About FedFinder — Sources & Methodology

How we work

Independent, by design.

FedFinder is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) or any Federation it lists. No Federation pays to appear or to be described in any particular way.

We share an owner with AllJewishJobs and ShulMap, and link to them where they have something specific to a Federation’s area. Together, the sites offer different starting points for exploring Jewish communal life.

AllJewishJobs Jobs in Jewish communal life ShulMap Synagogues and neighborhoods

Sources & methodology

Useful information, with a source.

Our directory combines public records with information from organizations’ own websites. Coverage varies, and a missing listing doesn’t mean a program or service doesn’t exist.

The directory

JFNA’s public directory

The list of 184 Federations and independent Jewish communities, their office addresses, and ZIP-code assignments come from JFNA’s public Federation Finder. Its listings include both Federations and smaller independent communities, so our counts refer to “Federations and communities.”

An office address is not a service area. We show the areas a Federation describes and JFNA’s ZIP-code assignments. ZIP search covers the United States; in Canada, search by city or province.

Events

Calendar feeds checked daily

Events come from organizations’ own calendars, read daily where a feed is available. Upcoming listings currently appear for 129 Federations and communities. We link to 163 organization calendars in total.

Listings are grouped into community events, religious services, holiday dates, or meetings; advertisements are dropped. Staff emails and phone numbers are removed from descriptions, and listings link back to their sources.

A public calendar listing isn’t necessarily open to everyone. Check eligibility and confirm details with the host before attending.

Local programs

Checked by hand

Newcomer, young-adult, family, volunteer, support, and partner listings are checked against the Federation’s or agency’s official website. Each entry includes its source and the date we checked it. We list only what we could verify.

Jobs

From AllJewishJobs

Open roles come from AllJewishJobs. Duplicate postings are combined, including listings on several sites and reposts with slightly different punctuation. Because closing dates aren’t available, Federation pages show roles posted in the last 120 days. Confirm availability with the employer.

Finances

IRS & CRA filings

US figures come from IRS Form 990 e-filed returns, with older years available through ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer. Canadian figures come from Canada Revenue Agency T3010 data and stay in Canadian dollars. Figures name their fiscal year and link to the source filing.

Revenue categories follow the filing’s own lines. If an older filing lacks detail, we say how much isn’t broken out. Revenue measures an organization’s size, not its effectiveness or impact; rankings are for context only.

Explore the financial data

Getting in touch

Your message starts with us.

FedFinder doesn’t publish Federations’ phone numbers or email addresses. The “Get in touch” form on a Federation’s page comes to FedFinder first.

You choose a Federation. Tell us what you’re looking for and give permission to share your message.
We review and forward. Appropriate messages go to the Federation you named.
The Federation decides how to respond. We can’t promise a reply.

Read our privacy policy for details about how your information is handled.

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