ORT America reported $15.0 million in revenue and $793,865 in executive compensation (5.4% of expenses) for FY2024, a year that saw a CEO transition from Barbara Birch to Allison Weinger. Here's where the money for World ORT's global vocational-education network goes.
ORT America, legally filed as World ORT Inc., reported $14,956,796 in total revenue and $14,825,600 in total expenses for fiscal year 2024, leaving net assets of $17,185,855. Executive compensation totaled $793,865, or 5.4% of all spending — one of the higher executive-pay ratios among comparable American Jewish philanthropies. The organization underwent a CEO transition mid-year, with Allison Weinger succeeding Barbara Birch in February 2024.
What Is ORT America?
ORT America (EIN 13-5562424) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt since April 1970, headquartered in New York. It is the U.S. fundraising arm of World ORT, a global vocational and STEM-education network founded in 1880 (originally as the Society for Trades and Agricultural Labor in Czarist Russia) that today operates schools and technology programs serving hundreds of thousands of students, with a historic focus on Jewish communities in Israel and the former Soviet Union.
Barbara Birch served as President and CEO through February 2024, after which Allison Weinger became CEO. The transition happened mid-fiscal-year, which is why both executives appear in the FY2024 compensation table below with partial-year figures.
ORT America at a Glance — FY2024 Form 990
| Metric | FY2024 |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $14,956,796 |
| Total Expenses | $14,825,600 |
| Net Income | $131,196 |
| Total Assets | $23,047,447 |
| Total Liabilities | $5,861,592 |
| Net Assets | $17,185,855 |
| Executive Compensation | $793,865 (5.4% of expenses) |
| EIN | 13-5562424 |
Source: World ORT Inc (ORT America), Form 990 for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed November 6, 2025. Read the full filing history on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Where Does the Money Come From?
| Revenue Source | FY2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions | $13,434,759 | 89.8% |
| Investment Income | $376,983 | 2.5% |
| Sales of Assets | $143,604 | 1.0% |
| Other Revenue | $1,123,026 | 7.5% |
| Net Fundraising | -$123,111 | n/a |
Revenue has been volatile over the past five years, reflecting swings in both giving and investment markets: $12.9 million (FY2020), $16.0 million (FY2021, an unusually strong year that included $1.1 million in sales-of-assets gains), $22.4 million (FY2022, the organization's high-water mark this decade), $15.5 million (FY2023), and $15.0 million (FY2024).
What Do ORT America's Top Executives Earn?
| Executive | FY2024 Compensation | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara Birch, President/CEO (thru 2/2024) | $360,325 | $2,073 |
| Allison Weinger, CEO (as of 2/2024) | $238,432 | $28,430 |
| Nicole Miller, Director, Michigan Region | $178,380 | $24,278 |
| James M. Lodge, Senior Development Officer | $154,167 | $7,651 |
| Anna B. Stein, Chief Impact Officer | $151,527 | $23,100 |
| Jonathan S. Miller, CFO (thru 8/2024) | $137,084 | $13,098 |
Board leadership, including Board Chair Michael Perlmuter, Chair of the Executive Committee Louanne Smolin, Vice President/Secretary Gail Lanznar, and Treasurer Saul Berkowitz, received no compensation, consistent with ORT America's history of an all-volunteer board.
A Decade of Rising Executive Pay
ORT America's executive compensation pool has grown substantially over the past decade: from $213,328 in FY2017 (CEO Jeffrey Cooper) to $404,534 in FY2019, then $607,998–$660,803 annually from FY2020 through FY2023 under CEO Barbara Birch, before reaching $793,865 in FY2024, split between two executives during the leadership transition. Birch's own compensation ranged from roughly $332,000 to $360,000 annually during her tenure, higher than her immediate predecessor Jeffrey Cooper's $217,830 in his final year as CEO (2019) before he moved to CFO/COO.
The 5.4% executive-compensation ratio in FY2024 is notably higher than the ratios reported by several comparable Israel- and Jewish-community-focused charities: American Friends of Magen David Adom reported an executive-compensation-to-expense ratio in the same range as its overall program spending remains at 87%, while American Friends of Leket Israel's ratio was 1.4% in the same fiscal year. A higher ratio at ORT America partly reflects its smaller overall budget, since a comparable dollar amount of senior staff pay represents a larger share of total spending than it would at a larger organization.
Net Assets and Financial Position
ORT America's reported net assets have been volatile in recent years: $24.4 million (FY2021), $25.9 million (FY2022, a peak year with $22.4 million in revenue), $16.3 million (FY2023), and $17.2 million (FY2024). The drop in reported net assets between fiscal years 2022 and 2023 — roughly $9.6 million — is larger than that year's reported net loss of $2.65 million alone would explain, based on the summary figures in ORT America's Form 990 filings; the difference likely reflects unrealized investment gains or losses and other balance-sheet items not captured in the net income figure, which are detailed only in the full financial statements and Schedule D.
Total liabilities were $5,861,592 in FY2024, down from $6,708,242 in FY2023.
Related Charity Financial Audits
For comparable audit-based financial profiles of other major Israel- and Jewish-community-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 One Family Fund financial profile.
Frequently Asked Questions About ORT America
What is ORT America?
ORT America (EIN 13-5562424, legally filed as World ORT Inc.) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds for World ORT's global network of vocational and STEM-education schools and programs, historically serving Jewish communities in Israel and the former Soviet Union.
How much money does ORT America raise?
In fiscal year 2024, ORT America reported $14,956,796 in total revenue, of which $13,434,759 (89.8%) came from contributions.
How much does ORT America's CEO earn?
Barbara Birch, President/CEO through February 2024, received $360,325 in reportable compensation and $2,073 in other compensation for her partial year. Her successor, Allison Weinger, received $238,432 in reportable compensation and $28,430 in other compensation for the remainder of fiscal year 2024.
Why is ORT America's executive-compensation ratio higher than similar charities?
At 5.4% of total expenses in FY2024, ORT America's ratio is higher partly because its overall budget is smaller than comparable organizations like Birthright Israel Foundation or American Friends of Magen David Adom, so the same dollar amount of senior staff pay represents a larger share of total spending.
What is ORT America's EIN?
13-5562424. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and donations are tax-deductible.
Where can I read ORT America's actual tax filings?
Full-text Form 990 filings for World ORT Inc (ORT America), going back to 2011, are publicly available on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Financial figures are drawn from World ORT Inc's (ORT America's) Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2011 through 2024, hosted by ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. Organizational history and mission description are drawn from ORT America's own public statements.
