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Jewish Communal Fund
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 237174183 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE T700 · Philanthropy & Grantmaking · Very Large (>$50M) · jcfny.org
revenue
$1.3B
expenses
$1.0B
net assets
$3.4B
employees
25
program ratio
99%
mission · from form 990

TO FACILITATE AND PROMOTE PHILANTHROPY THROUGH DONOR ADVISED FUNDS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Jewish Communal Fund (JCF) is a donor-advised fund sponsor that enables individuals to establish charitable funds with a minimum contribution of $5,000. It facilitates philanthropy by allowing donors to recommend grants to nonprofit organizations while providing administrative and investment services. Based in New York, JCF supports Jewish and general charitable causes locally and globally.

named programs · 2 · from sources

What they call their work

Children’s Giving Funds
Special fund option for individuals 18 and under to begin philanthropic engagement with an initial contribution of $1,800 or more
Donor-Advised Fund Program
Enables donors to establish charitable funds, make tax-deductible contributions, and recommend grants to qualified nonprofits over time
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Religious Institution Support 3 activities
    • Facilitates large-scale fundholder grantmaking
      Facilitated $471 million in grants from donor advised funds to Jewish organizations and $160 million to support Israel in fiscal year 2025.
    • Funds capital and programmatic development for Jewish community organizations
      Provides grants to support capital expansion for organizations such as Ohel, Met Council’s food warehouse, and Ariel Center; funds educational portals through JEP Center for Inclusive Learning; and supports therapeutic programs like the bakery at Rimon Farms.
    • Provides emergency and targeted grants for Jewish community security and resilience
      Funds emergency relief efforts in Israel following the October 7th attacks and supports community security initiatives such as the installation of security cameras in Crown Heights through UJA.
  • Donor-Advised Fund Grantmaking 2 activities
    • Accepts and manages diverse charitable contributions
      Accepts contributions from trusts (including Charitable Lead and Charitable Remainder Trusts), private foundations, and cryptocurrency, and requires a minimum $5,000 irrevocable contribution to establish a donor advised fund.
    • Administers donor advised funds to facilitate charitable giving
      Manages over $3 billion in assets across more than 5,000 donor advised funds, enabling donors to recommend grants to IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organizations and receive tax deductions, with assets growing tax-free over time.
  • General Operating Support Grants 1 activity
    • Awards grants through the Special Gifts Fund
      Provides annual grants from the Special Gifts Fund to support community institutions and causes, including over $30 million awarded to more than a dozen organizations since 1999.
  • Centralized Community Federation Support 1 activity
    • Funds annual $2 million Community Gift to UJA-Federation of New York
      Provides an annual $2 million grant to UJA-Federation of New York to support its annual campaign and community initiatives.
  • Jewish Life and Security Support 1 activity
    • Offers investment vehicles aligned with Jewish values and support for Israel
      Provides investment options including the JLens 500 Jewish Advocacy U.S. ETF, VanEck Vectors Israel ETF, and Israel Bonds, enabling donors to support Israel’s economy and combat antisemitism through shareholder advocacy.
  • Endowment and Gift Fund Management 1 activity
    • Provides investment management for donor advised funds
      Manages investment of donor advised fund assets in designated default funds with a $5,000 minimum, allows up to four allocation changes per year, and offers expanded investment options for funds over $500,000, including access to non-program managers for balances over $1 million.
  • Digital Donation Processing Platforms 1 activity
    • Provides online donor services and fund administration
      Offers online access for donors to manage donor advised fund balances, contribution history, and grant recommendations; accepts online donations via credit card and cryptocurrency; and provides a streamlined 8–10 minute online application process for establishing new funds.
  • Interest-Free Loan and Grant Support 1 activity
    • Supports social and economic development in Israel through loan programs
      Administers the JCF-HFLS Social Impact Loan Program and the JCF-Ogen Israel Impact Loan Program, providing interest-free loans and financial mentoring to low-income borrowers in the U.S. and Israel, supporting over 65,000 loans totaling more than $360 million since 1990.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.34B
Contributions & grants$1.19B89%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$148.84M11%
Other revenue$-623K
expenses
Total expenses$1.04B
Program expenses99%
Admin / overhead1%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$5.06M
Grants paid out$1.02B
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$3.55B
Cash$131.54M
Investments$3.34B
Liabilities$115.65M
Net assets$3.44B
Liquid reserves40.0 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +17.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 9
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
RACHEL SCHNOLL EXECUTIVE VP AND CEO 35 $775K
MARINA LEWIN SENIOR VP AND COO 35 $526K
ASHLEY CLEMENTE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER 35 $387K
MICHELLE LEBOWITS VP PHILANTHROPIC SERVICES 35 $347K
MELANIE MARCHFELD VP GRANTS ADMINISTRATION 35 $329K
IGOR MUSAYEV VP INVESTMENT SERVICES 35 $309K
RACHEL REDLICH CONTROLLER 35 $242K
LEIGH WASSERMAN DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS 35 $191K
ELLEN SMITH ISRAELSON FORMER VP, MRKTING & B. DEV. 0 $116K
board members · 16
  • AARON KAPITO — TRUSTEE
  • AARON ZISES — VICE PRESIDENT
  • ALAN S HALPERIN ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • ANDREA MARKEZIN-PRESS — PRESIDENT
  • BARRY MOSS — TREASURER
  • BEN HOCHBERG — TRUSTEE
  • DANIEL B BLASER — CHAIR, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
  • DANIEL BONNER — TRUSTEE
  • ELISIA ABRAMS — TRUSTEE
  • ELLEN HORING — TRUSTEE
  • GABRIEL WASSERMAN — TRUSTEE
  • GEULA SOLOMON — SECRETARY
  • HOLLY NEWMAN KROFT — VICE PRESIDENT
  • JERRY KESTENBAUM — TRUSTEE
  • LINDA MIRELS — TRUSTEE
  • MARC UTAY — TRUSTEE
relationships · 10

