The purpose of this document is to present my research into:
- The mission statements from various US (a) Jewish, and (b) pro-Israel advocacy organizations
- The most recent accounting of each organization’s annual donor contributions
- Private organizations operating in these spaces
- Links to each organization, its mission statement, and its most recent IRS tax return (form 990)
In some cases, an organization lists its mission as advocating for Jewish and Israel. For the purposes of this document, I looked at their primarily focus and activity areas, and assigned them to one category or another.
Some players in this space claim to be nonprofits, but apparently have not filed 990s in some time; others are private organizations. To be as complete as possible, I listed them all, starting with 501(c)3 public charities in each category.
From the data I’ve been able to access, the amount of money invested in these nonprofits totals annually breaks down to roughly:
Jewish organizations: $183,000,000
Pro-Israel organizations: $130,647,000
While some of these organizations are doing good work, overall, my research shows that the nearly 1/3 of a billion dollars being invested each year is having little effect on combating the skyrocketing hatred and violence against Jews, as I show in this infographic slide show I prepared for my ILoveIsrael.me project (see the 12-minute mini-documentary about the project on the front page):
Regarding Israel, while older Americans still tend to view the Jewish nation favorably, and sympathize with her more than the Palestinians, young and middle-age Americans are being won over by anti-Semites and those who wish to destroy Israel, at an ever-increasing rate.
The data in this slide show was derived from this research page I compiled, and regularly update:
Research data – Anti-Israel & Anti-Semitic hate & violence | I Love Israel
My basic contention is that no amount of money will turn this around unless some basic flaws in existing approaches are corrected – or are replaced with better approaches, which I have dedicated my life to helping to pioneer.
Contents
Jewish organizations Listed in order of most well-funded on down (then private orgs):
(1) Anti-Defamation League
(2) American Jewish Committee
(3) World Jewish Congress
(4) Simon Wiesenthal Center
(5) Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism
(6) Zionist Organization of America
(7) The Lawfare Project
(8) Combat Antisemitism Movement (a project of the Combat Hate Foundation)
(9) Moving Traditions
Private Jewish organizations
(10) StopAntisemitism
(11) EndJewHatred
(12) Jewish Leadership Project
(13) Americans Against Antisemitism
Apparently defunct organizations
(14) The Anti-Semitism Accountability Project
Pro-Israel organizations Listed in order of most well-funded on down (then private orgs):
(1) The American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(2) StandWithUs
(3) Israeli American Council
(4) Republican Jewish Coalition
(5) Students Supporting Israel
(6) Christians United for Israel
(7) Israel On Campus Coalition
(8) The Maccabee Task Force
Other organizations, for which no 990s are apparently available:
(9) Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel
(10) Creative Community for Peace
(11) Liberate Art
Jewish organizations
(1) Anti-Defamation League (adl.org)
“Our mission: To stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2021): $76,885,274
Functional website archive capture taken June 2023 here.
(2) American Jewish Committee (ajc.org)
“AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.” (Source; See bottom of page)
Donor contributions (2021): $54,381,322
Functional website archive capture taken June 2023 here.
(3) World Jewish Congress (worldjewishcongress.org)
“The mission of the World Jewish Congress is to foster the unity and represent the interests of the Jewish people, and to ensure the continuity and development of its religious, spiritual, cultural, and social heritage.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $23,827,733
Functional website archive capture taken June 2023 here.
(4) Simon Wiesenthal Center (wiesenthal.com)
“The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2021): $27,276,390
Functional website archive capture taken June 2023 here.
(5) Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism (fcas.org)
“To develop and disseminate powerful, creative messaging campaigns at a global level to educate individuals, create understanding, spur personal action and counter misinformation.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $6,957,040
Functional website archive capture taken May 2023 here.
Of interest: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft donated $21,000,000 to launch this project, in 2019, and got friends to donate $10,000,000 more
(6) Zionist Organization of America (zoa.org)
[ZOA is an organization] “…defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people’s lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $4,478,874
Functional website archive capture taken May 2023 here.
