Embrace The Middle East

Charity Number: 1076329

Annual Expenditure: £4.2M
Geographic Focus: Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Income: £5,780,000 (2024)
  • Annual Charitable Expenditure: £4,220,000 (approximately 85% on grants to partners)
  • Number of Partners: Over 40 active partners
  • Geographic Focus: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory
  • Partnership Model: Invitation-based, long-term strategic partnerships
  • Foundation: 1854 (as Turkish Missions Aid Society)

Contact Details

Main Office:

  • Address: Old Library Building, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BG
  • Phone: 01494 897950
  • Email: info@embraceme.org
  • Website: www.embraceme.org
  • Operating Hours: Monday – Friday 9:30 - 16:00

Press Enquiries: editor@embraceme.org

Job Enquiries: vacancies@embraceme.org

Company Number: 03706037

Charity Number: 1076329

Overview

Embrace the Middle East, founded in 1854 as the Turkish Missions Aid Society and renamed from BibleLands in 2012, is an ecumenical Christian development charity with over 170 years' experience supporting vulnerable and marginalized communities across the Middle East. With an annual income of £5.78 million (2024), the charity allocates approximately 85% of its resources to grants and charitable activities supporting 40+ Christian partner organizations across five countries. Their mission is rooted in Christ's call to “care for those most in need” (Matthew 25:40), working through local Christian communities to deliver lasting transformation through education, healthcare, and community development projects. The organization has evolved from a mission society to a partnership-based charity, emphasizing sitting “at the table as equals, in an alliance of fellowship” with their partners. Their work responds to urgent humanitarian needs while advocating for justice and human rights for marginalized populations in the region.

Funding Priorities

Partnership Approach

Embrace the Middle East does not operate an open grants programme. Instead, they work through established, long-term strategic partnerships with Christian organizations across the Middle East. With over 40 current partners, they provide funding and support for locally-led projects that align with their three core focus areas.

Priority Areas

1. Education

  • Specialist education for children with disabilities
  • Schools and educational institutions serving vulnerable communities
  • Literacy and skills development
  • Educational support lifting people out of poverty

2. Healthcare

  • Primary healthcare services
  • Hospital and specialist medical care
  • Rehabilitation programmes
  • Mother and baby healthcare
  • Mental health and wellbeing services
  • Support for people with disabilities

3. Community Development

  • Women's empowerment programmes
  • Livelihoods and employment support
  • Humanitarian assistance in crisis contexts
  • Social inclusion initiatives
  • Reconciliation programmes
  • Human rights advocacy
  • Climate change awareness

Regional Distribution

Egypt (10 partners): Women's empowerment, education, mother & baby healthcare, social inclusion for people with disabilities

Iraq (3 partners): Livelihoods support, healthcare, climate change awareness

Lebanon (9 partners): Education, livelihoods support, humanitarian assistance, disability services, women's empowerment

Israel and Palestine (19 partners): Primary healthcare, specialist disability services, education, reconciliation, human rights advocacy

Syria (2 partners): Healthcare, wellbeing and psychological support

Known Partner Organizations

Caritas Jerusalem, East Jerusalem YMCA, Kairos Britain, JAI Olive Tree Project, Near East Council of Churches, Palestinian Bible Society, Al-Ahli Hospital (Gaza City), Diocese of Jerusalem

What They Don't Fund

As Embrace the Middle East works exclusively through Christian partner organizations in the Middle East region, they do not fund:

  • Organizations outside their five countries of operation
  • Non-Christian organizations (though services are provided to people of all faiths and none)
  • Organizations without established relationships or connections
  • Direct applications from organizations not already on their radar
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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Jamie Eyre, Chief Executive Officer

  • Joined Embrace in 2013, became CEO in July 2024
  • Previously Director of Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy
  • Background with international NGOs in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia
  • On Gaza crisis response: “We were able to provide funds for medicines at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, which is run by the Diocese of Jerusalem, and we also provided extra funds to cover the costs of overtime because staff have been working 24/7.”

Dr. Ruth Valerio, Director of Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy

  • Joined August 2024
  • Previous experience with A Rocha UK and Tearfund
  • Expertise in poverty and environmental issues

Ian Livett, Director of Fundraising

  • Joined 2022
  • 15+ years fundraising and marketing experience with faith-based organizations

Sam Mackwell, Director of Shared Services

  • 15 years IT systems and data insights experience

Board of Trustees

John Mitchell OBE (Chair)

  • Background in banking, international development, British Council director
  • International experience in Nepal, Hungary, Zambia

Victoria Smith (Treasurer)

  • Fellow of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
  • Recently retired NHS Finance Director

Other Trustees:

  • Janet Bolton: HR professional with 40+ years experience, humanitarian NGO background
  • Sorcha Connell: Communications specialist in faith-based organizations
  • Rev Josh Harris: Priest in London, governance reform background
  • Rev Dr James Hawkey: Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey
  • Rev Munther Isaac: Regional Advisor, Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian from Bethlehem

