Tzedek America
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 463154701
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
- Location
- Encino, CA, United States
- Phone
- 650-539-8721
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Religion Related N.E.C.
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,949,644
- Expenses
- $1,946,043
- Assets
- $948,113
- Liabilities
- $217,631
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- STEVEN WEINSTEIN (President)
Highest reported compensation
- AVRAM MANDELL (Executive Dir.): $190,920 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Mission Statement Tzedek America, rooted in Jewish values, transforms lives, strengthens identity, and changes the world through immersive social impact experiences. Tzedek America, rooted in Jewish values, transforms lives, strengthens identity, and changes the world through immersive social impact experiences. Expert Training:** Tzedek America’s master educators will teach our tried-and-true methods for integrating Jewish teachings and social justice themes and guide you through the logistics of planning impactful educational experiences. Mentorship & Peer Support:** Receive guidance from experienced experiential educators and collaborate with your cohort. Certificate of Completion:** Upon completion, you will join a network of visionary educators who are using the power of Jewish values and experiential learning to shape a more just world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Tzedek America runs social justice programs. It provides an opportunity for many children between the ages of 12 and 20 an opportunity to embrace their passions and explore the meaning of life. Through national and international travel, social justice internships, adventure programming and shared responsibilities the children were able to see and experience the challenges that America faces today and to learn leadership, communication and confidence building skills that would enable them to create a successful and purposeful life while they worked to make a better world.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 77% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 92
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 81
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.4%; rating input score 91
- Program expense ratio: 91.5%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $361.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- 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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 20th 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: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 30.3% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 28.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.6% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 91.4% of revenue deployed · 91.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $191K · 7 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.