Foundation for Ethnic understanding
New York interfaith organisation working on Black–Jewish and Muslim–Jewish relations
| Foundation for Ethnic Understanding | |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) public charity |
| Logo | |
| Founded | |
| Founder(s) | Marc Schneier Joseph Papp |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Location | 1 East 93rd Street, Suite 1C, New York, NY 10128 |
| Area served | |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | |
| Website | https://www.ffeu.org/ |
| Remarks | |
The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) organisation founded in 1989 by Rabbi Marc Schneier and theatrical producer Joseph Papp.[1][2] It presents itself as "the national address for Black–Jewish relations" and "the global address for Muslim–Jewish relations".[3] From 2007 it built a Muslim–Jewish programme of clergy summits, mosque–synagogue twinning and Gulf-state contacts which Marc Schneier and the organisation later described as having "planted the seeds" for the Abraham Accords.[1][4]
History
The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding was created in 1989, according to its own account, as "a dream of Rabbi Marc Schneier and the late Joseph Papp committed to the belief that direct, face-to-face dialogue between ethnic communities is the most effective path towards the reduction of bigotry".[5] Joseph Papp died in 1991. The group obtained US federal tax-exempt status in October 1990 (EIN 13-3527874).[6]
Early work concentrated on relations between African American and Jewish communities in the United States. In 1995 Marc Schneier hosted Coretta Scott King in New York on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend to address leaders of national Jewish organisations.[5] In June 1996, during a wave of arson attacks on Black churches in the US South, the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and the New York Board of Rabbis established a fund to help rebuild Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Marc Schneier said it was "very, very important that the Jewish community not be so arrogant and naive to think that this could not happen to synagogues" and that Jews should be "rallying together with our brothers and sisters in the South".[7]
The organisation published a New York Directory of Interethnic Activity in 1996 and, from 1997, annual reports on Black–Jewish relations. Research and publication of the 1999 report was funded by a grant from Philip Morris Companies.[8] In 1998 it organised a Black–Jewish Congressional Awards ceremony.[5] In 1999 Marc Schneier published Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community, with a preface by Martin Luther King III.[5]
Russell Simmons joined the board in 2002 and was listed as chairman on IRS Form 990 filings through at least 2017.[6] In 2007 the organisation opened a dedicated Muslim–Jewish programme. On 7 November 2007 it hosted a National Summit of Rabbis and Imams in New York.[9] An annual Weekend of Twinning / Season of Twinning, pairing mosques and synagogues, began in 2008.[3]
In 2014 the organisation said it was "honored by the United States Congress … as the National Address for Black–Jewish relations".[3]
Timeline
- 1989 – Foundation for Ethnic Understanding founded by Marc Schneier and Joseph Papp.[5]
- 1990 – US tax exemption issued (October).[6]
- 1995 – Coretta Scott King addresses Jewish organisational leaders in New York at an Foundation for Ethnic Understanding gathering.[5]
- 1996 – Church-rebuild fund with the New York Board of Rabbis after Southern Black-church arsons;[7] first New York Directory of Interethnic Activity.[5]
- 1997 – First report on Black–Jewish relations in the United States.[5]
- 1998 – First Black–Jewish Congressional Awards ceremony.[5]
- 1999 – Shared Dreams published; fourth annual Black–Jewish report issued with Philip Morris support.[8]
- 2002 – Russell Simmons joins the board and later serves as chairman.[6]
- 2007 – Muslim–Jewish programme launched; National Summit of Rabbis and Imams, New York, 7 November.[9]
- 2008 – First Weekend of Twinning.[3]
- 2009 – Mission of European Imams and Rabbis to the United States.[10]
- 2010 – First Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, Brussels (with European Jewish Congress and others); Jewish Communal Fund grant of US$12,000 recorded for the year ended 30 June 2010.[11][12]
- 2011 – Marc Schneier hosted by Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the royal palace in Manama.[13]
- 2012 – Second Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, Paris, 4–5 September, organised with the European Jewish Congress and the Grande Mosquée de Paris.[11]
- 2013 – Sons of Abraham published by Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali; foreword by Bill Clinton.[4]
- 2014 – Organisation claims US Congressional recognition as national address for Black–Jewish relations.[3]
- 2016 – The Forward reports unpaid public-relations invoices of about US$92,000.[14]
- February 2018 – First synagogue congregational mission to Bahrain, invited by Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.[13]