Patrons:

  • Archbishop Angaelos OBE
  • Bishop Christopher Chessun
  • Rev David Coffey OBE
  • Timothy Radcliffe OP
  • Bishop Rachel Treweek (appointed 2025) - “Her dedication to justice, dignity, and advocacy for the marginalised aligns perfectly with our mission” - Jamie Eyre, CEO

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

Embrace the Middle East works through established, long-term partnerships with Christian organizations in the Middle East. They do not accept unsolicited applications or operate an open grants programme. Their 40+ partnerships have been developed over many years through relationship-building, referrals, and the organization's deep networks in the region since 1854.

Grants are provided to partner organizations through an internal partnership management process overseen by the Director of Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy and the programme and partnerships team.

Getting on Their Radar

Regional Connection Required: All partners are Christian organizations based in and operating within Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, or the occupied Palestinian territory.

Partnership Philosophy: Embrace emphasizes mutuality, describing their approach as “bread and salt between us” - sitting at the table as equals in fellowship. They seek partners who are “courageous, inspired, creative and skilled” and “inspired by the Gospel.”

Organizational Contact: Organizations seeking to explore potential partnership should contact:

  • Email: info@embraceme.org
  • Phone: 01494 897950

Be prepared to demonstrate:

  • Christian organizational identity and Gospel-inspired mission
  • Established track record delivering services in one of their three focus areas (education, healthcare, community development)
  • Work with vulnerable and marginalized populations in the Middle East
  • Alignment with their values of justice, dignity, and transformation
  • Local embeddedness and community connections in the region

Note: Given their focus on long-term strategic partnerships rather than project grants, organizations should approach with realistic expectations about the time required to build relationships and demonstrate alignment.

Application Success Factors

Funder-Specific Priorities

1. Christian Identity and Ecumenical Approach

  • All partners must be “inspired by the Gospel”
  • The organization is ecumenical, working across Christian denominations
  • Services are delivered to “people of all faiths and none”
  • Strong emphasis on faith-rooted motivation for justice and service

2. Partnership as Core Value

"Partnership is at the centre of Embrace's vision of transformation“ - they seek equal relationships, not top-down donor-recipient dynamics. The metaphor ”bread and salt between us" reflects Middle Eastern hospitality and covenant relationship.

3. Focus on Marginalized and Excluded

Every page of their history “voices an advocacy for people of the Biblical lands who suffered and continue to suffer injustice, neglect, migration and demoralisation.” Partners must serve “those most forgotten and on the margins.”

4. Local Christian Leadership

All partners are locally-led Christian organizations embedded in their communities, not UK or international organizations delivering services in the region.

5. Three Focus Areas with Clear Alignment

Projects must fit clearly within education, healthcare, or community development. Recent examples include:

  • Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City (healthcare, emergency response)
  • SIRA team specialist education (disability education)
  • Women's empowerment programmes (community development)

6. Advocacy and Justice Commitment

Partners are expected to engage with advocacy work. Embrace states: “Where there is a need – for refuge, a home, for health care, for education, for justice and human rights – Embrace, with their partners, respond.” They are part of coalitions like the “Stop Trade with Settlements” campaign.

7. Long-Term Commitment

The organization has maintained partnerships for many years, suggesting they value sustained relationships over short-term projects. Their 170-year history demonstrates commitment to the region through multiple conflicts and challenges.

8. Crisis Response Capacity

Recent funding for overtime costs at Al-Ahli Hospital and humanitarian assistance in Lebanon demonstrates willingness to provide flexible, rapid funding for partners facing emergencies.

Language and Values

The organization uses language emphasizing:

  • Transformation and dignity
  • Fellowship and equality in partnership
  • Justice and human rights
  • Love in action (rooted in Christ's teaching)
  • Courage, inspiration, and creativity in partners

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This is not a funder for unsolicited proposals. Only established Christian organizations in the Middle East with strong regional connections should explore partnership possibilities.
  • Christian Identity Essential: Both organizational identity and Gospel-inspired motivation are non-negotiable requirements for partnership.
  • Geographic Limitation: Work must be in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, or the occupied Palestinian territory - no exceptions.
  • Relationship-Based Funding: With only 40 partners across five countries built over 170 years, this is highly selective partnership-based grantmaking, not open competitive funding.
  • Three Focus Areas Only: Education, healthcare, and community development are the exclusive areas of support - proposals outside these will not be considered.
  • Partnership Equals, Not Recipients: Organizations should approach as potential long-term collaborative partners, not grant applicants. The “bread and salt between us” philosophy emphasizes mutuality.
  • Advocacy Expectation: Partners are expected to engage in justice and human rights advocacy alongside service delivery - this is not purely a service delivery funder.

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