Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem

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London trust that remits most of its income, £60,606 in 2024/25, to the Spafford Children's Center, which cares for children in East Jerusalem and the Old City

Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem

Logo Spafford Childrens Center Muna Court Old City 2014.jpg
Type Trust
Founded 1990-02-13 (registered)
Registration ID Registered charity 802351
Headquarters London E9
Area served Israel
Key people Frank Spencer-Nairn (chair)
Website www.spaffordcenter.org


The Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem (also registered as "Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of East Jerusalem") is a trust established by a deed of 31 October 1989 and registered on 13 February 1990; its principal address is in London E9 and its "area of benefit is Israel and Palestine" (PDF p.5).[1][2] Its objective is "the advancement of the charitable work undertaken by the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem, providing care, treatment and education for children in East Jerusalem and the Old City"; "All the income is remitted except for the small proportion spent on administration and fundraising" (PDF p.4).[2] The accounts list 19 trustees, with Djemila, Lady Cope of Berkeley as honorary life president, Frank Spencer-Nairn as chairman and David Causer as treasurer; the independent examiner is Andrew Seton FCCA of Affinia, Sutton, whose report is dated 19 January 2026 (PDF p.2, 7).[2] In the year to 5 April 2025 income was £81,808 (2024: £74,135), including restricted donations of £5,000, and donations to the Spafford Children's Center were £60,606 (2024: £55,075) (PDF p.8, 13).[2] The report describes "The appalling two year Gaza war", the effect of US aid cuts, a summer camp in which "Some 70 children took part", and an agreement by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK) to fund remedial education and psychological support at the Center (PDF p.4).[2]

Objects and activities

The charity's registered objects read: "THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHARITABLE WORK NOW CARRIED ON AT THE SPAFFORD CHILDRENS' CENTER OF JERUSALEM, BEING A CENTER FOR THE CARE AND TREATMENT OF SICK CHILDREN AND INFANT WELFARE CENTER."[1]

The register describes its activities as: "FSCC raises money for the advancement of the charitable work carried on at the Spafford Childrens Center of Jerusalem in the state of Israel, being a centre providing care, treatment and education to children. All money raised is sent to SCC except the small proportion spent on administration and book keeping."[1]

Register classifications: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives.[1]

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Israel.[1]

Trustees

Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[1]

Trustees of Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem (register, October 2026)
Trustee Appointed Chair Other trusteeships
Djemila Lovell Cope not recorded —
Tessa Ingleby not recorded —
Ahmed Massoud Md not recorded The Hanoon Foundation (1063835)
Said Shehadeh not recorded —
Frank Spencer-Nairn not recorded Yes —
Nick Vester not recorded —
Abir Tuqan not recorded —
Beckett Vester 2013-02-05 —
Douglas Spencer-Nairn 2013-02-05 —
Pippa Sentance 2014-05-20 —
Rosie Ingleby 2014-05-20 —
Susan Mary Partridge 2017-11-07 —
Kim Ingleby 2018-09-12 —
David Causer 2019-01-21 —
Sara Bristow 2020-01-15 Sandford St Martin and Ledwell Parish Trust (1149112)
Sophia Lopresti 2021-12-15 —
Lucinda C L Lopresti 2023-03-08 —

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2010-07-18 Ahmed Massoud Md; Said Shehadeh Djemila Cope; Frank Spencer-Nairn; Issa Tahhan Nick Vester; Abir Tuqan; Juliet Camp; Samah Massoud; Tessa Ingleby [3]
2018-01-04 Ahmed Massoud Md; Said Shehadeh Djemila Cope; Frank Spencer-Nairn; Issa Tahhan Nick Vester; Abir Tuqan; Samah Massoud; Tessa Ingleby; Beckett Vester; Douglas Spencer-Nairn; Jacob Dajani; Nadine Hassassian; Pippa Spencer Nairn; Nicola Haine; Rosie Ingleby [4]
2021-01-08 Kim Ingleby (from 12 September 2018); Ahmed Massoud Md – also trustee of Foundation for Al-Quds University Medical School; Nick Vester; Abir Tuqan; Jacob Dajani (from 05 February 2013); Said Shehadeh; Tessa Ingleby; Susan Mary Partridge (from 07 November 2017); David Causer (from 21 January 2019) – also trustee of Helpage International; Douglas Spencer-Nairn (from 05 February 2013); Pippa Sentance (from 20 May 2014); Frank Spencer-Nairn (chair); Sara Bristow (from 15 January 2020); Djemila Lovell Cope; Beckett Vester (from 05 February 2013); Nicola Haine (from 20 May 2014); Rosie Ingleby (from 20 May 2014) [5]
2021-07-05 Kim Ingleby (from 12 September 2018); Ahmed Massoud Md – also trustee of Foundation for Al-Quds University Medical School; Nick Vester; Abir Tuqan; Jacob Dajani (from 05 February 2013); Said Shehadeh; Tessa Ingleby; Susan Mary Partridge (from 07 November 2017); David Causer (from 21 January 2019) – also trustee of Helpage International; Pippa Sentance (from 20 May 2014); Douglas Spencer-Nairn (from 05 February 2013); Frank Spencer-Nairn (chair); Sara Bristow (from 15 January 2020); Djemila Lovell Cope; Nicola Haine (from 20 May 2014); Beckett Vester (from 05 February 2013); Rosie Ingleby (from 20 May 2014) [6]

