Chapel & York

What Chapel & York does

Chapel & York is a UK-headquartered professional services firm founded in 1997 that helps charities, nonprofits, educational institutions, family foundations, and individual philanthropists raise money across borders. The firm operates four interconnected service lines: Charity Set Up and Management (establishing and administering legal entities in foreign jurisdictions), the Global Family of Foundations (a membership network of regional foundations providing local presence in at least six key markets), International Fundraising Services (strategy development and implementation across global philanthropic markets), and Donor-Advised Funds with global due diligence on beneficiaries. The underlying infrastructure is a network of ten wholly-owned regional foundation entities (UK, US, EU, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore) that collectively provide regulatory, tax, and operational coverage for cross-border giving.

The firm's revenue model combines recurring annual Management Package subscriptions, one-time Set-up Packages for entity formation, professional services billed at hourly or day rates, and modest workshop fees (£150 plus VAT for full-day, €100 for half-day). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by an event-driven motion including webinars, in-person workshops, philanthropy breakfasts, and industry conference sponsorships (e.g., CASE Europe Annual Conference). Customer segments span higher education (UCL, NUS, Carnegie Mellon, ANU, INSEAD), major charities (Dogs Trust, Royal Marsden, Women's Refugee Commission), and cultural institutions (Royal Albert Hall, Kew Gardens, Eden Project, Chatsworth). Distribution channels include direct client engagement, regional foundation offices, and a Global Family of Foundations membership structure.

The company employs 41 staff per firmographics (with the international fundraising team alone comprising 45+ experts per company claims), with senior leadership including President Heather Hill (CFRE-certified, past Chair of CFRE International), Managing Director Nancy Bikson (international tax lawyer), Head of International Fundraising Arnaud Marcilhacy, and Executive Director of Switzerland Foundation Lior Renous. The firm has facilitated over $1 billion in cross-border donations historically and in 2025 supported 613 clients across 32 countries with $55M in foundation grants, representing 30% YoY growth in grants and 23% YoY growth in fund holders. Chapel & York is privately held under Chapel & York Limited with no external parent, no disclosed funding rounds, and operates from offices in the UK, US, Switzerland, Netherlands, and France.

Name

Chapel & York

Legal name

Chapel & York Limited

Website

https://chapel-york.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chapel & York is a UK-founded (1997) professional services firm that helps charities, nonprofits, and educational institutions raise money internationally through a network of regional foundations, providing cross-border entity setup, tax-effective giving structures, and global fundraising strategy services across 32 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Fundraising and Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• International fundraising services
• Cross-border philanthropy
• Charity management services
• Donor-advised funds
• Nonprofit fundraising consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Management Package: Annual management service for the management of a dedicated legal entity or Family of Foundations membership. Covers one year of work by Chapel & York on behalf of the Client.
2. Set-up Package: Service provided for setting up charitable entities and legal structures in overseas locations.
3. Standalone Services: One-off pieces of work that Chapel & York carries out, charged at hourly or day rates as mutually agreed.
4. Fundraising Services: International fundraising strategy development and implementation services with guidance from global experts.
5. Workshop Fees: In-person workshop attendance fees - 150GBP plus VAT for full-day workshops, 100 euros for half-day sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chapel & York is a professional services firm that helps charities, nonprofits, and educational institutions raise funds across borders. Its core offering combines establishment and management of overseas legal entities, a network of regional foundations enabling tax-effective cross-border giving, expert strategy and implementation support for global fundraising campaigns, and donor-advised fund services with global due diligence. Services are sold as annual management subscriptions, one-time setup packages, and standalone consulting engagements.

Product overview

Chapel & York is a professional services firm specializing in international fundraising and cross-border philanthropy. The company offers four interconnected core services: Charity Set Up and Management (establishing legal entities abroad), the Global Family of Foundations (a network of foundations enabling tax-effective cross-border giving across 6 key markets), International Fundraising Services (strategic fundraising guidance and implementation), and Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs for simplified international giving with due diligence). These services work together to provide charities, nonprofits, and educational institutions with comprehensive support for achieving their international fundraising goals while ensuring compliance and maximizing tax efficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charity Set Up and Management Professional services to establish and manage legal entities in overseas locations for charities, nonprofits, and educational institutions, handling administrative tasks including legal, tax, and financial compliance.
• Global Family of Foundations A network of foundations across 6 key markets enabling cross-border fundraising with minimal costs and maximum results, providing local presence without establishing dedicated entities.
• International Fundraising Services Expert guidance and implementation services for developing and executing global fundraising strategies, including market research, donor cultivation, and culturally aligned approaches.
• Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) Philanthropy services enabling international giving with rigorous global due diligence on beneficiaries, simplifying tax-effective cross-border donations and responsible investment.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 billion+ in cross-border donations facilitated for clients
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Art FoundationscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2024Chapel & York delivers webinars for World Art Foundations members as part of a partnership beginning with fundamentals of international fundraising. World Art Foundations connects art foundations globally, offering a platform for collaboration and growth through grants, residency opportunities, and exhibitions worldwide. Chapel & York experts provide educational content to empower art organizations in international fundraising.
• Freedom FridaycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 July 2024Partnership with Freedom Friday, a movement dedicated to impactful learning for fundraisers and nonprofit professionals. Chapel & York experts including Nancy Bikson and Heather Hill conduct sessions on topics like Demystifying International Fundraising. The partnership supports ongoing professional development in the nonprofit sector through collaborative educational initiatives.
• Giving WomenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLior Renous, Executive Director of Chapel & York Switzerland Foundation, is a dedicated member of Giving Women, an organization working to strengthen women-led initiatives for women and girls around the world.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A): International fundraising and philanthropic consulting firm with deep higher education and healthcare practice; comparable in both client mix (universities, healthcare nonprofits) and consulting delivery model.
• Campbell & Company: Established US-based fundraising consulting firm serving nonprofits with feasibility studies, campaign counsel and development assessments - a closely comparable service offering to Chapel & York's strategic fundraising advisory work.
• CCS Fundraising: One of the largest fundraising consulting firms in the US, providing campaign and development strategy services to nonprofits and higher education institutions; directly comparable to Chapel & York's International Fundraising Services practice and overlapping on university clients.
• Dini Spheris: Fundraising and philanthropic consulting firm with higher education, healthcare, arts and culture, and faith-based clients; a direct peer in campaign counsel and development strategy.
• Plus Delta Partners: International fundraising consultancy providing feasibility studies, campaign counsel and training to non-profits globally; a focused, mid-sized direct competitor in the same cross-border philanthropic advisory niche.
• Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF): Major fundraising and advancement consulting firm serving higher education, healthcare, arts and culture, and faith-based clients; directly comparable to Chapel & York's strategic fundraising consulting segment for universities and nonprofits.
• Alexander Haas: Mid-size US fundraising and campaign consulting firm serving nonprofits and educational institutions; overlaps with Chapel & York's higher education and nonprofit strategic fundraising work.
• Cranford Consulting: UK-based fundraising consultancy serving international NGOs and educational institutions; particularly comparable on international fundraising strategy and UK/EMEA presence.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation Source: Large US foundation administration and management services firm; overlaps with Chapel & York's Global Family of Foundations and charity set-up / management offerings, though predominantly US-only with a different scale.

Others

• Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) Network: European network of foundations enabling cross-border donations with tax efficiency across EU member states; an ecosystem peer and partial alternative to Chapel & York's Global Family of Foundations for EU-only giving flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chapel-&-york-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chapel & York