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THE FORWARD ASSOCIATION INC
New York, NY · EIN 130623590 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A30 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · forward.com
revenue
$6.7M
expenses
$6.6M
net assets
$3.4M
employees
44
volunteers
18
program ratio
78%
mission · from form 990

STRENGTHEN ENGAGEMENT WITH JEWISH IDEAS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH VARIOUS MEDIA AND PUBLIC EVENTS

profile · synthesized from sources

The Forward Association publishes The Forward, a leading nonprofit news organization covering Jewish life, culture, and issues in the United States and globally. It produces journalism in both English and Yiddish, with a focus on in-depth reporting, opinion, and cultural content. The publication serves a broad Jewish audience through its website, newsletters, and events.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $328K
    YIDDISH MEDIA DIVISION: THE SECOND MAJOR PROGRAM OF THE FORWARD ASSOCIATION IS ITS YIDDISH PUBLICATION, FORVERTS. UPDATED REGULARLY ONLINE, IT IS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING PUBLICATIONS IN YIDDISH IN THE WORLD AND PROVIDES AN INDISPENSABLE SERVICE TO ITS READERS THROUGH ITS COVERAGE OF YIDDISH CULTURE AS WELL AS NEWS FROM ISRAEL, THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD. THE WEBSITE INCLUDES DOZENS OF VIDEO FEATURES. FORVERTS REACHES AROUND 20,000 READERS MONTHLY VIA THE INTERNET AT FORWARD.COM/YIDDISH.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Forverts (Yiddish edition)
Yiddish-language publication preserving and promoting Yiddish language and culture through news, literature, and cultural content
Forward in Education
Initiative to bring Yiddish language and Jewish cultural content into educational settings
The Forward (English edition)
Nonprofit news publication delivering coverage of Jewish issues, culture, and opinion in English
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Textual and Educational Publishing 2 activities
    • Produces daily and weekly newsletters on Jewish news, culture, and issues
      Delivers daily and weekly email newsletters including Forwarding the News, Yiddish Brief, and Antisemitism Decoded, featuring curated news, cultural stories, opinion essays, and analysis of contemporary Jewish life.
    • Produces podcasts on Jewish life, language, and culture
      Creates and distributes multiple podcast series including 'Yiddish with Rukhl,' 'That Jewish News Show,' 'Make Art Not War,' 'Playing Anne Frank,' and an adaptation of the 'A Bintel Brief' advice column, covering language learning, current events, cultural history, and artistic expression.
  • Literary Publishing and Support Programs 1 activity
    • Administers the J. I. Segal Award for Yiddish Literature
      Manages an annual literary award for Yiddish writing, currently accepting submissions for the 2026 cycle, with a policy against accepting AI-generated entries.
  • Israel and Jewish Heritage Educational Travel 1 activity
    • Conducts research on antisemitism, Jewish identity, and cultural discourse
      Produces analytical and scholarly content examining long-term shifts in American Jewish views on Zionism, the use of symbols like the swastika, and parallels between antisemitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
  • Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
    • Facilitates republication of original content by other newsrooms
      Makes original journalism freely available for republication in both print and online formats, with proper attribution, and provides a built-in “republish” button on article pages to support broad dissemination.
  • Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
    • Hosts and promotes public events with editors and guests
      Sends email invitations and promotes special events featuring Forward editors and public figures, fostering engagement with its audience.
  • Jewish Religious Education and Outreach 1 activity
    • Operates the Yiddishist Yeshiva for language and cultural study
      Runs an educational program open to new students focused on the study of Yiddish language and culture, including public announcements and outreach for enrollment.
  • Jewish Community Media Production 1 activity
    • Publishes original journalism on Jewish news, culture, and politics
      Produces daily reporting and longform content on Jewish life, including news, opinion, cultural criticism, food, entertainment, and historical analysis, reaching over 1.5 million monthly readers through digital and social platforms.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$6.66M
Contributions & grants$6.30M95%
Program service revenue$340K5%
Investment income$18K0%
Other revenue$4K
expenses
Total expenses$6.62M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead9%
Fundraising13%
Salaries & benefits$4.49M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$3.89M
Cash$1.11M
Investments$7K
Liabilities$528K
Net assets$3.36M
Liquid reserves2.0 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -23.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Rachel Fishman Feddersen CEO 40 $416K
Jodi Rudoren Editor in Chief 40 $365K
Jay Ehrlich Senior VP Operations 40 $294K
Lisa Lepson VP Development 40 $275K
Sochieta Moth VP Finance 40 $239K
Adam Langer Managing Editor 40 $170K
Cheuk Mui Controller 40 $156K
Lauren Markoe Editor 40 $144K
board members · 17
  • Alan Silberstein — Chair
  • Cheryl Fishbein — Director-At-Large
  • Dennis Levitt from 111224 — Director-At-Large
  • Don Kimelman — Director-At-Large
  • Edward Blank thru 111224 — Director-At-Large
  • Howard Swibel — Director-At-Large/Secretary
  • Jacob Morowitz — Director/Investment Policy Committee Chair
  • James Feldman — Vice Chair/Nominating Committee Chair
  • Jeff Gottlieb thru 111224 — Secretary
  • Joel Brown — Audit Committee Chair/Director-At-Large
  • Julie Stone from 111224 — Director-At-Large
  • Ken Bob thru 111224 — Director-At-Large
  • Lisa Portnoy from 111224 — Director-At-Large
  • Marcy Syms — Compensation Committee Chair
  • Marge Magner — Budget Committee Chair
  • Ronnie Zolin thru 111224 — Audit Committee Chair
  • Samuel Norich — Development Committee Chair
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • Anti-Defamation League Network — Referenced in coverage of Abe Foxman’s legacy and institutional responses to antisemitism
  • Arno Rosenfeld Partner — Writer of the biweekly newsletter on Jewish safety debates.
  • Benyamin Cohen Partner — News director curating the daily Forwarding the News newsletter.
  • CNN Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • Forverts Network — Produces the podcast 'Yiddish with Rukhl' in collaboration with the Forverts.
  • Fox Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • Haaretz Partner — Partnership for content sharing, with Haaretz-originated items clearly attributed on Forward's site.
  • Haaretz Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab Network — Recognized The Forward as one of the top nonprofit news sites
  • Jewish Telegraphic Agency Partner — Partnership for content sharing, with JTA-originated items clearly attributed on Forward's site.
  • Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Funder — Provides partial financial support for the Forverts (Yiddish Forward).
  • NPR Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • Politico Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • Rukhl Schaechter Partner — Forverts editor producing the weekly Yiddish world newsletter.
  • Talya Zax Partner — Opinion Editor who receives pitches for opinion pieces
  • The New York Times Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • The Washington Post Partner — Turns to The Forward’s journalists for analysis and interviews
  • U.S. Library of Congress Government — Archives The Forward's content
  • Urban Archive Partner — Collaborates with the Urban Archive app to make historical materials engaging and accessible.
  • Yair Rosenberg Partner — Hired to cover Jewish American life, previously at The Atlantic
strategies · 5

