American Jewish World Service Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
INSPIRED BY THE JEWISH COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE, AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE WORKS TO REALIZE HUMAN RIGHTS AND END POVERTY IN AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. (SEE SCHEDULE O)
- Income
- $44.9 million
- Spending
- $42.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 12.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 94
- Volunteers
- 29
- Highest pay
- $468,320, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 96 out of 100. Higher than 93% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.9 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 17% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 17 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2527 of 28 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, 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 (3)
- $29.5 million spent. PROGRAMS DIVISION: THE PROGRAMS DIVISION (PD) OVERSEES AND IMPLEMENTS AJWS'S INTERNATIONAL GRANTMAKING. IN FY2025, AJWS AWARDED 647 GRANTS TO 499 HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN 17 COUNTRIES WORKING TO DEFEND CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, ADVANCE SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS, PROTECT LAND AND WATER RIGHTS AND PROMOTE CLIMATE JUSTICE, AND RESPOND TO DISASTERS. IN FY2025, AJWS ALSO SUPPORTED AN ADDITIONAL 21 GRANTEES IN 5 COUNTRIES VIA A DONOR-ADVISED FUND. IN FY 2025, AJWS-FUNDED PARTNERS IN THAILAND LED A CAMPAIGN THAT LEGALIZED SAME SEX MARRIAGE IN THE COUNTRY. THROUGH A CASE FILED BY PARTNERS IN UGANDA, SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE 2023 ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY ACT WERE ANNULLED. WE CONTINUED SUPPORTING PARTNERS IN (SEE SCHEDULE O) KENYA TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF A SIMILAR LAW. IN INDIA, KENYA, AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AJWS FUNDED MOVEMENTS TO CHAMPION THE RIGHTS OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN TO SELF-DETERMINATION, INCLUDING THEIR RIGHT TO RESIST EARLY AND CHILD MARRIAGE.THE PROGRAMS DIVISION ALSO MADE MEANINGFUL NEW INVESTMENTS IN SUPPORTING YOUTH- AND WOMEN-LED ORGANIZATIONS DEFENDING LAND AND WATER RIGHTS AND ADVOCATING FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE IN COUNTRIES LIKE KENYA, EL SALVADOR, AND INDIA. THIS INCLUDED FUNDING EMERGING NATIONAL-LEVEL NETWORKS AND COALITIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT ENGAGEMENT BY WOMEN AND YOUTH.IN THE AREA OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, AJWS FUNDED PARTNERS SEEKING TO PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC IDEALS AND ADVANCE JUSTICE. THIS SUPPORT RANGED FROM FUNDING COLLECTIVES OF MOTHERS SEARCHING FOR THEIR DISAPPEARED LOVED ONES IN MEXICO TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOWARD MORE INCLUSIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNANCE IN SENEGAL, GUATEMALA AND HAITI.THE DIVISION ALSO PROVIDED IMMEDIATE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE SUPPORT TO PARTNERS FACING CLIMATE DISASTERS OR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY CRISES IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE WE WORK. SPECIFIC SUPPORT INCLUDED GRANTS ALLOCATED FOR RESPONSE TO FLOODING IN BURMA, EL SALVASOR, KENYA, HAITI, INDIA, SRI LANKA, THAILAND AND UGANDA, AS WELL AS TO OUTBREAKS OF EBOLA AND MPOX IN UGANDA. GRANTS WERE ALSO MADE TO SUPPORT CLIMATE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION EFFORTS IN HAITI AND KENYA. AJWS'S ADVOCACY EFFORTS PRIORITIZED BRINGING ACCOUNTABILITY TO THOSE WHO VIOLATED RULE OF LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN HAITI AND ELSEWHERE. AJWS ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF ROBUST FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FUNDING AND HUMAN RIGHTS REGULATIONS AND POLICIES IN THE U.S., ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR GLOBAL HEALTH, AND U.S. FOREIGN AID POLICIES THAT SUPPORT SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS FOR LGBTQI+ PEOPLE, WOMEN, AND GIRLS.FINALLY, THE PROGRAMS DIVISION COLLABORATED WITH THE STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DIVISION TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE PROGRESS OF AJWS'S GRANTEES USING THEMATIC AND REGIONAL STRATEGIES AND COLLABORATIVE MULTI-YEAR BENCHMARKS.
