← Back to US Funders Directory

The Ezrah Charitable Trust

Annual Giving
$8.4M
Grant Range
$25K - $3.3M

The Ezrah Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $8,375,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $3,300,000
  • Geographic Focus: International, with primary focus on Africa
  • Assets: $464 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: 831 E Morehead St, Suite 940, Charlotte, NC 28202

Note: This foundation does not have a public website or publicly listed contact information for grant applications. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Overview

The Ezrah Charitable Trust, formerly known as The Cohen Charitable Trust, is a private independent foundation established in 2016 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina. With assets of approximately $464 million, the foundation awarded $8.4 million through 13 grants in 2023. The foundation is dedicated to serving people burdened by poverty by providing catalytic support to high-impact implementing partners, with a particular emphasis on organizations improving economic livelihoods in Africa. The foundation focuses on the livelihoods and training sectors, supporting agricultural development, education-to-employment initiatives, and poverty alleviation programs primarily across the African continent.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Ezrah Charitable Trust operates on an invitation-only basis with no formal public grant programs. The foundation makes strategic grants ranging from $25,000 to over $3 million to carefully selected partner organizations.

2023 Grant Distribution:

  • Large-scale partnerships: $500,000 - $3,300,000 (multi-year relationships)
  • Mid-sized grants: $150,000 - $500,000 (established organizations)
  • Smaller strategic grants: $25,000 - $150,000 (specific projects)

Priority Areas

Agricultural Development & Livelihoods (Primary Focus):

  • Smallholder farmer support and agricultural financing
  • Tech-enabled savings models and mobile financial services for rural farmers
  • Regenerative agriculture and climate-smart farming
  • Market access and input loan programs for African farmers

Education & Employment:

  • Education-to-employment systems, particularly in Kenya
  • Technical training and digital skills development
  • Scholarship programs including Rhodes Scholarships in Africa

Economic Development:

  • Impact sourcing and employment for underserved communities
  • Financing and technical assistance for small agricultural businesses
  • Women's economic empowerment in construction trades

Social Justice & Humanitarian Aid:

  • Healthcare access in developing countries
  • Care for vulnerable children
  • Global equity and justice initiatives

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications from organizations. While specific exclusions are not publicly documented, their grant history indicates they do not fund:

  • Organizations outside their preselected network
  • Projects unrelated to poverty alleviation or economic development
  • Domestic (US-based) programs, with rare exceptions for organizations working internationally
  • General operating support for organizations not aligned with their Africa-focused mission

Governance and Leadership

David I. Cohen - Trustee
David Cohen founded The Ezrah Charitable Trust and also runs Simcah Management, a family-office investment fund. He serves as an advisor to One Acre Fund, one of the foundation's major grantees. Cohen operates the foundation without compensation.

Charlene Chen - Executive Director
Chen leads the foundation's day-to-day operations and strategy, receiving compensation of $288,483 (2023). She is responsible for managing the foundation's portfolio of partner organizations and overseeing grant distribution.

Kevin L. Miller - Of Counsel
Provides legal advisory services to the foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion to organizations that have been identified and vetted by the foundation's leadership. The foundation appears to build long-term relationships with partner organizations, with many grantees receiving multi-year support.

Getting on Their Radar

David Cohen's Network: David Cohen serves as an advisor to One Acre Fund, one of the foundation's largest grantees. This suggests that board connections and sector relationships play a role in the foundation's partner selection.

Focus on Proven Impact: The foundation describes itself as providing "catalytic support to high-impact implementing partners," indicating they seek organizations with demonstrated effectiveness and measurable outcomes in poverty alleviation.

Geographic Specialization: Organizations working on economic livelihoods in Africa, particularly those focused on smallholder agriculture, education-to-employment, and sustainable development, align with the foundation's documented giving patterns.

Sector Events: While not publicly documented, organizations in the agricultural development and international development sectors working in Africa may encounter foundation representatives at conferences like the Skoll World Forum, AGRF (African Green Revolution Forum), or other impact investing and development finance events.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As the foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, decision timelines are determined on a case-by-case basis for preselected organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. However, grant data shows that many organizations receive multi-year support, suggesting the foundation maintains ongoing relationships with successful partners.

Application Success Factors

While the foundation does not accept public applications, analysis of their grantmaking patterns reveals key characteristics of organizations they support:

Proven Impact in Africa: All major grantees demonstrate measurable outcomes in poverty alleviation, agricultural development, or economic empowerment specifically in African communities. Organizations like One Acre Fund (received $3.29M in 2023) show clear metrics around farmer income improvement and food security.

Technology-Enabled Solutions: The foundation shows strong interest in organizations using technology to scale impact, including MyAgro's mobile savings platform, One Acre Fund's digital transformation initiatives, and Digital Divide Data's tech training programs.

Smallholder Agriculture Focus: A dominant theme in their grantmaking is support for smallholder farmers through various approaches - input loans (One Acre Fund), agricultural financing (Root Capital), savings models (MyAgro), and regenerative agriculture (Panorama Global).

Systems-Change Approach: Grantees typically work on systemic solutions rather than direct service delivery, such as Generation's education-to-employment systems transformation or Root Capital's market-building work with agricultural businesses.

Multi-Year Partnerships: Grant amounts and repeat funding suggest the foundation prefers deep, sustained partnerships with organizations rather than one-time project grants. One Acre Fund, Root Capital, and American Jewish World Services appear to have ongoing relationships.

Financial Sustainability Focus: Organizations demonstrating pathways to financial sustainability or market-based solutions (impact sourcing, savings-led models, agricultural lending) align with the foundation's approach.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-Only Model: This foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations cannot apply directly for funding.

  • Africa-Centric Giving: Approximately 90% of funding supports organizations working in Africa, with particular emphasis on agricultural livelihoods and economic development.

  • Large Strategic Investments: The foundation makes substantial grants ($500K-$3.3M) to a small number of carefully selected partners rather than distributing many small grants.

  • Agricultural Development Priority: Smallholder farmer support, agricultural financing, and climate-smart agriculture constitute the largest share of grantmaking.

  • Technology & Innovation: Organizations leveraging technology for scale (mobile platforms, digital financial services, impact sourcing) are well-represented in the portfolio.

  • Long-Term Partnerships: Evidence of multi-year support suggests relationship-building and sustained engagement with successful partners.

  • Network Connections: Given the trustee's advisory role with One Acre Fund and the foundation's sector focus, organizations may need connections within the agricultural development or international poverty alleviation sectors to be considered.

References

← Back to US Funders Directory