The Montefiore Endowment

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £652,426 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not disclosed (trustee discretion)
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: UK with focus on London and national Orthodox Jewish community
• Application Type: No public application process - trustee discretion and invitation only

Contact Details

Address: Schaller House Campus, 44a Albert Road, London NW4 2SJ

Phone: 020 3637 5530

Email: administrator@montefioreendowment.org.uk

Website: www.montefioreendowment.org.uk

Overview

The Montefiore Endowment (registered charity 1113038) was established in 2006 as a charitable company to preserve and develop the legacy of Sir Moses Montefiore, originally founded through his Deed of Foundation in 1866. The charity has total annual expenditure of approximately £667,111 (2024) with substantial investment assets generating £172,205 in investment income annually. The Endowment's mission is to “promote higher Torah learning for future rabbis, teachers and lay leaders” while teaching “values of tolerance, social harmony and mutual understanding” within the Orthodox Jewish community. The charity operates through two main streams: maintaining the historic Montefiore Synagogue and Mausoleum at Ramsgate (along with significant collections of manuscripts, silver, and textiles), and running educational programs through the Judith Lady Montefiore College. The Endowment makes grants to other Jewish educational institutions including the London School of Jewish Studies and Manchester Montefiore Kollel, and provides grants and interest-free loans to yeshivas. Under the leadership of Chairman Alan Bekhor and Vice-Chairman Isaac Levy, the charity employs 5 staff members and is governed by 8 trustees.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Montefiore Endowment does not operate open grant programs with public application processes. However, they provide funding through several streams:

Institutional Grants (amounts not publicly disclosed)

• Grants to Jewish educational institutions with aligned aims
• Known recipients include London School of Jewish Studies and Manchester Montefiore Kollel
• Grants and interest-free loans to yeshivas
• Awards made through trustee discretion

Individual Scholarships

• Semicha Course Scholarships: Full course fee coverage (approximately £20,000 per year per student) - automatically granted to enrolled students
• Gap-Year Fellowships: Approximately 10 merit-based fellowships annually for school-leavers studying in Jerusalem - application through partner institutions only
• PhD Scholarship Programme: For community rabbis and educationalists - amount not disclosed

Priority Areas

Educational Focus:

• Advanced study of Judaism and Orthodox Jewish law
• Training rabbis, ministers, and teachers for the Anglo-Jewish community
• Rabbinic training (Semicha programmes)
• Advanced halachic training (Dayanut programmes)
• Jewish leadership development
• Torah education for lay men and women
• Support for yeshivas and Jewish seminaries

Institutional Support:

• Jewish educational institutions with similar charitable aims
• Organizations promoting Orthodox Jewish education in the UK
• Programs that develop community leaders and educators

Values Emphasis:

The charity emphasizes programs that teach “tolerance, mutual understanding, social harmony and integration” alongside Orthodox Jewish education.

What They Don't Fund

• Non-Jewish educational institutions
• Organizations outside the Orthodox Jewish community
• General charitable causes unrelated to Jewish education
• Individual maintenance beyond educational scholarships

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Governance and Leadership

Current Trustees (as of 2024)

• Alan Bekhor - Chairman (appointed November 2013)
• Isaac Levy - Vice-Chairman (appointed November 2013)
• Ruth Jacqueline Basrawy JP - Trustee (appointed January 2024)
• Daniel Richard Murad Sopher - Trustee (appointed April 2022)
• Daniel Kessler - Trustee (appointed April 2022)
• Charlotte Hannah Green - Trustee (appointed May 2018)
• Rick Sopher - Trustee
• Pamela Sinyor - Trustee

Former Leadership

• Lucien Gubbay M.A. (Oxon) - recently retired as Chairman, now Honorary Life President

Organizational Structure

The charity is run by the Board of Trustees assisted by an advisory Council. The organization employs 5 staff members and engages 2 volunteers. No trustees receive remuneration from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: This funder does not have a public application process for organizational grants.

