Kolel Bys Shlome Arye Trust

Kolel Bys Shlome Arye Trust is a UK-registered charity established on 25 March 2002, dedicated to advancing Orthodox Jewish religious education, relieving poverty among Orthodox Jews, supporting the aged and infirm, and promoting Orthodox Jewish religious activities nationally and overseas. It operates a college for advanced Jewish studies, emphasizing rigorous textual scholarship, religious observance, and spiritual-material support for committed adherents. Governed by a small board of four trustees rooted in the Orthodox scholarly community, the trust channels nearly all its substantial annual income—primarily voluntary donations, exceeding £846,000 in charitable spending for 2024—into sustaining religious education and welfare, reflecting a deeply focused, non-generalist ethos of fidelity to Orthodox traditions.

The trust funds advanced religious study programs, stipends for scholars, maintenance of kolels (study colleges), core costs for Orthodox institutions, and emergency relief for impoverished, elderly, or infirm Orthodox Jews. Beneficiaries are strictly Orthodox Jewish individuals, communities, and organizations engaged in higher religious learning or facing hardship, with support extending to community infrastructure in key areas like North London and potentially abroad.

Eligible applicants are limited to UK-registered charities and academic institutions within the Orthodox Jewish sector, preferably small to medium-sized with incomes under £1 million; there are no geographic restrictions but a UK focus. Funding is invite-only—no unsolicited applications or public processes—with grants awarded ad hoc at trustees' periodic meetings, typically ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of pounds based on identified needs.

Distinctively narrow in scope, the trust excludes non-Orthodox causes, secular projects, or broad philanthropy, prioritizing closed-network decisions to sustain its own educational mission and targeted welfare, making it uniquely suited for Orthodox Jewish scholars and institutions requiring specialized, discretion-based support.