Yeshiva of Greater Washington
Legal name: Yeshiva of Greater Washington Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521106842
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jun 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Phone
- (301) 649-7077 (Main Office x1525)
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Secondary, High School
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $12,324,676
- Expenses
- $11,962,948
- Assets
- $9,951,943
- Liabilities
- $2,814,262
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MR ABE ZWANY (PRESIDENT)
- RABBI OZZIE BURNHAM (VICE PRESIDENT)
- DANIEL ELY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- RABBI YITZCHOK MERKIN (HEADMASTER): $374,382 total reported compensation
- ZEV KATZ (MENAHEL): $181,090 total reported compensation
- RABBI AARON LOPIANSKY (ROSH HAYESHIVA): $173,633 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 educational philosophy can be encapsulated by the Talmudic statement “יגעת ומצאת” (“You will toil and you will find”), in the context of Torah study. at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington is to root each student in Torah, plant a passion for learning, and prepare them for life. Vision We emphasize the primacy of Torah, while providing a high‐quality general studies education, and well-rounded school curriculum. next Mission Our mission at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington is to root each student in Torah, plant a passion for learning, and prepare them for life. Our mission at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington is to root each student in Torah, plant a passion for learning, and prepare them for life. Vision.
What it reported doing in 2024
The yeshiva of greater Washington operates a rabbinic seminary. There are approximately 80 students. The school provides a traditional curriculum focused on talmudic, biblical, rabbinic, and homiletic studies. It is only the second rabbinical seminary to be accredited by the state of Maryland. The school is known for its focus on character development in an atmosphere of respect for each individual's talents and potential.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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 - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 86
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.4%; rating input score 81
- Program expense ratio: 83.6%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: 2.9%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.6%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 81.4% of revenue deployed · 83.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $10M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $374K · 21 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $962K reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.