- December 2018 – Marc Schneier appointed special adviser by Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.[4]
- June 2019 – Marc Schneier attends the US-backed Peace to Prosperity conference in Manama as part of the Bahraini delegation.[4]
- August–September 2020 – Abraham Accords signed; Marc Schneier publicly predicts Bahrain will follow the United Arab Emirates in normalising with Israel.[15]
- 2024 – Form 990 shows revenue US$1.38 million, Marc Schneier compensation US$442,847, net assets −US$302,187.[6]
Work with the Black community
The founding purpose of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding was to ease tension between African American and Jewish communities and to invoke the civil-rights-era alliance.[1][5] Programmes have included:
- Hosting Coretta Scott King before national Jewish leaders in 1995.[5]
- A 1996 rebuild fund for a burned Black church in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the New York Board of Rabbis.[7]
- Annual reports on Black–Jewish relations and a New York interethnic directory in the late 1990s, one report underwritten by Philip Morris.[8]
- Black–Jewish Congressional Awards from 1998.[5]
- Publication of Shared Dreams (1999) on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish community.[5]
- Ongoing educational initiatives, public dialogue and convenings which the organisation says are intended "to repair an erosion of trust and to confront racism and antisemitism".[1]
- Celebrity public messaging. In 2006 Reuters reported that rapper Jay-Z stated "Anti-Semitism is not cool."[16] C-SPAN lists Russell Simmons as chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding in connection with the group's public activity.[17]
The organisation's own 1999 report, with a foreword by Hugh Price of the National Urban League, framed Black–Jewish relations in terms of "cooperation, conflict, human interest and shared experiences".[8]
Muslim–Jewish work and West Asia / Abraham Accords
From 2007 the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding treated Muslim–Jewish relations as a second core programme. It hosted the National Summit of Rabbis and Imams (New York, 2007), the annual Weekend of Twinning / Season of Twinning, a 2009 European clergy mission to the United States, and European leadership gatherings in Brussels (2010) and Paris (2012) with the European Jewish Congress and the Grande Mosquée de Paris. About 70 Muslim and Jewish leaders from 18 countries attended the Paris meeting and issued a pledge of "zero tolerance to hatred".[9][10][11] The organisation has partnered with the Islamic Society of North America on US projects.[3]
Marc Schneier has described a personal introduction to Gulf rulers that he says began with the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and extended to leadership in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.[1] In an interview republished by the organisation he said: "It was the late King Abdullah who introduced me to the king of Bahrain, to the emir of Qatar and to the other royal families in the UAE and in Kuwait."[4]
Documented Gulf steps include:
- 2011 – first rabbinic audience with Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama.[13]
- February 2018 – first synagogue congregational mission from The Hampton Synagogue to Bahrain, invited by the king; the organisation called it the first Jewish congregational mission to an Arab Gulf state.[13]
- December 2018 – Marc Schneier named special adviser to Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.[4]
- June 2019 – attendance at the Manama Peace to Prosperity workshop in the Bahraini delegation. Marc Schneier argued that economic projects would "help the Palestinians and encourage both sides to pursue peace with the goal of a two-state solution."[4]
- August 2020 – after the United Arab Emirates–Israel deal, Marc Schneier told Ynetnews that another Gulf state would normalise "by the end of 2020", naming Bahrain, and that Mohammed bin Salman was "ready for relations with Israel" while "the older generation is just more conservative."[15]
- September 2020 – in remarks circulated by the organisation he quoted the King of Bahrain as saying "repeatedly" that "our only guarantee for a strong, moderate Arab presence in the Gulf would be a strong Israel," and said Gulf states were "looking to Israel to be their defender and protector."[18]
The organisation's own mission page states that it has "spent more than three decades planting the seeds for the Abraham Accords and building the relationships that made Gulf-Israel normalisation possible."[1] That causal claim is the organisation's and Marc Schneier's; the Abraham Accords themselves were US-brokered diplomatic instruments signed in 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, later joined by other states.[15] In 2021 Marc Schneier wrote in Khaleej Times that the accords were "about people, not politicians" and listed meetings with US-based ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.[19]
People
Directors, officers and staff
