Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst
City-funded organization
The Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst is a Brooklyn nonprofit that says it has served the community for more than 90 years, running children and teen programs, workforce development and adult literacy, senior programming, mental health support groups and summer camps from its building at 7802 Bay Parkway in Brooklyn, according to its own website. It holds $19.8 million in active New York City contracts as of August 2026, including a Department of Youth and Community Development Train and Earn RFP contract and a Department for the Aging Older Adult Center contract, part of $45 million the city has awarded it since 2012, including expired contracts, across the Department for the Aging, Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Department of Youth and Community Development. 56% of that contract value ($25 million across 62 contracts) was awarded without a fresh competitive bid. It has also received $8 million in City Council discretionary funding across 186 awards, funded every year since FY2009, with Council Member Susan Zhuang its largest funder since FY2024 ($477,000 across 16 awards). Its CEO, Alex Budnitsky, was paid nearly
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $19,768,629 · 7 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $53,003,958 · 73 since 2012, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $31,970,269
- Won without a fresh bid
- 47% of contract value · $24,970,854 · 62 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $9,184,629 · 200 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $349,669 · Alex Budnitsky, CEO/Executive Director
- Based in
- Brooklyn, NY
Holds contracts at
- Department for the Aging City agency
- Department of Education City agency
- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- COMPASS Programs in Public Schools - Elementary Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278801710 $8,342,784
- Train and Earn RFP Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020258806220 $5,476,275
- COMPASS Center Based Elementary School Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278801127 $2,331,072
- COMPASS Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800551 $1,441,126
- OLDER ADULT CENTER Department for the Aging · CT112520278800252 $1,041,425
- SYEP Continuation Plan Contract Consolidation for Community Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268806785 $911,938
- FY27 NAE for Recreation OPWDD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620278800458 $224,009
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · CT104020229251525 · ended 2026 $6,459,599
- PROVIDE OLDER ADULT CENTER SERVICES Department for the Aging · CT112520228804647 · ended 2024 $2,808,950
- PROVIDE CONGREGATE LUNCH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO OLDER ADULTS Department for the Aging · CT112520170000722 · ended 2019 $1,996,031
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Adult Literacy Pilot Project Adult Literacy Pilot Project · DYCD · FY2025 $455,508
- Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Pilot Project) Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Pilot Project) · DYCD · FY2026 $455,508
- NYC RISE with Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Initiative and Adult Literacy Forward) NYC RISE with Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Initiative and Adult Literacy Forward) · DYCD · FY2027 $455,508
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2022 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2023 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2024 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2025 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2026 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2027 $214,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2020 $194,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2021 $194,100
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2018 $165,000
- Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2019 $165,000
- Good Neighbors NNORC Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) · DFTA · FY2017 $129,000
- Good Neighbors NNORC Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) · DFTA · FY2018 $129,000
- Good Neighbors NORC Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) · DFTA · FY2019 $129,000
- Good Neighbors NORC Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) · DFTA · FY2020 $129,000
- Good Neighbors NORC Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) · DFTA · FY2021 $129,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2020 $125,000
- Holocaust Survivors Holocaust Survivors · DFTA · FY2016 $120,000
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Susan Zhuang FY2024-2027 · 23 awards $694,000
- Kagan FY2022-2023 · 11 awards $192,333
- Treyger FY2020-2021 · 8 awards $160,666
- Brannan FY2020-2026 · 15 awards $137,500
- Kalman Yeger FY2020-2025 · 6 awards $30,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2023). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Alex Budnitsky CEO/Executive Director $349,669
- Gelena Blishteyn COO/ Associate Executive D $258,909
- Violetta Shmulenzon Assistant Executive Direct $242,622
- Jay Borenstein Director Of Finance $195,443
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +36% from FY2020 to FY2023. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Alex Budnitsky · 7.54% of revenue $293,243
- FY2021 Alex Budnitsky · 5.5% of revenue $276,957
- FY2022 Alex Budnitsky · 6.07% of revenue $311,742
- FY2023 Alex Budnitsky · 7.02% of revenue $349,669
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- Department of Homeland Security 97.010 Citizenship Education and Training · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services · Grant $179,999