Grants to institutions appear to be awarded through:

• Trustee discretion and initiative
• Pre-existing relationships with the Endowment
• Identification of organizations with aligned charitable aims

For individual scholarships:

• Semicha Course: Automatically awarded to enrolled students
• Gap-Year Fellowships: Applications must be made through partner institutions (Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, Midreshet Harova, Yeshivat HaKotel, or Midreshet Tehilah). The Endowment states: “Applications made directly to the Montefiore Endowment cannot be considered.”
• PhD Programme: Contact the Endowment directly for information

Getting on Their Radar

While there is no public application process, organizations seeking to build relationships with the Endowment should note:

Alignment is Critical:

• The charity supports “other organisations and courses with similar aims to its own”
• Focus must be on Orthodox Jewish education, particularly rabbinic training, Torah study, or Jewish leadership development
• Organizations must be established for charitable purposes

Current Known Partners:

• London School of Jewish Studies
• Manchester Montefiore Kollel
• Eretz Hemdah Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem
• Four partner seminaries/yeshivot in Jerusalem for Gap-Year Programme

Potential Relationship-Building Approaches:

• Organizations operating in Orthodox Jewish education might consider reaching out to the Administrator to introduce their work
• Demonstrating alignment with the Endowment's values of “tolerance, mutual understanding, social harmony and integration” alongside Orthodox Jewish education
• Establishing connections with current trustees who are active in the Orthodox Jewish educational community

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Decisions are made at trustee meetings on a discretionary basis.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The charity does not publish information about the number of applications received versus grants awarded, as there is no formal application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the absence of a public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since there is no public application process, the following factors appear important for organizations that might be considered for funding:

Demonstrated Alignment with Mission:

The Endowment's charitable objects explicitly include “making grants to any institution of further education which provides such education and is established for charitable purposes.” Organizations must clearly demonstrate focus on Orthodox Jewish education, particularly rabbinic training or advanced Torah study.

Track Record in Jewish Education:

Current known grant recipients (London School of Jewish Studies, Manchester Montefiore Kollel) are established, reputable institutions in Orthodox Jewish education. This suggests the Endowment favors organizations with proven track records.

Values Alignment:

The Endowment emphasizes promoting “values of tolerance, social harmony and mutual understanding” - organizations should demonstrate these values alongside traditional Orthodox Jewish education.

Geographic Focus:

While the Endowment supports some Jerusalem-based institutions for specific programs, the core mission focuses on "future rabbis, teachers and lay leaders of the 'orthodox' Jewish community" in the UK, particularly the Anglo-Jewish community.

Educational Quality and Innovation:

The PhD Scholarship Programme description mentions “enhancing capacity to inspire others and apply innovative approaches to programme development,” suggesting the Endowment values educational innovation alongside traditional learning.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - this charity awards grants through trustee discretion, not open applications
• Focus is exclusively Orthodox Jewish education - particularly rabbinic training, Torah study, and Jewish leadership development
• Institutional grants appear selective - only two external organizations are publicly named as recipients
• Relationship-based funding model - grants likely flow from pre-existing relationships and trustee knowledge of organizations
• Substantial resources available - with annual charitable expenditure over £650,000 and significant investment income, the Endowment has considerable capacity
• Values matter - alignment with “tolerance, mutual understanding, social harmony and integration” alongside Orthodox education is emphasized
• Consider an introductory approach - organizations with aligned aims might contact the Administrator to introduce their work, though there are no guarantees this will lead to funding consideration

References

• The Charity Commission, “Charity overview, THE MONTEFIORE ENDOWMENT - 1113038,” Register of Charities, https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?subid=0&regid=1113038
• The Montefiore Endowment, “Montefiore Endowment – Preserving and developing the legacy of Sir Moses Montefiore,” https://www.montefioreendowment.org.uk/
• The Montefiore Endowment, “The Montefiore Endowment,” https://www.montefioreendowment.org.uk/sirmoses/endowment/
• The Montefiore Endowment, “Scholarships,” https://www.montefioreendowment.org.uk/scholarships/
• The Montefiore Endowment, “The Gap-Year Fellowship Scheme,” https://www.montefioreendowment.org.uk/college/fellowship/
• The Montefiore Endowment, “Contact us,” https://www.montefioreendowment.org.uk/sirmoses/ramsgate/contact/
• The Charity Commission, “Trustees, THE MONTEFIORE ENDOWMENT,” https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4020116/trustees
• Fundraiso, “THE MONTEFIORE ENDOWMENT,” https://www.fundraiso.com/en/organisations/the-montefiore-endowment