Officers and key employees as reported on IRS Form 990 filings and the organisation's board page are set out below. Compensation is as stated on the cited filing for that year.[6][20]
| Name | Role | Notes / compensation (selected years) |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Schneier | President (founder) | US$442,847 (2024); US$444,270 (2023); US$513,615 + other US$55,577 (2020); US$514,964 + other US$51,490 (2019) |
| Joseph Papp | Founding chairman | Co-founder; died 1991 |
| Russell Simmons | Chairman | Listed on Form 990 as chairman at US$0 through at least 2017; not listed on 2022–2024 officer schedules |
| Ken Sunshine | Secretary | US$0 (recent filings) |
| Michael Heningburg Jr | Treasurer | US$0 (recent filings) |
| David Renzer | Director | US$0 (recent filings) |
| Joseph Koren | Director | US$0 (recent filings) |
| Jason Kampf | Director | US$0 (recent filings) |
| Ali Naqvi | Director | US$0 (recent filings); previously described as Young Leadership chair |
| Chris Sacarabany | Executive Director | US$155,769 (2023); US$158,943 (2019); listed US$0 on 2024 officer schedule |
| Valerie Nash | Chief of Staff | US$140,192 (2023); US$121,204 + other US$17,856 (2022) |
| Robert J. Cyruli | Counsel | Listed on late-1990s letterhead |
| Darwin N. Davis | Vice President | Listed on 1999 report letterhead |
| Stephanie Shnay | Secretary | Listed on 1999 report letterhead |
| Edward Yardeni | Treasurer | Listed on 1999 report letterhead |
| Lawrence D. Kopp | Executive Director | Listed on 1999 report letterhead |
| Walter Ruby | Programme officer | Listed by C-SPAN in connection with organisation programming |
GuideStar's 18 September 2025 board extract named Ali Naqvi and David Renzer as directors.[2]
Funding
The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding is funded almost entirely by contributions. Form 990 data compiled by ProPublica show contributions as 100 per cent, or nearly 100 per cent, of revenue in recent years. Individual major donors are not itemised on the public Form 990 (Schedule B is not published).[6]
Documented cash grants and family gifts
| Grantmaker / donor | Period | Amount | Purpose / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Morris Companies | c. 1999 | not stated | Underwrote the 4th Annual Report on Black/Jewish Relations[8] |
| Tisch family / Laurence Tisch interests | cited 2003 | "major donations"; amount not published | Named by The Forward among family gifts with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jerusalem Foundation, Israel Museum and CLAL[21] |
| Jewish Communal Fund | year ended 30 June 2010 | US$12,000 | Schedule of grants[12] |
| Robert and Myra Kraft Family Foundation | 2013 | US$25,000 | Listed by FFEU among 2013 Kraft Jewish grants of US$25,000 each, with the Anti-Defamation League, MEMRI and UJA-Federation of New York[22] |
| Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith | announced 30 September 2015 | amount not published | Announced by Russell Simmons at a Hollywood fundraiser in his home; earmarked for Christmas Day meals for homeless people in Los Angeles[23] |
| Morrison and Foerster Foundation | identified January 2025 | US$12,500 | Cause IQ / Form 990 data[24] |
| Leon H. Charney Foundation | tax period 2025 | US$1,000 | General purpose[24] |
Board convenors and New York cultural / entertainment networks
Joseph Papp co-founded the organisation in 1989; the group still gives a Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award.[5][23] No retrieved filing shows a cash grant from the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Public Theater, or a Papp “legacy” foundation.
Russell Simmons became chairman in 2002, hosted fundraisers at his New York and Hollywood homes, and recruited entertainment-industry donors.[6][25][23][26] No itemised grant from the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation or Rush Communications was found. Treat as convenor / in-kind host.
Benjamin Bronfman was honoured at a March 2013 young-leadership benefit at Russell Simmons's home.[27] No grant from the Samuel Bronfman Foundation or other Edgar M. Bronfman interests to FFEU appears on retrieved recipient lists.
West Asia and other diplomatic partners (largely in-kind)
Public US Form 990s do not list Gulf or other foreign ministries as cash grantors. Unless a payment is shown, treat their role as access, hospitality, co-sponsorship and venues — in-kind, not formal donations.
- Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa / Bahraini hosts: palace audience 2011; synagogue mission 2018; special-adviser title 2018; Manama Peace to Prosperity delegation 2019.[13][4]
- Access Marc Schneier attributes to the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, extending to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.[1][4]
- Post-Accords meetings with US-based ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.[19]
- Islamic Society of North America (US programme partner).[3]
- European Jewish Congress and Grande Mosquée de Paris (2012 Paris gathering co-organisers).[11]
Cash-grant claims for the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Kazakhstan were not itemised on retrieved filings.
