irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $819KTaking Jewish Wisdom Public -- The Stand and See Fellowship, our newest initiative, uses a deeply Jewish method to nurture and build a larger American religious leadership, which can more deeply love the land of Israel, better appreciate the real value and importance of modern Israel, and more fully understand the lives of a wider range of both Israelis and Palestinians than they would otherwise encounter. Stand and See ultimately nurtures fellows' ability to lead more effectively on any tough issue to lead with greater nuance and sophistication in the face of the too easy, and often dangerous, polarizations which threaten so many parts of our culture, our nation and our world. In a moment of increasing fear and scarcity, at home and abroad, this program builds leaders who nurture clear-eyed hope and genuine possibility for the future. The program has expanded to include US Army Chaplains.
- #2 $760KPluralism - For 50 years, Clal has been defined by the creation, cultivation and dissemination of new ideas always animated by deep pluralism and a fearless embrace of how new realities shape both people's experience of Jewishness, and the resulting opportunities to apply Jewish wisdom to those new realities within Jewish life and beyond. Rabbis Brad Hirschfield, Elan Babchuck, Julia Appel and the entire Clal faculty teach and consult worldwide, offering a rich and pluralist Jewish wisdom that contributes to the public good, addresses our cultural and political polarization, and helps communities and individuals to grow and flourish. Having long embraced new media, Clal faculty and fellows are reaching organizations, think tanks, universities, seminaries, and business, technology, and innovation conferences.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Leading Through Innovation
Graduate-level course for rabbinical and cantorial students focused on spiritual entrepreneurship and innovation in Jewish leadership
Rabbis Without Borders
National fellowship program positioning rabbis as American religious leaders and spiritual innovators in the broader public sphere
SPARK
Design thinking program for Jewish communal leaders to rejuvenate legacy institutions and better serve interfaith families and constituents
Stand and See
Signature program offering immersive Israel trips and training in religious pluralism for U.S. Army Chaplains and other leaders
The Belonging Project
Initiative helping Jewish communal institutions measure and improve cultures of belonging through data and user-centered design
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Jewish Leadership Development 2 activities
- Leadership training and consulting for Jewish institutionsProvides immersive training programs, customized consulting, and long-term strategic partnerships for Jewish leaders and institutions, using Jewish wisdom and user-centered design to foster adaptive leadership and institutional innovation. Programs include the SPARK initiative and design thinking cohorts in cities like Montreal, Rochester, and New York City.
- Specialized training programs for military and spiritual leadersDesigned and delivered an Israel-based training program on religious pluralism and American religious trends for the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps to support Gen Z soldiers’ mental health, demonstrating cross-sector application of Jewish wisdom.
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Jewish Textual and Educational Publishing 1 activity
- Media and educational content distributionProduces and distributes a weekly newsletter featuring ideas, event announcements, program updates, and a weekly d’var Torah, along with hosting television series on interfaith dialogue and American religious life.
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Jewish Religious Education and Outreach 1 activity
- Public speaking and educational outreachProvides tailored talks by faculty and fellows on topics including leadership, pluralism, Jewish identity, and spiritual resilience to communities and institutions.
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Nonprofit Sector Research & Data Analysis 1 activity
- Research on Jewish communal life and leadershipConducts original research on Jewish professionals’ workplace needs and contributes to capstone publications through participation in research cohorts such as M2’s Relational Engagement Circle. Develops data-driven tools to measure belonging in Jewish institutions.
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Interfaith and Spiritual Dialogue Programs 1 activity
- Thought leadership and public advocacy engagementProduces public thought leadership through The Wisdom Daily, keynote addresses, and participation in global interfaith forums such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the Jakarta Interfaith Dialogue. Engages in national and international discourse on pluralism, faith, and leadership.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.59M
Contributions & grants$4.50M81%
Program service revenue$414K7%
Investment income$306K5%
Other revenue$367K
expenses
Total expenses$4.17M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$2.24M
Grants paid out$25K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$13.32M
Cash$1.40M
Investments$9.32M
Liabilities$1.16M
Net assets$12.16M
Liquid reserves30.9 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +25.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 5
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RABBI BRADLEY HIRSCHFIELD | PRESIDENT | 40 | $561K |
| RABBI IRWIN KULA | PRESIDENT EMERITUS | 40 | $471K |
| ELAN BABCHUCK | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | 40 | $291K |
| CHRISTINE SARAH BOUDJELTA | CONTROLLER | 40 | $130K |
| ALIZA KAPLAN | DIR OF FINANCE/DEVELOPMENT | 40 | $69K |
board members · 20
- ALFRED ENGELBERG — ASSOCIATE CHAIR
- Adam Hirsch — Board Member
- Alan Solow — Board Member
- Andrew Nitkin — Board Member
- DAVID KUNIN — TREASURER
- Dan Einhorn — Board Member
- Debra Tuchman — Board Member
- Erin Satterwhite — Board Member
- GARY B Davis — ASSOCIATE CHAIR
- Helen Nitkin — Board Member
- Jacob Ruttenberg — Board Member
- Jeffrey P Straus — Board Member
- Jessica Hirsch — Board Member
- Jodie Kaufman Davis — Board Member
- Larry Gellman — Past Chair
- Lewis A Norry — Board Member
- MARK FISHMAN — SECRETARY
- Mark Lieberman — Member at Large
- Mica Fidler — Board Member
- Michael Gaviser — Board Member
relationships · 27
Who they work with
- Academy for Jewish Religion Partner — Institution where Rabbi Geoff Mitelman served as an adjunct professor
- Bridges TV Partner — Collaborated with Bridges TV, the American Muslim TV Network, to create and host interfaith television series.