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.

  • Art and Narrative to Redefine Cultural Understanding
    methodology: art-as-narrative-redefinition
    By highlighting artists who engage imagination during times of conflict, the organization promotes narrative redefinition, because artistic expression offers a counterpoint to polarization and enables new ways of seeing within cultural discourse.
  • Cultural Translation and Contextual Accessibility as a Bridge to Engagement
    methodology: cultural_translation_and_access
    By translating Yiddish content and providing contextual explanations, the organization makes Jewish cultural and historical materials accessible to broader or intermediate audiences, because linguistic and cultural scaffolding enables deeper engagement with otherwise inaccessible traditions.
  • Curated and Analytical Public Education on Jewish Issues
    methodology: analytical_public_education
    By curating news and providing analytical guidance on topics like Jewish safety and antisemitism, the organization improves public understanding, because structured analysis of complex debates helps readers navigate ideological shifts and cultural tensions more effectively.
  • Independent, Non-Ideological Journalism for Informed Civic Discourse
    methodology: independent_non_ideological_journalism
    By maintaining editorial independence and a non-ideological stance, the organization produces trusted, influential coverage of Jewish news and culture, because neutrality enables broader credibility and engagement across diverse audiences.
  • Pluralistic Representation Through Diverse Voices
    methodology: diverse-voices-platform
    By publishing opinion content from a wide range of Jewish perspectives, the organization fosters a more inclusive public conversation, because exposure to diverse viewpoints strengthens communal discourse and reflects the complexity of modern Jewish identity.