(7) The Lawfare Project (thelawfareproject.org)
“We fight discrimination by providing legal counsel and services to members of the Jewish community who have been targeted and harmed based on their ethnicity, religion, citizenship, or nationality; We safeguard free speech by guaranteeing that Jewish voices are not silenced by illegal conduct on campuses and communities around the world; We advance human rights by combatting extremism. Our network takes legal action against individuals and organizations that provide material support to terrorist networks, while producing educational materials on the global threat posed by radicalization.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020) $2,032,359
(8) Combat Antisemitism Movement (a project of the Combat Hate Foundation) (combatantisemitism.org)
“CAM fights antisemitism wherever it occurs and across the ideological spectrum, including efforts to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination in Israel, their ancestral homeland. Jews should not have to live in fear for their safety anywhere in the world.
“Our efforts are focused on any and all individuals, organizations and governments that openly express or support antisemitic views or commit antisemitic acts. We will never be complacent or silent when confronted with anti-Jewish hatred. Our unique coalition mobilizes the grassroots and leaders to take concrete actions to help defeat antisemitism.” (Source)
Although the CAM is not a nonprofit, it states on its About page, “CAM is a registered 501(c)(3) entity organized under the Combat Hate Foundation.” I searched the usual sources to access CHF’s 990, but no results were returned, as shown even on the IRS site, here.
(9) Moving Traditions (movingtraditions.org)
Mission: “Moving Traditions emboldens Jewish youth to thrive through the pursuit of personal wellbeing (shleimut), caring relationships (hesed), and a Jewish and feminist vision of equity and justice (tzedek).” (Source)
Also, from its 990:
“MOVING TRADITIONS’ MISSION IS TO EMBOLDEN YOUTH BY FOSTERING SELF-DISCOVERY, CHALLENGING SEXISM, AND INSPIRING A COMMITMENT TO JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2021) $3,315,200
Note:
In a time of skyrocketing anti-Semitism, this nonprofit sponsored a seminar on… “menstrual justice”:
Private Jewish organizations
(10) StopAntisemitism (stopantisemitism.org)
“StopAntisemitism is a grassroots watchdog organization dedicated to exposing groups and individuals that espouse incitement towards the Jewish people and State and engage in antisemitic behaviors.” (Source)
(11) EndJewHatred (endjewhatred.com)
“We are working to eliminate Jew hatred from Western culture through peaceful direct action and education. We reject all partisan political affiliations and take no positions on issues unrelated to Jew hatred and its eradication.” (Source)
(12) Jewish Leadership Project (jewishleadershipproject.org)
“Our mission is to demand Jewish leaders prioritize the safety and welfare of the Jewish community over all other concerns.” (Source)
(13) Americans Against Antisemitism (americansaa.org)
“We are committed to standing tall and proud in the face of hate, using our voices to raise awareness of the dangerous and unacceptable increase in violent expressions of Jew-hatred, and holding both those that indulge in vile antisemitism and their enablers fully accountable.” (Source)
Jewish organizations that are apparently defunct as of 2022
(14) The Anti-Semitism Accountability Project (asaproject.com)
“ASAP’s goal is no less than the complete elimination of any form of anti-Semitism in mainstream American life. ASAP will identify and expose anti-Semites and those who tolerate or promote them in American politics and culture. We will create a system of accountability for public officials, institutions, and cultural figures who harbor and/or express anti-Semitic viewpoints. We will sound the alarm about this crisis across the country so that Americans can help us root-out anti-Semitism in their communities and help law enforcement prevent anti-Semitic violence. Importantly, we will also educate young Americans about the dangers of anti-Semitism.” (Source)
Donor contribution (2019) $25,000,000 (by Ronald Lauder)
(Apparently inactive as of 2020; see latest News items here)
Major US pro-Israel organizations
(1) The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (aipac.org)
Mission: “The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2021): $76,750,178
(2) StandWithUs (standwithus.com)
[SWU is an] “Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2021): $22,876,282
Note: StandWithUs is legally organized under the name Israel Emergency Alliance. As it says at the bottom of its donations page, “StandWithUs, also known as the Israel Emergency Alliance, is a US 501(c)(3) organization.”
