Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation

Quick Stats

• Charity Number: 1098839
• Annual Income: £124,538 (year ending 30 June 2024)
• Annual Expenditure: £121,806 (year ending 30 June 2024)
• Grant-Making: Makes grants to individuals and organisations
• Geographic Focus: London, primarily N16 area (Hackney/Stamford Hill)
• Application Process: No public application process - trustee discretion

Contact Details

Address: Flat 4 Alexander House, 104 Bouverie Road, London N16 0AQ

Phone: 020 8809 5782

Charity Commission Register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1098839&subid=0

Overview

The Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation is a UK registered charity (number 1098839) established to serve the Orthodox Jewish community in London, particularly in the Hackney/Stamford Hill area. The charity operates as a grant-making trust, providing financial support to both individuals and organisations within the Jewish community. With an annual expenditure of approximately £121,806 (2024), the trust focuses on poverty relief, religious advancement, and education within the Orthodox Jewish faith tradition. The charity is named after Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (known as the Chofetz Chaim), a renowned Jewish scholar and ethicist. The trust operates with three trustees and two volunteers, with no trustees receiving remuneration for their services.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation operates as a private grant-making trust without distinct named grant programs. Grants are awarded at trustee discretion to both individuals and organisations.

Grant-Making Approach: Private foundation model - grants awarded through trustee connections and knowledge of community needs rather than through competitive application rounds.

Priority Areas

Based on the charity's registered objects, the trust supports:

1. Relief of Poverty: Supporting persons in conditions of need, hardship, and distress within the Jewish community
2. Religious Advancement: Advancing the Jewish Orthodox religion
3. Education: Advancing education according to the beliefs and values of the Orthodox Jewish faith

Beneficiary Groups

The charity specifically helps:

• Children and young people
• Elderly/older people
• People of a particular ethnic or racial origin (specifically the Jewish Orthodox community)
• Individuals and families experiencing poverty within the community

What They Don't Fund

While the charity does not publish explicit exclusions, as a trust focused on the Orthodox Jewish community, funding is directed toward Orthodox Jewish individuals, institutions, and causes. The trust does not appear to support:

• Secular causes unrelated to Jewish Orthodox community needs
• Organizations or individuals outside the Orthodox Jewish community
• General charitable causes without connection to their stated objects

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Governance and Leadership

Structure: The charity operates as a registered trust with three trustees and two volunteers.

Governance: No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trust operates without trading subsidiaries.

Trustee Names: The Charity Commission register does not publicly display the specific names of trustees in the search results, though this information is typically available in the full charity filings.

Location: The charity operates from an address in the N16 postcode area of London, which encompasses Stamford Hill - an area known for its significant Orthodox Jewish community.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Important: The Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation does not have a public application process.

This charity operates as a private grant-making trust where funding decisions are made at the discretion of the trustees. Like many Orthodox Jewish charitable trusts in the UK (similar to the Isaac and Freda Frankel Memorial Charitable Trust and ADAR Charitable Trust), grants are typically awarded to individuals and organisations already known to the trustees through existing community connections.

The charity does not:

• Accept unsolicited applications
• Operate an online application portal
• Have published application deadlines or guidelines
• Respond to general funding inquiries from organizations outside their existing network

Getting on Their Radar

For organisations working within the Orthodox Jewish community in London (particularly the Hackney/Stamford Hill area), being known to the trustees is essential. The trust appears to fund causes and individuals within their immediate community knowledge base. Organizations should establish a track record of service within the Orthodox Jewish community and build relationships with other Orthodox Jewish institutions and communal leaders who may have connections to the trustees.

For individuals experiencing hardship within the Jewish community, referrals typically come through local rabbis and religious leaders, other Jewish community organizations providing support services, and community members with connections to the trustees.

Given the trust's location in the N16 area, they are likely most familiar with organizations and individuals in the Stamford Hill and surrounding Orthodox Jewish communities.

Application Success Factors

Since this funder does not accept public applications, the traditional concept of “application success factors” does not apply. However, understanding what the trustees value can help organisations position themselves within the community:

Community Connection and Trust

• Organizations must be well-established within the Orthodox Jewish community
• A proven track record of serving community members according to Orthodox Jewish values
• Recognition and endorsement from respected community leaders and rabbis

Alignment with Orthodox Jewish Values

• Activities must advance Orthodox Jewish education, religious practice, or community welfare
• Programs should demonstrate understanding of and adherence to Orthodox Jewish traditions and practices
• Support for individuals and families maintaining Orthodox Jewish lifestyles

Genuine Need

• Clear demonstration of poverty, hardship, or distress within the community
• Supporting the most vulnerable: elderly, children, families in crisis
• Educational needs aligned with Orthodox Jewish learning

Geographic Proximity

• Location in or service to the London Orthodox Jewish community, particularly the N16/Stamford Hill area
• Organizations serving the immediate community are likely prioritized

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Public Applications: This trust does not accept unsolicited applications or operate an open grant program. Traditional grant-seeking approaches will not be effective.

• Private Trust Model: Funding is distributed through trustee discretion based on their knowledge of community needs and existing relationships.

• Community Focus: The trust serves the Orthodox Jewish community in London, with particular connection to the N16/Stamford Hill area.

• Dual Beneficiaries: Makes grants to both individuals (poverty relief) and organisations (religious, educational, and poverty relief work).

• Small-Scale Operation: With annual expenditure around £121,000, this is a modest grant-maker focused on specific community needs rather than large-scale institutional funding.

• Community Embeddedness Required: Only organizations and individuals already known within the Orthodox Jewish community ecosystem are likely to receive support.

• Relationship-Based: Similar to other Orthodox Jewish charitable trusts, relationships and community connections are the primary pathway to support, not competitive application processes.

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• NES FOUNDATION LTD
• The Vivienne and Samuel Cohen Charitable Trust
• THE D M CHARITABLE TRUST
• ZICHRON YECHESKEL TRUST (ZYT)
• The Zichron Usher Memorial Fund
• C E K STERN CHARITABLE TRUST
• Before Trust
• ITZCHOK MEYER CYMERMAN TRUST LIMITED
• Highcroft Charitable Trust
• CMSB Charitable Trust

References

• UK Charity Commission Register - Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation (Charity No. 1098839): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1098839&subid=0 (Accessed 19 March 2026)

• Charity Choice Directory - Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation: https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/chofetz-chaim-trust-foundation-54441 (Accessed 19 March 2026)

• Benevity Causes - Chofetz Chaim Trust Foundation: https://causes.benevity.org/causes/826-1098839 (Accessed 19 March 2026)

• Charity Commission financial data: Most recent filing for year ending 30 June 2024 showing income of £124,538 and expenditure of £121,806

• Charity Commission charitable objects and activities data indicating grant-making to both individuals and organisations, serving children/young people, elderly, and people of particular ethnic/racial origin within the Jewish community