Finances
Selected financial results:[6]
| Year ending Dec. | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Liabilities | Net assets | President compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,378,933 | 1,345,715 | 356,949 | 659,136 | −302,187 | 442,847 |
| 2023 | 1,687,736 | 1,359,809 | 296,500 | 631,905 | −335,405 | 444,270 |
| 2022 | 1,060,426 | 1,137,927 | 501,009 | 185,956 | 315,053 | 259,615 |
| 2020 | 1,402,528 | 1,783,353 | 220,671 | 336,591 | −115,920 | 513,615 |
| 2019 | 1,433,009 | 1,636,275 | 331,849 | 66,944 | 264,905 | 514,964 |
| 2016 | 747,395 | 1,155,847 | 24,656 | 281,956 | −257,300 | 395,303 |
| 2015 | 932,979 | 1,093,755 | 8,539 | 198,692 | −190,153 | 0 (related 390,506) |
In April 2016 The Forward reported that public-relations consultants Matt Dorf and Steve Rabinowitz, who had represented the organisation from 2008 to 2011, said they were owed US$91,951.90, with some invoices dating to 2009, and that the organisation's then-latest returns showed liabilities of US$247,000 against assets of about US$30,000. The article noted that Marc Schneier earned US$257,000 in 2013.[14] Filings for 2023–2024 again show negative net assets and executive compensation equal to roughly one-third of expenses.[6]
The organisation has also made small outbound grants (for example US$7,500 to JBS Jewish Broadcasting Service, US$5,000 to Women in Film and Video and US$5,000 to the NYC Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee in 2020, described as Muslim/Jewish relations programme support).[24]
Publications
- Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community (1999), Marc Schneier, preface by Martin Luther King III.[5]
- Annual reports on Black–Jewish relations (late 1990s), including the 4th annual report on 1999 with a foreword by Hugh Price.[8]
- Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims (2013), Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali, foreword by Bill Clinton.[4]
- Columns by Marc Schneier in Arab News.[3]
Criticism and controversies
The Forward (2016) treated unpaid vendor claims and a weak balance sheet as evidence of financial strain at a charity that continued to pay a high presidential salary relative to its size.[14] Subsequent Form 990s show recurring negative net assets and presidential pay of about US$440,000–515,000 in several years.[6]
Marc Schneier's close identification with Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and other Gulf rulers has been presented by the organisation as interfaith diplomacy. The same posture has drawn scrutiny when Gulf partners face accusations over domestic repression; a 2013 Forward report on a related Schneier-family award controversy noted prior criticism of Marc Schneier's 2012 praise of the King of Bahrain as "a role model in the Arab world for coexistence".[28]
Independent, published evaluations of the long-term effect of Weekend of Twinning or of the organisation's claimed role in the Abraham Accords are scarce. Outcome claims rest largely on the organisation's own materials and on Marc Schneier's interviews.[1][15]
Contact
1 East 93rd Street, Suite 1C New York, NY 10128 United States Website: https://www.ffeu.org/
See also
- Marc Schneier
- Joseph Papp
- Russell Simmons
- Abraham Accords
- Islamic Society of North America
- European Jewish Congress
- Jewish Communal Fund
External links
- Official website
- IRS Form 990 filings (ProPublica)
- GuideStar profile
- C-SPAN organisation page
- FFEU on Facebook
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Our Mission Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 GuideStar, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding GuideStar, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Foundation For Ethnic Understanding Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Ray Hanania, American rabbi with close ties to Gulf sees economics as the foundation for peace Arab News / Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 25 June 2019.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 1989-2000 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 ProPublica, Foundation For Ethnic Understanding Nonprofit Explorer, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish Groups Launch Efforts to Help Burned Black Churches Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 20 June 1996.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 4th Annual Report on Black/Jewish Relations in the United States in 1999 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 1999/2000.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Michael Conlon, U.S. Jews and Muslims seek paths to harmony Reuters, 24 December 2007.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Julia Duin, Rabbis, imams visit U.S. for dialogue The Washington Times, 20 July 2009.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 European Jewish Fund, EJF brochure 2012 European Jewish Fund, 2012.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jewish Communal Fund, Annual Report 2010 Jewish Communal Fund, 2010, schedule of grants.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Rabbi Marc Schneier Leads First-Ever Synagogue Mission To Gulf State PR Newswire, 12 February 2018.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Josh Nathan-Kazis, Does $90K Unpaid Debt Signal Trouble at Rabbi Marc Schneier’s Charity? The Forward, 28 April 2016.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Ynetnews, Rabbi to Bahrain king: Manama will be next to normalize Israel ties Ynetnews, 20 August 2020.
- ↑ Reuters, Rapper Jay-Z: Anti-Semitism not cool Ynetnews, 1 May 2006.
- ↑ C-SPAN, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding C-SPAN, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Gulf states look to Israel to be their defender and protector Foundation for Ethnic Understanding / Arutz Sheva interview summary, 22 September 2020.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Marc Schneier, Abraham Accords about people, not politicians Khaleej Times / Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 8 July 2021.
- ↑ Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Board of Trustees Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Nacha Cattan, Billionaire Philanthropist Laurence Tisch Dies at 80 The Forward, 21 November 2003.
- ↑ Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, What Patriots owner Robert Kraft has done for the Jews Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 23 November 2015.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Margaret Lenker, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Donate to the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding Variety, 5 October 2015.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCauseIQ - ↑ Inside Philanthropy, Russell Simmons Inside Philanthropy, 26 July 2021.
- ↑ Variety, Russell Simmons and Rabbi Team to Reconcile Communities Variety, 4 August 2016.
- ↑ Black Tie Magazine, The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding Black Tie Magazine, 19 March 2013.
- ↑ Josh Nathan-Kazis, Why Did Jewish Group Give Award to Indonesian Blamed for Fanning Hatred? The Forward, 21 May 2013.