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Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133156445 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE Q123 · International Affairs · Very Large (>$50M) · fidf.org
revenue
$187.5M
expenses
$141.4M
net assets
$305.2M
employees
173
volunteers
580
program ratio
80%
mission · from form 990

FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (FIDF) PROVIDES CRITICAL SUPPORT (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) FOR THE HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND EDUCATION OF ISRAEL'S PROTECTORS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) provides critical support for the health, well-being, and education of Israeli soldiers, veterans, and their families. As the official U.S. partner designated by the IDF Chief of Staff, FIDF raises charitable donations in the United States to fund programs in Israel. The organization supports over 340,000 beneficiaries annually through direct services and emergency initiatives.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $34.71M
    SEE SCHEDULE O
  2. #2 $22.37M
    SEE SCHEDULE O
named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

Bereaved Family Support
Delivers emotional and financial support to families who have lost loved ones in military service, including widows and children.
Education Programs
Offers scholarships and academic support to soldiers and veterans to advance their education and career opportunities.
Lone Soldiers
Provides housing, food, and emotional support to lone soldiers—those without immediate family in Israel—during and after their service.
Mental Health
Provides mental health services to soldiers, reservists, veterans, and family members, including specialized clinics such as the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in Modi’in.
Morale & Welfare
Runs programs to boost morale, including recreational facilities, spiritual and heritage programs, and emergency well-being support during crises.
Operation Roaring Lion
Emergency campaign launched in response to security threats, providing urgent well-being support to soldiers and families.
Wounded Soldier Support
Offers comprehensive care and rehabilitation services for injured soldiers and veterans, including therapy dogs and recovery programs.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Support for Israeli Military and Veterans 3 activities
    • Financial and programmatic support for IDF soldiers, veterans, and families
      Provided support to over 340,000 IDF soldiers, veterans, and their families in a single year through funding and services focused on health, well-being, and education. Transferred over $325 million to Israel between 2023 and 2025 to sustain these efforts, with an additional $250 million committed for emergency well-being support and a $76 million allocation for core programs in 2025.
    • Operation of mental health clinics for veterans
      Opened a new mental health clinic in Modi’in dedicated to serving IDF veterans and their families, expanding access to psychological care.
    • Reconstruction of IDF facilities
      Completed a NIS 23 million reconstruction project to reopen the sports center and gym at the IDF’s Re’im Base, enhancing recreational and physical training infrastructure for soldiers.
  • Animal-Assisted Support Services 1 activity
    • Therapy dog program for soldier mental health
      Provides therapy dogs to support the mental health and recovery of IDF soldiers, offering emotional and psychological assistance through animal-assisted therapy.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$187.54M
Contributions & grants$180.70M96%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$11.53M6%
Other revenue$-4.70M
expenses
Total expenses$141.39M
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead9%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$21.60M
Grants paid out$107.40M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$383.99M
Cash$82.29M
Investments$228.83M
Liabilities$78.83M
Net assets$305.16M
Liquid reserves26.4 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -33.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 12
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
STEVEN WEIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 40 $700K
NADAV PADAN NATIONAL DIRECTOR & CEO 40 $410K
GALIT BRICHTA VICE PRESIDENT, NORTHEAST REGION 40 $353K
ALAN SRULOWITZ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 40 $339K
AMARELLE GREEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BAY AREA CHAPTER 40 $270K
JENNA GRIFFIN VICE PRESIDENT, WESTERN REGION 40 $261K
ARI DALLAS CHIEF OPERATING OFF 40 $250K
TAMIR OPPENHEIM VICE PRESIDENT, CENTRAL REGION 40 $249K
PNINIT COLE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NE AFFINITY GROUPS 40 $248K
KAREN LYNN BENSON VICE PRESIDENT, PEOPLE & CULTURE 40 $224K
ANAT CHAVKIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WESTCHESTER/CT CHAPTER 40 $204K
JEFF KLEIN NATIONAL DIRECTOR, PLANNING GIVING 40 $204K
board members · 13
  • AARON BROWN — DIRECTOR
  • AARON GANZ — DIRECTOR
  • AL BRODY — DIRECTOR
  • ALAN KATZ — DIRECTOR
  • ALBERT FRANK — DIRECTOR
  • ALICE KLEIN — DIRECTOR
  • AMITAI RAZIEL — DIRECTOR
  • ARI RYAN — DIRECTOR
  • ARI ZWEIG — DIRECTOR
  • ARTHUR STARK — CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
  • AVI KANER — DIRECTOR
  • BERNIE GROVEMAN — DIRECTOR
  • BRIAN MERMELSHTEIN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 7

Who they work with

  • BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund Partner — Fund within which the Friends of Israel Defense Forces Donor Advised Fund is established.
  • Double the Donation Partner — Provides Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant information for FIDF's matching gifts program
  • Israel Defense Forces Government — Official U.S. partner designated by the IDF Chief of Staff to provide support to soldiers.
  • Israel Defense Forces Government — Official U.S. partner designated by the IDF Chief of Staff to support IDF soldiers, veterans, and families.
  • Israeli Ministry of Defense Government — U.S. partner of the Israeli Ministry of Defense
  • Israeli Ministry of Defense Government — U.S. partner organization authorized to support soldiers in collaboration with the Ministry.
  • Israeli Ministry of Defense Government — U.S. partner organization recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
strategies · 1

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Holistic Support Model
    methodology: holistic_support
    By providing integrated health, well-being, and education programs, we improve long-term outcomes for IDF soldiers because comprehensive care addresses the interconnected challenges they face during and after service.