Keren Hatzolo

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £388,230 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not applicable (no public application process)
• Decision Time: Not applicable (invitation/network-based)
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: Israel (exclusively)
• Beneficiary Type: Jewish educational institutions refusing Israeli government funding

Contact Details

Registered Address: First Floor, 94 Stamford Hill, London, N16 6XS

Charity Number: 289761

Note: This charity does not maintain a public website, email, or phone number for general inquiries. It operates within a closed community network.

Overview

KEREN HATZOLO (Charity Number 289761) is a UK-registered charity established as part of the Mosad Keren Hatzole network, founded by Satmar Rebbe Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum in 1979. The charity serves as a funding conduit supporting Jewish educational institutions (yeshivas and Torah schools) in Israel that, being ideologically opposed to the State of Israel, refuse government funding on principle.

With an annual income of £586,738 (2024) and grant expenditure of £388,230, the charity operates primarily by collecting donations from the Orthodox Jewish community in the UK, particularly in Stamford Hill, and distributing these funds to approximately 110-200 pre-identified educational institutions in Israel. The charity is affiliated with the Satmar Hasidic community and supports institutions where education is conducted entirely in Yiddish with no secular studies.

The organization operates as a pass-through fund within a closed religious network rather than as a grant-maker with an open application process. This reflects its specific ideological mission and community-based structure.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

KEREN HATZOLO does not operate formal grant programs with public application processes. Instead, it functions as a funding vehicle for a predetermined network of beneficiaries.

Priority Areas

• Al taharas ha'kodesh educational institutions: Schools that maintain ultra-Orthodox standards and remain outside Israel's Ministry of Education framework
• Anti-Zionist yeshivas and Torah schools: Institutions ideologically opposed to the State of Israel
• Yiddish-medium education: Schools conducting education entirely in Yiddish
• Institutions refusing state funding: Educational bodies that deliberately reject Israeli government money for ideological reasons

Beneficiary Characteristics

Funded institutions typically:

• Are located in Israel
• Provide no secular education
• Maintain strict ultra-Orthodox educational standards
• Have ideological opposition to accepting Israeli government funding
• Are part of the Satmar or aligned Hasidic networks

What They Don't Fund

• UK-based organizations or projects
• Educational institutions that accept Israeli government funding
• Organizations outside the Jewish religious education sector
• General charitable projects or causes
• Secular educational institutions
• Organizations without pre-existing connections to the Satmar network

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Governance and Leadership

The charity is governed by 2 trustees who operate within the Satmar community framework. No trustees receive remuneration or payments for their services. The charity has no employees with benefits over £60,000 and operates without trading subsidiaries.

The charity maintains a lean operational structure, with fundraising costs of £157,830 (27% of income) and charitable expenditure of £388,230 (66% of income) in the 2024 financial year.

The broader Mosad Keren Hatzole network, of which this charity is part, was founded by Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum as "a dedicated philanthropic engine to support al taharas ha'kodesh educational institutions across Israel.“ The Satmar community has described this mission as supporting ”mosdos that deliberately remain outside the funding framework of the Israeli Ministry of Education."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

KEREN HATZOLO operates as a closed network fund within the Satmar Hasidic community. Grants are distributed to a predetermined list of approximately 110-200 educational institutions in Israel that are already known to and affiliated with the Satmar movement.

The charity does not:

• Accept unsolicited applications
• Publish application guidelines or criteria
• Maintain public contact information for grant inquiries
• Review proposals from organizations outside its existing network
• Fund UK-based projects or organizations

Distributions are typically coordinated through the Satmar leadership and administered through offices such as the Badatz Eidah HaChareidis in Jerusalem. Recent annual distributions have reached $5 million USD, distributed to institutions that meet the charity's ideological criteria.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are distributed to pre-identified beneficiaries rather than through a competitive application process.

Success Rates

Not applicable - there is no open application process to generate success rate statistics.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the charity does not accept applications from outside its existing network.

Application Success Factors

For UK grant writers: This charity is not accessible as a funding source for general UK charitable organizations or projects seeking grants.

The charity operates as a single-purpose funding vehicle serving a specific ideological and community function. It is effectively closed to organizations that are not:

1. Jewish educational institutions in Israel
2. Ideologically opposed to the State of Israel and refusing government funding
3. Part of or aligned with the Satmar Hasidic network
4. Conducting education entirely in Yiddish with ultra-Orthodox standards

There are no application success factors because there is no application process available to external organizations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Not a funding opportunity: This charity does not offer accessible grant funding for UK organizations or general charitable projects
• Closed network operation: Functions as a pass-through fund within the Satmar Hasidic community serving a predetermined list of beneficiaries
• Single-purpose vehicle: Exclusively supports Jewish educational institutions in Israel that refuse Israeli government funding for ideological reasons
• No public application process: Does not accept unsolicited applications or maintain public contact channels
• Community-specific: Donations are collected primarily from the Stamford Hill Satmar community and distributed to aligned institutions in Israel
• Ideological criteria: Beneficiaries must be ideologically opposed to the State of Israel and committed to ultra-Orthodox educational standards without secular content
• Not suitable for grant-seeking: UK grant writers should not consider this as a potential funder unless their organization precisely matches the highly specific criteria and has pre-existing connections to the Satmar network

References

• UK Charity Commission Register, Charity Number 289761, KEREN HATZOLO, https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/289761
• “Mosad Keren Hatzole,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosad_Keren_Hatzole
• “Satmar to Distribute $5 Million to Taharas HaKodesh Chinuch Institutions in Israel,” Matzav.com, https://matzav.com/satmar-to-distribute-5-million-to-taharas-hakodesh-chinuch-institutions-in-israel/
• "Satmar Rebbe Of Kiryas Yoel To Give $5 Million In Eretz Yisroel To Mosdos Who Don't Take Money From Israel," The Yeshiva World
• Companies House UK, KEREN HATZOLO LIMITED (Company Number 15480355)