Lehrhaus - A Tavern & House of Learning
Legal name: Lehrhaus Center for Jewish Life and Learning Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 881911890
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jun 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Somerville, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6466605705
- Rating
- 61
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Judaism
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,223,944
- Expenses
- $2,753,547
- Assets
- $2,230,714
- Liabilities
- $910,141
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHARLES SCHWARTZ (PRESIDENT/TR)
Highest reported compensation
- CHARLES SCHWARTZ (PRESIDENT/TR): $157,924 total reported compensation
- JUSTIN SCHECHTEL (CFO): $150,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We’re a not-for-profit, Jewish tavern and house of learning on a mission to put gathering, joy, and text at the center of Jewish life through exceptional hospitality and Jewish learning. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we rely on your generous support to continue our mission of fostering a thriving Jewish community where everyone can learn, connect, and take pride in being Jewish. Now more than ever, the world needs beacons of joyful Jewish life, and Lehrhaus is dedicated to being one of those beacons. We depend on our community's support through donations from large and small donors to sustain our efforts. Join us in celebrating Jewish life, learning, and culture. Visit us in Somerville, Massachusetts, or support our mission through donations to help us continue creating vibrant Jewish spaces for everyone. LEHRHAUS 425 Washington Street.
What it reported doing in 2024
Lehrhaus, llc, a wholly owned distregard entity of lehrhaus center for jewish life and learning, inc. Operates a small kosher restaurant serving food and beverage primarily related to its jewish heritage.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 55
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 52
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 54.7%; rating input score 55
- Program expense ratio: 64%; rating input score 64
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.6%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.81; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.2%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 53.5% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 48.3% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 40.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 54.7% of revenue deployed · 64% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 1 of 2 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $158K · 3 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
- Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.