Who they work with

  • BlackRock Partner — Provides designated default investment funds, including the BlackRock Treasury Trust Fund and BlackRock JCF Short Duration Bond Fund, for JCF donor advised funds.
  • Charitable Solutions LLC Partner — Third-party appraisal service used by some fundholders for cryptocurrency donations.
  • Coinbase Prime Partner — Partner used to accept and liquidate cryptocurrency donations.
  • Hebrew Free Loan Society Partner — Partnership to administer the JCF-HFLS Social Impact Loan Program
  • Ogen Partner — Collaboration to offer the JCF-Ogen Israel Impact Loan Program for interest-free loans in Israel
  • UJA-Federation of NY Partner — Receives community grants from JCF and collaborates on emergency funding initiatives.
  • UJA-Federation of New York Partner — Collaborates with UJA-Federation of NY in selecting grant recipients and receives annual funding from JCF.
  • UJA-Federation of New York Partner — Receives an annual $2 million donation funded by JCF fees and revenues.
  • UJA-Federation of New York Partner — Receives an annual Community Gift of $2 million from Jewish Communal Fund.
  • UJA-Federation of New York Partner — Receives annual contributions from JCF and administers the Israel Emergency Relief Fund supported by JCF.
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.

  • Donor-Advised Fund Model for Strategic Philanthropy
    methodology: donor_advised_fund_model
    By using donor-advised funds, we enable immediate tax benefits and deferred, deliberate grantmaking, because this structure supports more thoughtful, effective, and efficient charitable giving compared to private foundations.
  • Double Bottom Line Giving
    methodology: double_bottom_line_giving
    By structuring contributions to serve both individual donor goals and institutional giving to UJA-Federation and Jewish communal causes, we amplify community impact, because every donor’s participation strengthens both personal philanthropy and the broader Jewish ecosystem.
  • Impact-Aligned Investing with Jewish Values
    methodology: impact_investing
    By offering customizable and pre-screened investment portfolios, including Jewish impact investing options, we increase donor engagement and alignment, because fundholders can advance their charitable goals while ensuring investments reflect their ethical and communal values.
  • Multi-Generational Stewardship of Philanthropy
    methodology: intergenerational_philanthropy
    By designing donor-advised funds and resources to involve younger generations, we sustain long-term community support, because families who engage together in giving are more likely to continue philanthropic traditions across lifetimes.
  • Philanthropy-First Advisory Model
    methodology: philanthropy_first_advisory
    By providing advisory services that are free from financial product sales, we produce more aligned and expert-driven philanthropy, because donor decisions are guided solely by charitable goals rather than revenue-generating incentives.