- $2.8 million spent. MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION: CHARGED WITH PRESENTING AJWS'S HUMAN RIGHTS VISION TO EXTERNAL AUDIENCES, THE DIVISION DEPLOYS A RANGE OF STRATEGIC AND CREATIVE STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES TO ELEVATE AJWS'S PROFILE ON THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL STAGE. IN FY25, THE DIVISION WAS INTEGRAL TO PROGRESS ON AJWS'S STRATEGIC GOALS; LED RESEARCH INTO ENGAGING A NEW GENERATION OF SUPPORTERS; IMPROVED DIGITAL OUTREACH; AND MANAGED MEDIA INTEREST IN AJWS PROGRAMS, STATEMENTS, AND FINANCES. MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COLLABORATED ACROSS AJWS TO ENSURE THAT MESSAGES ACCURATELY REFLECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN EACH COUNTRY, THE WORK OF OUR GRANTEES, AND OUR REPUTATION, BRAND AND MISSION. (SEE SCHEDULE O)AMONG THE STORIES PRODUCED IN FY25 WAS A SERIES ABOUT OUR IN-COUNTRY COLLEAGUES; A VIDEO PROFILE OF A GRANTEE WHO PROVIDES LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO KENYA'S LGBTQI+ COMMUNITY; A PUBLICATION SHOWCASING A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THREE GRANTEES AND THE MAGNUM FOUNDATION; AND A SPECIAL EDITION OF AJWS'S STORIES OF HOPE NEWSLETTER, DEMONSTRATING THE LINKS BETWEEN HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD AND THE NOVEMBER 2024 ELECTION. THE DIVISION AMPLIFIED THE VOICES OF GRANTEES AND CLERGY BY WRITING AND PLACING ARTICLES ABOUT EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS CRISES, INCLUDING OP-EDS ON THE CHALLENGES FACED BY DOMINICANS OF HAITIAN DESCENT, KENYA'S POWERFUL LGBTQI+ MOVEMENT, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AMERICAN JEWS TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESS FAR FROM HOME.THE DIVISION FURTHER DEVELOPED AJWS'S WEBSITE AS A VEHICLE FOR MOBILIZING OUR AUDIENCE, SUPPORTED VIRTUAL EVENTS TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY, AND PROMOTED AJWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AS ALWAYS, THE DIVISION ALSO PRODUCED AN ANNUAL REPORT, A COUNTRY PROFILE, AND CONTRIBUTED TO EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF THE PRESIDENT AND CEO. EACH OF THESE INTEGRATED STRATEGIES SERVED TO AMPLIFY THE VISIBILITY OF GRANTEES' WORK IN AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, INCREASE AWARENESS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES, INSPIRE ACTIVISM TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE, AND POSITION AJWS AS A CRITICAL THOUGHT-LEADER IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS ARENA.
- $814,138 spent. STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION (SLRE): THE STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YIELDING NEW INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE USED TO STRATEGICALLY IMPROVE AJWS'S WORK TO ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS. SLRE GUIDES ONGOING STRATEGY MANAGEMENT AND INVESTIGATES KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT AJWS'S STRATEGIES INCLUDING HOW WE CREATE SUSTAINED HUMAN RIGHTS CHANGE AND WHAT IMPACT WE HAVE HAD. IN ADDITION TO DESIGNING RESEARCH AND EVALUATION THAT ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, SLRE ALSO HELPS AJWS'S PROGRAMMATIC STAFF SEEK AND APPLY LESSONS LEARNED AND CREATE INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES. (SEE SCH. O)IN FY2025, SLRE FURTHERED ITS WORK IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF REPORTING, MONITORING, EVALUATION, LEARNING AND RESEARCH: - SLRE CONTINUED TO ENSURE TIMELY OUTCOME MONITORING, DATA ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION, AND SUPPORT FOR REFLECTION SPACES FOR LEARNING AND ACTION. SLRE ENGAGED ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND BOARD IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF AJWS'S PROGRAMMATIC WORK BY SHARING DATA FROM OUR MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS.-SLRE REVIEWED AND REFINED ALL MONITORING AND DATA COLLECTION TOOLS TO SUPPORT ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS TO LEARNING SYSTEMS. SLRE STREAMLINED DATA COLLECTION TO ENSURE CLARITY OF PURPOSE AND SCOPE.- SLRE CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH INSTITUTIONAL GIVING AND PROGRAMS TEAMS TO FULFILL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS AND TO SEEK ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK IN PRIORITY COUNTRIES. OUR SUPPORT INCLUDED PREPARING QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORTS FOR EXISTING GRANTS AND FACILITATING PROJECT DESIGN CONVERSATIONS FOR NEW PROPOSALS.- SLRE ADVANCED THE WORK TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR GRANTS MULTIPLIER MODEL. IN FY2025, SLRE REVIEWED DATA FROM A PILOT TOOL AND CREATED A SUMMARY OF HOW WE WORK TO SUPPORT PARTNERS THROUGH ACCOMPANIMENT. SLRE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR METRICS TO SUPPORT TRACKING AND EVALUATING OUR GRANTS MULTIPLIER MODEL.-SLRE HAS DEEPLY PRIORITIZED DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. SLRE STAFF WERE INSTRUMENTAL LEADERS IN DESIGNING AND PRODUCING AN INTERNAL TRAINING VIDEO ON BIAS AND MICROAGGRESSIONS FOR ALL STAFF THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED IN FY2026. SLRE CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND RACIAL JUSTICE TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AROUND SPECIFIC INITIATIVES AND PROGRESS TOWARDS OUR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ROADMAP. -SLRE HAS REPRESENTED AJWS'S WORK IN EXTERNAL SPACES FOCUSED ON IMPROVING MONITORING AND EVALUATION. STAFF PRESENTED IN A WEBINAR ON EQUITY IN EVALUATION CONTRACTING AND ORGANIZED A PANEL ON FEMINIST SYSTEMS EVALUATION AT THE AMERICAN EVALUATION ASSOCIATION.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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 October 13, 2026.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since August 1994.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 October 21, 2026.
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