The register lists 17 trustees; the accounts list 19, including Jacob Dajani (deputy chairman), who is not on the register (PDF p.2).[2][1]

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2021-04-05 £80,296 £50,086
2022-04-05 £54,270 £139,101
2023-04-05 £67,811 £79,721
2024-04-05 £74,135 £63,356
2025-04-05 £76,808 £64,507

Source: register annual-return history.[1]

Archived accounts

Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:

  • Accounts for the year ended 05/04/2014[7]
  • Accounts for the year ended 05/04/2016[8]
  • Accounts for the year ended 05/04/2017[9]
  • Accounts for the year ended 05/04/2018[10]

Funding in Israel

  • Year to 5 April 2025: donations to the Spafford Children's Center £60,606 (2024: £55,075); the report says transfers to Jerusalem were increased "from £55,000 to £60,000" (PDF p.5, 13).[2]

Israeli partners

The Anna Spafford Baby Home in Jerusalem, photographed by the Matson Photo Service between 1924 and 1946; the Spafford Children's Center traces its origins to the baby home opened in 1925

The Spafford Children's Center, Jerusalem. Its history page says it began as a baby home opened on Christmas Eve 1925 by Bertha Spafford Vester, became a children's hospital and, from 1970, an outpatient clinic renamed the Spafford Children's Center; its headquarters "is still located in the original Old City 'American Colony' home", and its programmes help children and parents "cope with trauma and the restrictive occupation".[11] A Wikimedia Commons photograph by Jessica Spengler is described as showing the Center at Muna Court in the Old City.[12]

Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF

Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.

Evidence of activity beyond the 1949 armistice line
Finding Confidence
The charity's objective is care for "children in East Jerusalem and the Old City", and the Center's headquarters is in the Old City; this work is located beyond the 1949 armistice line. Nothing in the sources links it to settlement activity (PDF p.4).[2][11] High

Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[2]

Controversies and regulatory action

  • No Charity Commission inquiry, Official Warning or Gazette insolvency notice naming this charity was found, and its register entry shows no regulatory alert;[13] it is not among the charities named in the Commission's cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements (May, September and December 2025) or in the September 2026 statement of results.[14][15][16][17] The charities in the Commission's settlements class inquiry (opened August 2026) have not been named, so it is not known whether this charity is among them.[18]
  • Register figures differ from the accounts. The register records 2025 income of £76,808 and spending of £64,507, while the accounts show £81,808 and £69,507, including £5,000 of restricted donations (PDF p.8).[2][1]
  • Trustee list. The accounts list 19 trustees, including Jacob Dajani as a deputy chairman, while the register lists 17 and does not include him; the trustees' report is undated (PDF p.2, 6).[2][1]

Other registers and records

Scotland and Northern Ireland

No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[19] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[20]

The Gazette

Searches of The Gazette notice feeds (all notices, insolvency and company) for the charity's name found no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice.[21]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[22]

Sanctions screening

The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[23]

Land and property

The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[24]

US counterparts (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)

Organisation EIN Latest filing year Revenue (US$) Expenses (US$)

This US organisation shares the UK charity's beneficiary; no financial flows between it and the UK charity were established.[2]

Parliament

Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Friends of the Spafford Children's Center", "Spafford Children's Center", "Spafford Children's Centre" returned 0 contributions in total.[25]

Web archive

  • spaffordcenter.org: 16 yearly captures, first 2010-08-07, last 2026-02-23.[26]

The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Charity reporting is up to date" and "Other regulators: No information available".[5]

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Charity Commission, Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem (802351): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  3. ↑ Register entry 802351, contact and trustees (capture of 20100718) UK Government Web Archive.
  4. ↑ Register entry 802351, contact and trustees (capture of 20180104) UK Government Web Archive.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Register entry 802351, full print (capture of 20210108) UK Government Web Archive.
  6. ↑ Register entry 802351, full print (capture of 20210705) UK Government Web Archive.
  7. ↑ Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem accounts, year ended 2014-04-05 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200106).
  8. ↑ Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem accounts, year ended 2016-04-05 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200106).
  9. ↑ Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem accounts, year ended 2017-04-05 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200106).
  10. ↑ Friends of the Spafford Children's Center of Jerusalem accounts, year ended 2018-04-05 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200106).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Spafford Children's Center, History spaffordcenter.org, viewed 16 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Jessica Spengler, Step street in Old Jerusalem Wikimedia Commons (description: "In the background 'Spafford Children's Center' (10 Muna Court)"), viewed 16 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Charity Commission, Register of Charities, charity overview page (register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/ followed by the organisation number) for each of the 25 batch-19 charities, all retrieved successfully on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section; none was shown for any of them. Twenty-two registered charities showed "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)"; British Friends of Ramoth Jerusalem showed "Charity reporting is overdue by 1691 days"; Leibovici Charitable Trust and Friends of Bereaved Families Forum (1118221) showed "Removed charity".
  14. ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
  15. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
  17. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
  18. ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
  19. ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-19 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
  20. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-19 charity names returned zero results).
  21. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Spafford Children's Center' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
  22. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-802351 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
  23. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-19 screening covered 358 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the eight charitable companies, and trustees, examiners, grantees and other people and bodies named in the accounts and sources read for this batch; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname match for any person was found; token matches were surname-only coincidences (for example Miller, Gold) or generic words in organisation names (Trust, Ltd, Limited).
  24. ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
  25. ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Spafford Children's Center" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).
  26. ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for spaffordcenter.org Wayback Machine, queried 16 October 2026.
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