Jewish World Watch
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 203406211
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Encino, CA, United States
- Phone
- 8185011836
- Rating
- 64
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $645,887
- Expenses
- $527,628
- Assets
- $764,947
- Liabilities
- $33,625
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SERENE ZEISE OBERSTEIN UNTIL 0124 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- JILL HOYT (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JILL HOYT (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $120,246 total reported compensation
- SERENE ZEISE OBERSTEIN UNTIL 0124 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $32,929 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Together we can choose, we can act, we can transform the world. Support programs that empower communities to create change locally. our vision We envision a future without genocide and mass atrocities; a world that does not stand idly by while civilian populations are being attacked simply because of who they are. Support Us. Support Seeds of Survival Plant a Garden Help us reach our goal of 500 sustainable gardens for Darfuris survivors.
What it reported doing in 2024
Rooted in our own experiences of persecution, jewish tradition and values, jewish world watch was founded in 2004 when the silence about the genocide in darfur was deafening. More than 18 years later, genocide and mass atrocity are still rampant and we feel obligated to ensure that "never again" isn't just a visceral phrase but a call to action. Our primary focus is on galvanizing the jewish community where we engage everyone from elementary school children to seniors in ethical activism, guided by the tenets of jewish thought and principles. The essential task for jewish world watch, whose mission is to prevent genocide and advocate for political action to make this possible, is to help jews and non-jews understand that the universe of obligation must extend beyond the self, the family and those who we identify as "us," to include those who we classify as "them." jewish world watch is the only jewish organization nationally devoted exclusively to the critical work of cultivating awareness and advocacy around global mass atrocities and the prevention of genocide. We serve as a convener within the jewish community and an ambassador in communities frequently unfamiliar with jewish traditions and values. In pursuit of the aspirational vision to end genocide and mass atrocities, jww seeks to elevate the perception that the problems stemming from targeted hatred and discrimination belong to everyone with a concomitant duty to speak out and take action.jewish world watch accomplishes its mission through a three pillar approach involving advocacy, education and global empowerment projects.advocacy efforts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 55
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 54.8%; rating input score 55
- Program expense ratio: 65.3%; rating input score 65
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Pass
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 91.1%; rating input score 91; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 18.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.45; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 29%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -7.8% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -4.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 54.8% of revenue deployed · 65.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $345K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $120K · 13 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $120K reported
- Consistency: 27 of 29 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.