The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the Charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
A major emphasis of Christian Friends of Israel is educational, that is, the provision of accurate and up-to-date information on Israel and the surrounding region, education on the Hebraic heritage of Christianity, and the need for positive Jewish-Christian relationships. This is carried out by regular news letters and other printed material, audio CDs and video DVDs, lectures, the organisation of educational conferences and promoting tourism to Israel at a study level.
By providing a Christian perspective on current events, the Trust endeavours to enable Christians to pray for Israel and her people intelligently.
The education of the public concerning the country of Israel and its citizens
This year we attended a good range of Christian festivals with our CFI UK enhance resources stall. We sourced new material and added this to our resources to assist communicating with the wider church, following our threefold aim of encouraging understanding, challenging prejudice, and assisting cross-culturally. We advertised and cosponsored several online briefings and attended others. We continue to plan and inform of in-person seminars and aim to resuming a parliamentary briefing and lobby day in the coming year as circumstances allow.
The relief of the poor, sick, handicapped, aged or otherwise needy people who either live in Israel or are seeking to emigrate to that country
We highlight several causes in line with this objective, hosting some interactive online sessions and magazine articles. Our restricted fund giving remained steady throughout the year. Alongside our regular restricted funds for to those in need in Israel our trustees allocate other designated funds with a focus on medical and social needs.
The advancement of education amongst Christians, Jews and the general public of what the Bible has to say about the history of the Jews in the land of Israel through to current times and God's plans for them.
Our annual teaching conference was again well attended with additional take-up of video and audio recordings. The main speaker focussed on the biblical connection of the church and Israel, with a second speaker overviewing the present social background and how this impacts communication. The staff team provided an update on our ministry and charity work.
We were involved with planning and participation in several regional Holocaust memorial events, including schools, libraries, church and synagogue presenters, plus local and national political representatives. Events featured holocaust survivors and their descendants’ testimony, music, and poetry.
This year we arranged a guided tour of Israel with an encouraging take-up, and many visiting for the first time. This included archaeological sites, bible teaching on location, meeting various cross-cultural community groups as well as a variety of religious and historical sites.
The advancement of the Christian faith with particular reference to its teaching about the Jewish people
We gave several presentations advancing the Christian faith and its teaching about the Jewish people as drawn from the Bible at church or conference settings.
We offer to new and existing readers our quarterly magazine which includes articles and regular features of Israel-related biblical exposition, hebraic teaching, Hebrew word studies and humanitarian charities relevant to our objects.
Such causes are promoted by regional and local links alongside digital media.
Encouragement and informed prayer for Israel and its people
We distribute a monthly prayer letter written in Israel, which we edit and add a UK perspective. There are weekly and fortnightly email briefings with news and prayer items.
Our prayer encouragement coordinator accepted serval invitations to speak at regional prayer-themed conferences and hosts our online prayer network focusing on Israel and its people.
Our annual residential prayer conference received a good response with several new supporters attending.
Income received from regular giving was in line with our budget amongst those giving with gift aid as was churches and trust giving. Income received from legacies exceeded that anticipated in our budget.
Regular outgoings remained under control, despite costs continuing to climb. Mailing costs have continued to rise, and we have separated in our operations into postage, stationery and printing, to monitor them more closely going forward.
The investment property given as a legacy provided steady income during the year. Surplus and reserves were invested with improved returns as a designated endowment.
A salary increase is agreed for the coming year, in line with the inflation rate. We have adjusted the budget for the coming year to account other anticipated increases in cost of materials and services.
Public benefit
The Trustees consider that the activities detailed above fulfil all the requirements of the Charity Commissions public benefit disclosure and comply with the Charity’s objects
Reserves policy
The Trustees consider it prudent to continue to set aside reserves of £200,000, representing approximately six month’s budgeted operating expenditure on the general fund. Our policy remains to distribute restricted funds in a timely yet cost-efficient manner, usually on a quarterly cycle. We continue to keep our financial resources and obligations under review, mindful of our Christian, charitable and financial obligations to be good stewards.
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee established by Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 3 December 2003, registration number is 04984515. The Charity is also registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, registration number 1101899.
Further information such as the business and registered office addresses, and details of professional advisors can be found on the information page.
The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year were:
The Trustees seek to appoint additional Trustees whenever necessary following recommendations from existing Trustees or the chief executive. A potential Trustee would be invited to attend Trustees' meetings as an observer for a few meetings, before any decision is taken concerning their ongoing involvement as a Trustee.
Potential Trustees are provided with all the relevant guides from the Charity Commission before any appointment.
