River Progress Foundation
Rothschild-administered trust for an anonymous patron whose funds stood at US$5,362,493 in 2018 and which supported Israeli and other humanitarian projects; it spent £4,423,370 in its final year and was removed in 2021 as not operating
| River Progress Foundation
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Other (removed) |
| Founded | 2001-10-26 (registered) |
| Dissolved | 2021-08-24 (removed from the register: Does not operate) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1089083 |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland (office of a corporate trustee, 2018 Accounts) |
| Area served | Israel |
River Progress Foundation (previously the RP Foundation) was established by a declaration of trust of 22 September 2000, amended on 5 October 2001 and 4 December 2002, and registered on 26 October 2001; it was removed on 24 August 2021 as "Does not operate".[1] Its object was to pay income to charitable institutions taking "into account the wishes of the Patron", and the register says its trustees were "guided by a third party consultant" in selecting humanitarian projects.[1] In 2018 the trustees were Rothschild Trust Corporation Limited and Rothschild Trust (Schweiz) AG, whose Zurich office was the principal office; the accounts, kept in US dollars, said: "The power of appointing new trustees is vested in the Patron, who wishes to remain anonymous for reasons of personal safety".[2] Its final register figures, for the year to 31 December 2020, were income of £69,867 and spending of £4,423,370.[1]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "THE TRUSTEES SHALL HOLD THE TRUST FUND AND ITS INCOME UPON TRUST TO PAY THEREFROM ALL THE COST AND EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE TRUSTEES IN ESTABLISHING AND ADMINISTERING THE CHARITY AND THE TRUST FUND AND SUBJECT THERETO TO PAY OR APPLY THE INCOME TO SUCH CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OR TOWARDS OR FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OR IN FURTHERANCE OF SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES IN SUCH MANNER AND IN SUCH PROPORTION AS THE TRUSTEES MAY FROM TIME TO TIME IN THEIR ABSOLUTE DISCRETION DETERMINE PROVIDED THAT IN SO ACTING THE TRUSTEES SHALL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE WISHES OF THE PATRON COMMUNICATED TO THEM IN WRITING FROM TIME TO TIME."[3]
The register describes its activities as: "The advancement of funds (Capital and Income) to any Charitable Institution or any person in connection wiht the objects and in the spirit on the provider of the funds mainly to support humanitarian projects. For the selection of the projects the Trustees are guided by a third party consultant."[3]
Register classifications: General Charitable Purposes, Economic/community Development/employment.[3]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Israel.[3]
Trustees
The register extract holds no trustee records for removed charities.
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-11 | Rothschild Trust Corporation Ltd; Rothschild Trust (Schweiz) Ag | [4] |
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-06-30 | £47,118 | £15,954 |
| 2018-06-30 | £49,843 | £60,515 |
| 2019-06-30 | £64,244 | £51,581 |
| 2020-12-31 | £69,867 | £4,423,370 |
Source: register annual-return history.[3]
Archived accounts
Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:
- Accounts for the year ended 30/06/2014[5]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/06/2015[6]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/06/2016[7]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/06/2017[8]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/06/2018[9]
Funding in Israel
- The 2018 accounts list projects supported "to date", without amounts or dates: "The Medical School of the University of Jerusalem; Absi-Keren-or in Tel Aviv for the project of a building and of computer studies; Mosdot Hazon Yeshaya in Jerusalem for a refrigerator truck for soup kitchens; LIBI in Tel Aviv for a project of education of new emigrants; Quiren Hayesod for the integration of Argentinian emigrants into Israel; The Israel Sport Centre for the Disabled; LATET for Food for Life projects" and CICAD.[2]
- Grants in the year to 30 June 2018: The Desautels Faculty of Management $7,661; Jerusalem Region Route Initiative $6,500; HKS Fund $11,111 (2017: Adaptive leadership $10,000).[2]
- Grants in the years to 30 June 2016 and 2015: Communite Juive Liberale Geneve $2,646 (2016); CICAD $2,654, International Tauma [sic] Healing $6,918, Friends of Roots $2,626 and Harvard Kennedy School $2,600 (2015).[10]
Israeli partners
Historic beneficiaries named in the 2018 accounts include Absi-Keren-or and LIBI (Tel Aviv), Mosdot Hazon Yeshaya (Jerusalem), "Quiren Hayesod" (Keren Hayesod), the Israel Sport Centre for the Disabled and LATET.[2]
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.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The accounts place named projects in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; "Jerusalem Region Route Initiative" is not located further; no project is placed beyond the Green Line.[2] | Not established |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[2][1] The 2018 accounts list the Israel Sport Centre for the Disabled among projects supported to date, with no amount or date.[2]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No Charity Commission inquiry naming this charity was found; it is not named in the 2025–2026 cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements or statement of results, and the charities in the August 2026 settlements class inquiry have not been named.[11][12][13][14][15] The register shows it as removed, giving the reason "Does not operate".[1]
- Anonymous patron and undisclosed directors. The patron who appointed the trustees was not named, and the directors of the corporate trustees were not disclosed because "the trustees do not consider this to be beneficial".[2]
- Errors in the 2018 accounts. The 2018 balance sheet is headed "as at 30 June 2017" and note 1 gives the charity number as "108083"; investment management fees rose to $54,111 (2017: $10,783).[2]
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).[16] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[17]
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.[18]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[19]
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.[20]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[3] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[21]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "River Progress Foundation", "RP Foundation" returned 0 contributions in total.[22]
Web archive
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".[4]
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Charity Commission, River Progress Foundation (1089083): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026 ("26 October 2001: Standard registration 24 August 2021: Removed (Does not operate)").
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Charity Commission, River Progress Foundation: accounts for the year ended 30 June 2018 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 07/01/2020. (figures in US dollars).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Register entry 1089083, full print (capture of 20210111) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ River Progress Foundation accounts, year ended 2014-06-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
- ↑ River Progress Foundation accounts, year ended 2015-06-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
- ↑ River Progress Foundation accounts, year ended 2016-06-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
- ↑ River Progress Foundation accounts, year ended 2017-06-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
- ↑ River Progress Foundation accounts, year ended 2018-06-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
- ↑ Charity Commission, River Progress Foundation: accounts for the year ended 30 June 2016 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 07/01/2020. (figures in US dollars).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ 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").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-20 charity names found no matching Scottish registration (a name-only hit for "Sheila & Denis Cohen Charitable Trust" was not established to be connected with the Cohen Charitable Trust and is disregarded).
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-20 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'River Progress Foundation' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1089083 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-20 screening covered 272 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the five charitable companies, and trustees, examiners 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 Weiss, Sara, Masri, Cohen) or generic words in organisation names (Limited, Company, Trust).
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "River Progress Foundation" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).