Chai Lights, Insights Speaker series, and programs with local and Israeli partners. The Engagement team coordinates professional networks of those working in Jewish programming in Houston.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 82% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 21
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.2%; rating input score 91
- Program expense ratio: 82.8%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Limited
- Conducts field audits: Limited
- May suspend future funding: Limited
- Requires financial reports: Limited
- Conducts site visits: Pass
- Requires grant agreements: Limited
- May require repayment: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 97.8%; rating input score 98; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: -9.9%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.3%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 91.2% of revenue deployed · 82.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 51 of 51 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $21.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $408K · 60 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $199K reported
- Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 94 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 93 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.