The Partnership NJ

Legal name: The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270144390
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2015
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2015
Location
Whippany, NJ, USA
Phone
9724287400
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Judaism
Affiliation
Judaism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,958,255
Expenses
$2,239,506
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2015. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELLEN GOLDNER (Past President)
  • ROBERT LICHTMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • LAWRENCE REIN (Past PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DOV BEN SHIMON (Board member): $388,069 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT LICHTMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $200,325 total reported compensation
  • MAX KLEINMAN (BOARD MEMBER): $41,077 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2015. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Our goal is not just to report what’s happening but to explain why it matters, who it affects, and where the industry is headed next. Our mission is simple: Deliver credible, meaningful casino news that informs, educates, and empowers. We want our readers to understand the forces shaping the industry, stay prepared for changes, and explore exciting developments with clarity. The Partnership NJ grew out of the vision and direction of **David Sutton** , who believed that the casino sector needed more than scattered updates — it needed a unified, reliable voice that connects all sides of the industry. David recognized that behind every headline, there are: Strategies.

What it reported doing in 2015

METROWEST DAY SCHOOL INITIATIVE - Jewish Day School is one of the most successful builders of Jewish identity, and so The Partnership is the home of this initiative that has increased enrollment as its goal. (SEE SCHEDULE O FOR DETAIL)

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 87
  • Sustainability: 9
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.1%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.1%; rating input score 97; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 95.1% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $388K · 15 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2009 to 2015
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.