None of the Trustees have any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The day-to-day work of the Trust is overseen by the chief executive and support staff who are accountable to the Board of Trustees. The Trustees meet regularly and are responsible for the overall direction of the Charity, and for major financial decisions. The chief executive is assisted in his work by the senior staff.
Risk Management
The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity, and are satisfied that the systems and policies in place are adequate to mitigate the Charity’s exposure to the major risks.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The Trustees, who are also the directors of CFI Charitable Trust for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of CFI Charitable Trust (the Charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the Charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
CFI Charitable Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Chantry House, 22 Upperton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1BF.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The Charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is included in the donation to which it relates to and is recognised at the time of the donation.
Income from charitable activities is recognised when the risks and rewards have been transferred to the purchaser of services or products. It is stated net of VAT, if any.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the Charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected.
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular activities they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.
Charitable costs are allocated between the categories of direct charitable expenditure and support costs, such as administration, in accordance with the nature of the costs. Governance costs are those incurred in the overall governance of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
No amounts are included for services provided by volunteers.
Property, plant and equipment are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following basis:
Freehold land is not depreciated.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Fixed Asset additions below £250 are not capitalised.
Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is initially recognised at cost, which includes the purchase cost and any directly attributable expenditure. Subsequently it is measured at fair value at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in profit or loss.
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
At each reporting end date, the Charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Stocks of product are valued at cost less provision for slow moving and obsolete items.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The Charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the Charity's balance sheet when the Charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include trade and other receivables and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade payables are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the Charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the Charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
From 1 January 2016 the Charity set up a pension scheme for all employees with the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). Contributions payable are charged in the General fund in the year they are payable.
Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date. Gains and losses arising on translation in the period are included in profit or loss.
In the opinion of the Trustees, the Charity is not subject to United Kingdom corporation tax on its income.
In the application of the Charity’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
General Fund (Unrestricted)
This oversees the day to day operations of the Charity.
Designated Funds
Reserve fund
This represents funds put aside as a general reserve in accordance with best practice.
Where Most Needed in General
This fund represents specific gifts given to the Charity to be used by the Trustees at their discretion for specific needy areas of the General fund. Sums given to the Charity are included in the General fund for reporting purposes.
Change Management fund
This fund represents money set aside from legacies to provide resources to cover the costs of future changes.
Development fund
This fund represents money set aside from legacies to provide resources to develop our website/e-commerce/database and for social media expansion.
Building and Security fund
This fund represents money set aside for an upgrade to the premises and security.
Restricted Funds
Social and Humanitarian fund
This fund incorporates monies for social and humanitarian causes mainly in Israel but also in other parts of the world. It is made up of:
CFI Jerusalem (A separate charity, or amuta, in Israel).
Non-CFI Jerusalem (Various projects including Where most needed in Israel).
Conferences and Tours
This fund encompasses the various prayer and educational conferences of CFI and tours to Israel and is regarded as restricted. Offerings taken at the conferences are utilised to cover the costs. At the discretion of the Trustees the surplus/deficit can be covered by a transfer to/from the General fund if required.
Courses, conferences and tours
Product sales and fees
Product costs (adjusted for stock)
Conferences and tours
Printing, postage and stationery
Communication and contributors
Education and promotional events
Advocacy
Training, meetings and hospitality
No remuneration is paid to the Trustees. The cost of travel, accommodation and related expenses for trustees meetings was £2,728 (2024: £1,757).
The average monthly number of full and part time employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel (including employer's national insurance and pension contributions) is as follows.
Investment property comprises 39 Mount Gould Road, Plymouth, Devon PL4 7PT. The chief executive of the Charity who is a Chartered Surveyor by profession considers this to be a fair value and no revaluation required as at 31 December 2025.
Israel Bonds
Stock represents books, (audio) CDs and (video) DVDs and other related products.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
The income funds of the charity include the following designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes:
Unrestricted & Designated funds
Unrestricted & Designated funds
At the reporting end date the Charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
During the year the Charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
The Charity engaged Caladine Ltd to provide accounting support to the Charity. Caladine Ltd is a company controlled by John Caladine, who serves the Charity as Company Secretary. Details of fees paid to Caladine Ltd are shown in the table above.
The total amount of donations received from the Trustees during the year was considered immaterial to disclose.
The Charity had no material debt during the year.
CFI Charitable Trust is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. Under the terms of the memorandum of association every member is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of the company being wound up during the time he or she is a member or one year thereafter. At 31 December 2025 there were five members (2024: five members).