American Friends of Leket Israel's revenue has grown roughly sixfold in a decade, reaching $22.8 million in FY2024, while founder Joseph Gitler draws no salary and total liabilities remain under $170,000. Here's where the money for Israel's national food bank goes.
American Friends of Leket Israel reported $22,812,721 in total revenue and $18,548,625 in total expenses for fiscal year 2024, leaving net assets of $12,253,151. Revenue has grown roughly sixfold over the past decade, from $3.45 million in 2011, as the food-rescue charity scaled from a small startup into one of the larger Israel-focused nonprofits, according to its Form 990 filings.
What Is American Friends of Leket Israel?
American Friends of Leket Israel (EIN 20-8202424) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt since June 2008, headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. It raises U.S. funds for Leket Israel, described as Israel's national food bank and food-rescue network, which collects surplus produce and prepared food from farms, hotels, and army bases and redistributes it to nonprofit partners serving Israelis facing food insecurity.
Leket Israel was founded by Joseph Gitler, an American who immigrated to Israel in 2000. Gitler continues to serve as Founder and, in recent Form 990 filings, draws no salary from the American Friends organization. Lauren Yoked serves as Executive Director.
American Friends of Leket Israel at a Glance — FY2024 Form 990
| Metric | FY2024 |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $22,812,721 |
| Total Expenses | $18,548,625 |
| Net Income | $4,264,096 |
| Total Assets | $12,422,615 |
| Total Liabilities | $169,464 |
| Net Assets | $12,253,151 |
| Executive Compensation | $254,657 (1.4% of expenses) |
| EIN | 20-8202424 |
Source: American Friends of Leket Israel Inc, Form 990 for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed November 11, 2025. Read the full filing history on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Where Does the Money Come From?
| Revenue Source | FY2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions | $22,592,279 | 99.0% |
| Investment Income | $118,349 | 0.5% |
| Sales of Assets | $102,093 | 0.4% |
A Decade of Rapid Growth
American Friends of Leket Israel's revenue has climbed nearly every year since 2011: $3.45 million (2011), $4.28 million (2012), $6.08 million (2014), $6.20 million (2016), $8.47 million (2017), $10.09 million (2019), $12.92 million (2021), $14.45 million (2022), a peak of $27.63 million in 2023 (the post-October 7 giving surge), and $22.81 million in 2024. Net assets grew alongside it, from $109,312 in 2011 to $12,253,151 in 2024 — though the charity posted net losses in fiscal years 2015 and 2018 as expenses briefly outpaced that year's contributions.
Executive compensation has scaled with the organization but remains modest relative to revenue: Executive Director Lauren Yoked's reportable compensation rose from $131,488 in 2019 to $252,136 in 2024, a period in which the organization's revenue roughly doubled. That trajectory tracks closely with the organization's overall growth rather than outpacing it — Yoked's pay represented roughly 1.1% of total revenue in both 2019 and 2024.
What Does Leadership Earn?
| Executive | FY2024 Compensation | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Lauren Yoked, Executive Director | $252,136 | $2,521 |
| Joseph Gitler, Founder | $0 | $0 |
Board Chair Shachar Minkove and all other directors, including Anthony Arnold, Brenner Glickman, Michael Rader, Mark Ettinger, Mor Soued, Joshua Swidler, Simone Greenbaum Gross, and Warren Cohn, are unpaid, per the organization's Form 990.
Net Assets and Financial Position
American Friends of Leket Israel carries an unusually clean balance sheet for an organization its size: total liabilities were just $169,464 in FY2024 against $12,422,615 in total assets — a liabilities-to-assets ratio under 1.4%, far lower than many comparable Israel-focused charities that carry significant construction, pension, or grant-payable obligations. By comparison, American Friends of Magen David Adom carried $99.3 million in total liabilities against $371.1 million in assets in the same fiscal year — a higher ratio, though still modest, reflecting its larger capital-project commitments in Israel.
Related Charity Financial Audits
For comparable audit-based financial profiles of other major Israel-focused philanthropies, see Olam's UJA-Federation of New York financial profile, Olam's FIDF financial profile, Olam's American Friends of Magen David Adom financial profile, Olam's Birthright Israel Foundation financial profile, and Olam's ORT America financial profile.
Frequently Asked Questions About American Friends of Leket Israel
What is American Friends of Leket Israel?
American Friends of Leket Israel (EIN 20-8202424) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds for Leket Israel, Israel's national food bank and food-rescue network, founded by Joseph Gitler.
How much money does American Friends of Leket Israel raise?
In fiscal year 2024, it reported $22,812,721 in total revenue, down from a peak of $27,633,849 in fiscal year 2023 but up sharply from $3,453,772 in fiscal year 2011.
How much does the Executive Director earn?
Lauren Yoked, Executive Director, received $252,136 in reportable compensation and $2,521 in other compensation in fiscal year 2024, per the organization's Form 990.
Does founder Joseph Gitler take a salary?
No. Form 990 filings show Joseph Gitler, listed as Founder, receiving $0 in compensation from American Friends of Leket Israel.
What is American Friends of Leket Israel's EIN?
20-8202424. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and donations are tax-deductible.
Where can I read Leket's actual tax filings?
Full-text Form 990 filings for American Friends of Leket Israel, going back to 2011, are publicly available on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Financial figures are drawn from American Friends of Leket Israel Inc's Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2011 through 2024, hosted by ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. Organizational history and mission description are drawn from the organization's own public statements.