(3) Israeli American Council (israeliamerican.org)
“Our mission is to build an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identities of our next generations, that has a strong connection to the Jewish American community, and that promotes the bond between the people of the United States and the state of Israel.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $16,102,746
(4) Republican Jewish Coalition (rjchq.org)
“We seek to foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision makers. We work to sensitize Republican leadership in government and the Party to the concerns and issues of the Jewish community, while articulating and advocating Republican ideas and policies within the Jewish community. We are committed to building a strong, effective and respected Jewish Republican voice in Washington and across the country.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $4,532,918 (note that RJC is not a 501(c)3, as it is primarily engaged in legislative activism.
(5) Students Supporting Israel (ssimovement.org)
“Our mission is to be a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses and to support students in grassroots pro-Israel advocacy.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $689,084
June 2023 functional website archive capture here. The page “Common Facts Vs. Myths,” containing its approach to combating basic allegations against Israel, is here.
(6) Christians United for Israel (cufi.org)
[CUFI is an organization] “…educating and empowering millions of Americans to speak and act with one voice in defense of Israel and the Jewish people… confronting indifference and combating antisemitism in all its forms wherever it may be found.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2019): $50,272
(7) Israel On Campus Coalition (israelcc.org)
“Our mission is to inspire American college students to see Israel as a source of pride and empower them to stand up for Israel on campus. Our role in this effort is to unite the many pro-Israel organizations that operate on campuses across the United States by coordinating strategies, providing educational resources, sharing in-depth research, and increasing collaboration. When we work together, our movement is stronger.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $7,356,995
(8) The Maccabee Task Force (maccabeetaskforce.org)
“The Maccabee Task Force was created in 2015 to combat the disturbing spread of Antisemitism on college campuses. We believe the BDS movement is at the forefront of this troubling trend. We maintain that BDS is an Antisemitic movement that crosses the line from legitimate criticism of Israel into the dangerous demonization of Israel and its supporters. We are determined to help students combat this hate by bringing them the strategies and resources they need to tell the truth about Israel. These attacks on Israel and its supporters won’t be going away any time soon. Neither will we.” (Source)
Donor contributions (2020): $10,209,930
Other pro-Israel organizations that are either private, or about which no funding data is available
(9) Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel (ibsi-now.org)
“…dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Israel and the Jewish people, and people of African descent through education and advocacy; condemns the “Zionism is racism” ideology; defends Israel’s right to live in peace with its Arab neighbors; and seeks to help cultivate a mutually beneficial Israel-Africa alliance.” (Source)
Although ISBI is a registered nonprofit, it apparently has not filed a 990 in recent years.
(10) Creative Community for Peace (creativecommunityforpeace.com)
“Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) is a non-profit entertainment industry organization comprised of prominent members of the entertainment community who have come together to promote the arts as a bridge to peace, to educate about rising antisemitism within the entertainment industry, and to galvanize support against the cultural boycott of Israel.” (Source)
Creative Community for Peace claims donations to it are tax deductible, but there is no link to verify it, and I’ve found no links to its 990s. (Update: As of December 2022, the CC4P still claims its donations are tax-deductible, but provides no means to verify, or to look at its 990s.)
(11) Liberate Art (liberateart.net)
“Liberate Art educates artists and audiences alike about the tactics, strategies, and goals of the cultural boycott campaign. We help pro-Israel, pro-peace groups execute their great ideas and projects, and we provide a platform for artists to speak out against BDS.” (Source)
Liberate Art claims donations to it are tax deductible, but there is no link to verify it, and I’ve found no links to its 990s.
Watchdog organizations — supportive of Jews and Israel
[an organization devoted to] “…devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East.”
Jewish Council for Public Affairs (jewishpublicaffairs.org)
Mission: “Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is the national hub of the community relations network, representing 125 local Jewish community relations councils and 16 national Jewish agencies, including the four main denominations of American Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist). JCPA convenes, coordinates, builds consensus, and mobilizes our network on key issues. JCPA represents the network nationally, working in common cause with other civic, racial, ethnic, and faith communities. Together, we advocate for a just and pluralistic American society, peace and security in Israel, and human rights around the world.” (Source)
The JCPA’s 2022 policy priorities are here. Note that “Antisemitism and Hate” are last on its list of priorities.
It solicits donations but does not say if it is a 501(c)3 or not.