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Yivo Institute for Jewish Research Inc

EIN 13-1641082 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

YIVO'S MISSION IS TO STUDY THE THOUSAND-YEAR HISTORY OF JEWISH LIFE IN EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA IN ALL ITS ASPECTS: LANGUAGE, HISTORY, RELIGION, FOLKWAYS AND MATERIAL CULTURE. YIVO'S ARCHIVE AND LIBRARY PRESERVES A SIGNIFICANT COLLECTION OF MATERIALS ON THIS SUBJECT. YIVO OFFERS CULTURAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING LECTURES, CONCERTS, FILMS, EXHIBITIONS AND SYMPOSIA. YIVO ALSO OFFERS ADULT EDUCATION AND YIDDISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS, SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND FELLOWSHIPS.

Income
$13.7 million
Spending
$7.1 million
Spent on programs
72%
Reserves
44.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 65%
Employees
55
Volunteers
4
Highest pay
$281,473, exec. director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (religion, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 44.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 2% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 49% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 130% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    72% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (religion, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    13 of 13 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (7)
  1. $1.5 million spent. LIBRARY & ARCHIVES (COLLECTIONS OF JUDAICA) - THE YIVO LIBRARY HOLDS NUMEROUS BOOKS AND PERIODICALS IN TWELVE LANGUAGES. THIS INCLUDES THE UNIQUE VILNA COLLECTION WITH RABBINICAL WORKS FROM AS EARLY AS THE 16TH CENTURY. THE LIBRARY HOLDINGS ARE PARTICULARLY STRONG IN DOCUMENTATION OF JEWISH HISTORY, CULTURE, AND RELIGION IN EASTERN EUROPE; THE HOLOCAUST PERIOD; THE EXPERIENCE OF IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES; ANTI-SEMITISM; AND THE CONTINUING INFLUENCE OF ASHKENAZIC JEWISH CULTURE TODAY.
  2. $1.1 million spent. EDUCATION & RESEARCH (MAX WEINREICH CENTER) - YIVO'S MAX WEINREICH CENTER FOR ADVANCED JEWISH STUDIES, ESTABLISHED IN 1968, IS DEDICATED TO EDUCATION AND TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH IN THE AREA OF JEWISH LIFE AND CULTURE. NAMED AFTER RENOWNED SCHOLAR AND YIVO FOUNDER MAX WEINREICH, THE CENTER WORKS TO MAKE YIVO'S UNIQUE RESOURCES AND ITS SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AVAILABLE TO UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, TO ENCOURAGE STUDY AND PROMOTE RESEARCH CONCERNING THE LIFE AND CULTURE OF EAST EUROPEAN JEWRY AND RELATED TOPICS, TO MARSHAL THE INTELLECTUAL RESOURCES IN THE FIELD OF SCHOLARSHIP, AND TO ASSIST YOUNG SCHOLARS IN QUALIFYING FOR WORK IN THIS FIELD.
  3. $1.2 million spent. THE BUND ARCHIVES - THE BUND ARCHIVES PROJECT IS A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT TO CONSERVE, PROCESS, AND DIGITIZE THE 3.5 MILLION PAGES OF JEWISH LABOR AND POLITICAL ARCHIVES THAT WERE DONATED TO YIVO BY THE BUND ARCHIVES IN 1992. THESE MATERIALS ARE FROM EASTERN EUROPE AND AMERICA AND COVER MAJOR POLITICAL, LABOR, AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES. AFTER THE PROJECT IS COMPLETE, THESE MATERIALS WILL BE ACCESSIBLE ONLINE FREE-OF-CHARGE. YIVO ESSENTIALLY BEGAN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IN 2022.
  4. $95,729 spent. DIGITAL INITIATIVES - INCLUDES THE FUNCTIONS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP WORK PROCESSES TO ENSURE THE FUNCTIONALITY, FLEXIBILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF ALL YIVO WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA. PROJECTS INCLUDE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE ONLINE YIVO ENCYCLOPEDIA AND ONLINE GUIDE TO THE YIVO ARCHIVES AS WELL AS A COMPREHENSIVE REDESIGN OF THE YIVO.ORG WEBSITE.
  5. $569,724 spent. PUBLICATIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS - SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1925, IN PARALLEL WITH ITS RESEARCH, ARCHIVAL, AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC WORK, THE YIVO INSTITUTE HAS CARRIED OUT AN ACTIVE PROGRAM OF SCHOLARLY PUBLICATION. IN YIVO'S BOOKS, JOURNALS, CATALOGS, NEWSLETTERS, AND BROCHURES, EVERY ASPECT OF THE FIELD OF YIDDISH AND EAST EUROPEAN JEWISH HISTORY AND CULTURE, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER FIELDS OF MODERN JEWISH SCHOLARSHIP, HAS BEEN REPRESENTED: LINGUISTICS, CULTURE AND ECONOMIC HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIAL STUDIES, THEATER HISTORY AND MUSIC, LITERARY HISTORY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY.
  6. $283,646 spent. ONLINE MUSEUM - THE YIVO BRUCE AND FRANCESCA CERNIA SLOVIN ONLINE MUSEUM PROJECT PROVIDES ACCESS WORLDWIDE TO YIVO'S ARCHIVAL AND LIBRARY COLLECTIONS, WHICH ARE MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT ARCHIVAL TREASURES INSTRUMENTAL IN PRESERVING THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. THE MUSEUM CONTAINS EXTENSIVE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS AND PAGES OFB OOKS THAT HAVE BEENDIGITIZED AS PART OF THE EDWARD BLANK YIVO VILNA COLLECTIONS PROJECT TO CREATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE GALLERIES THAT REFLECT THE SPECTRUM OF JEWISH LIFE IN EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA FROM MUSIC, LITERATURE, AND THEATER TO MERCANTILE GUILDS, MUNICIPAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND RABBINIC COURTS; FROM TRADITIONAL WAYS OF LIFE AND THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN TO ZIONISM AND REVOLUTION. THE ONLINE MUSEUM SERVES AS A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM FOR BOTH JEWS AND NON-JEWS, AND ALSO SERVES AS A KEY RESOURCE FOR EUROPEANS WHO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN COUNTRIES' MULTICULTURAL HISTORIES. THIS PROJECT BEGAN IN THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018 WITH THE SUPPORT OF A MAJOR DONOR AND THE ONLINE MUSEUM WAS LAUNCHED AUGUST 2020.
  7. $236,225 spent. LEARNING AND MEDIA CENTER

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1957.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.