Esher House Charitable Trust

The Esher House Charitable Trust, established by settlement deed on 22 March 1978 and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (number 276183), is a low-profile grant-making trust governed by three family trustees—Michael Bernard Conn (Chair), Hadassa Rachel Conn, and Douglas Gabriel Conn—operating from London. Its core mission is to advance public benefit through discretionary grants to registered charities, blending support for Jewish religious causes with medical, health, and sickness initiatives. Sustained by rental income and investments, the trust emphasizes financial stewardship, trustee-led decision-making, and enduring commitment to organizational resilience, distributing around £100,000 annually to dozens of recipients while adhering strictly to Charity Commission guidelines on public benefit.

It prioritizes grants for Jewish faith-based activities and health-related work, funding unrestricted core costs, ongoing operations, projects, capital, or revenue needs for aligned charities serving communities across England and Wales. Beneficiaries span small to medium-sized organizations, with no thematic sub-restrictions beyond these core areas.

Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities operating in England and Wales; there are no strict income thresholds, though a preference exists for smaller entities, and individuals are ineligible. The trust does not accept unsolicited applications—grants are awarded solely at trustee discretion during annual board meetings, with no published deadlines, processes, or guidance. Typical awards range from £1,000 to £3,000, occasionally up to £5,000.

Distinctive for its closed, invitation-only approach and dual focus on Jewish and medical causes without regional limits or open programmes, it avoids non-charitable entities, individual aid, or misaligned themes, ensuring targeted, stable support for vetted organizational priorities.