- Central Conference of American Rabbis Partner — Contributed content to the Reform Jewish Quarterly publication.
- Clal Yisrael Network — References Clal Yisrael as a conceptual framework for understanding the Jewish people as an interconnected whole.
- Columbia Business School Partner — Glean Network, associated with CLAL, partners with Columbia Business School.
- Federation CJA Partner — Collaborated on a SPARK cohort using design thinking to improve services for interfaith families in Montreal’s Jewish community.
- Glean Network Partner — CLAL partners with Glean Network, which collaborates with Columbia Business School.
- Government of the Republic of Indonesia Government — Invited by the Indonesian government to participate in the Jakarta Interfaith Dialogue.
- Government of the United States Government — Invited by the U.S. government to participate in the Jakarta Interfaith Dialogue.
- Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion Partner — Institution that ordained Rabbi Geoff Mitelman and where he served as an adjunct professor
- Hillel International Partner — Collaborated through Hillel International’s Organizational Design Lab to lead a user-centered design process at Hillel at the University of Toronto.
- Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester Partner — Collaborated on a custom leadership cohort and a design thinking initiative to strengthen Jewish communal life in Rochester.
- M2 Partner — Participated in M2’s Relational Engagement Circle and contributed original research to its capstone publication.
- Neighborhood Economics Partner — Collaborated on publication about post-empire religious leadership.
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Partner — Co-sponsor of the Balfour Brickner Rabbinic Fellowship, a joint program with Clal
- Ruth Lynn Frommer Government — Director of Finance at Clal, point of contact for exploring additional support opportunities.
- Sinai and Synapses Partner — Organization founded by Rabbi Geoff Mitelman that is being incubated at Clal
- Springtide Research Institute Coalition — Rabbi Elan Babchuck is a founding Board Member of Springtide Research Institute, which focuses on spirituality, mental health, and Gen Z.
- Springtide Research Institute Partner — Serves on the advisory board of Springtide Research Institute, which focuses on spirituality, mental health, and Gen Z.
- Starts With Us Coalition — Rabbi Elan Babchuck is a Founding Partner of Starts With Us, a movement to counteract toxic polarization in America, affiliated with CLAL leadership.
- The Wisdom Daily Partner — Co-founded and serves as Executive Editor of The Wisdom Daily, an online publication focused on spirituality and ethics.
- The Wisdom Daily Partner — Platform for Clal's thought leadership content and public engagement.
- U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Partner — Partnered to design and deliver a training program on religious pluralism and American religious trends for chaplains.
- UJA Federation of New York Partner — Partnered on the first two years of a design thinking program for Jewish communal leaders in the New York City area.
- United Jewish Appeal Partner — Collaboration through shared leadership, as evidenced by Shoshana Cardin serving as National Chair of both the United Jewish Appeal and Clal.
- innoFaith Partner — Featured Rabbi Elan Babchuck in insights on liberating leadership from hierarchical models.
- organizations across sectors Partner — Partners with organizations across sectors to support leadership development and organizational transformation.
strategies · 3
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.
- Jewish Wisdom as an Incubator for Forward-Thinking Leadership and Cultural Changemethodology: idea_incubation_and_adaptationBy integrating Jewish textual and spiritual traditions with contemporary social challenges, CLAL incubates innovative frameworks and leadership models that proactively shape Jewish life and broader cultural contexts, because grounding modern innovation in timeless wisdom produces adaptive, credible, and transformative leadership.
- Pluralism as a Foundation for Jewish Leadership and Community Developmentmethodology: principled_pluralismBy championing pluralism and affirming every Jewish voice, tradition, and denomination, CLAL strengthens leadership and communal belonging because inclusive collaboration models a shared Jewish future and fosters mutual responsibility. This approach transforms leaders by grounding them in Jewish wisdom while transcending denominational boundaries.
- Relational Co-Creation to Transform Leaders and Institutionsmethodology: relational_partnership_modelBy engaging leaders and institutions through collaborative, user-centered partnerships grounded in care and imagination, CLAL produces lasting transformation in organizational cultures and leadership mindsets because co-created strategies foster ownership, adaptability, and deeper alignment with community needs.