Canadian Friends of the École Biblique

What Canadian Friends of the École Biblique does

The Canadian Friends of the École Biblique (CFEB) is a federally registered Canadian charity (#896131778RR0001) founded in 1995 in Kitchener, Ontario, that channels donor funds into scholarly access to the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem, the oldest biblical and archaeological research centre in the Holy Land (established 1890). CFEB disburses needs-based scholarships — ranging from $2,000 to $12,000 for graduate students and academics, plus named awards honoring founding members such as Guy Couturier and Philippe LeBlanc — and, as of 2026, an annual Edward Jackman Postdoctoral Fellowship valued at up to $30,000. The organization also funds library acquisitions, IT enhancements (including the Koha cataloguing system), and visiting professorships at the École.

CFEB operates without paid program staff beyond a single part-time Administrator (Tim Hegedus); governance rests with a volunteer board of directors comprising Canadian-based biblical scholars across Catholic, Protestant, and academic institutions, supplemented by a President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and President Emerita. Its revenue model is purely donations-based, with contributions accepted by mail and via the CanadaHelps.org platform, qualifying donors for Canadian charitable tax receipts. CFEB's customer base is exclusively Canadian graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in biblical studies, archaeology, theology, and related disciplines, with alumni impact extending to international recipients at institutions such as Volda University College (Norway), Aarhus University (Denmark), and Hebrew Union College (US).

Since 2003, CFEB has awarded more than 50 scholarships totaling over $230,000; in 2014, the Quebec section of Alumni and Friends of the École Biblique (established 1975) merged into CFEB. The organization also underwrites outputs of the 'Bible in Its Traditions' (La Bible en ses Traditions) comparative digital research platform, and participated alongside UNESCO, Première Urgence Internationale, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the September 2025 emergency evacuation of the ÉBAF Archaeological Reserve in Gaza.

Name

Canadian Friends of the École Biblique

Legal name

Canadian Friends of the École Biblique

Website

https://cfebweb.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CFEB is a volunteer-run Canadian charity that funds scholarships and research support for graduate students and academics to study at the École Biblique — the 1890-founded Dominican biblical research institute in Jerusalem — via donations and tax-receipted giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Biblical Scholarship Charity Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Biblical archaeology funding
• Academic scholarship grants
• Religious education charity
• Library digitization support
• Postdoctoral fellowship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitchener

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The organization relies on donations from supporters to fund scholarships, library acquisitions, and academic projects at the École Biblique in Jerusalem. Donations can be made by mail or online via Canada Helps platform.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canadian Friends of the École Biblique is a Canadian registered charity that raises and disburses funds to support the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem. Its core offering consists of scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships for Canadian graduate students and academics, financial support for the École Biblique library and its catalogue, and funding for the publication of scholarly journals, books, and digital research tools in biblical and archaeological studies.

Product overview

The Canadian Friends of the École Biblique (CFEB) is a non-profit organization that supports the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem through scholarship programs and academic support services. Its core offerings include the Edward Jackman Postdoctoral Fellowship (up to $30,000 for recent Ph.D. holders) and CFEB Graduate Scholarships ($2,000-$12,000 range), which enable Canadian students and academics to study at the École. Additionally, CFEB supports the digital research platform 'The Bible in Its Traditions' (La Bible en ses Traditions), which provides an online comparative Bible with annotations on reception history across theology, liturgy, art, and literature. The organization also funds library acquisitions, technological upgrades, and visiting professor positions at the École.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CFEB Graduate Scholarships

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Première Urgency InternationaleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Partnered with the École Biblique management in the emergency evacuation of the ÉBAF Archaeological Reserve in Gaza on September 10, 2025, following Israeli armed forces' announcement of imminent destruction of the tower housing the repository.
• UNESCOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Collaborated in the emergency evacuation of the ÉBAF Archaeological Reserve in Gaza, which housed objects from excavations conducted by the École Biblique over three decades.
• Latin Patriarchate of JerusalemminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Provided logistical assistance in the evacuation of the Gaza archaeological repository, working with the Parish of the Holy Family to find a solution when other avenues failed.
• Parish of the Holy Family (Gaza)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025The only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, assisted in providing logistical solution for the emergency evacuation of archaeological materials from the ÉBAF repository.
• Éditions du CerfminorOthersParis-based publisher of Dominican Father Olivier Catel's latest book 'Jésus et les rabbins' (Jesus and the Rabbis) published in March 2026.
• Peeters PublishingminorOthersLeuven-based publisher that released Marc Girard's work 'Le Psautier. Livre Ier (Ps 1–41). Bonheurs de l'homme' as part of the La Bible en ses Traditions project.
• CanadaHelpsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform enabling Canadian donors to make tax-deductible contributions to CFEB through www.canadahelps.org/dn/30809.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Society of Biblical Literature (SBL): Largest international scholarly society for biblical studies, with membership programs, research grants, and conference support. Adjacent in serving the same scholarly community CFEB's scholarship recipients belong to, but operates at continental/international scale rather than as a single-institution funder.
• Catholic Biblical Association of America: Catholic scholarly association for biblical studies, supporting research grants, dissertation scholarships, and member research initiatives. Comparable as a faith-affiliated funder of biblical scholarship, though U.S.-based and broader in membership scope.
• American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR): Major scholarly organization supporting Near Eastern archaeological research with fellowship and grant programs for scholars. Overlaps with CFEB's mission to fund biblical/archaeological research and scholarly access to Holy Land institutions.
• W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research: American-based, Jerusalem-located research institution supporting archaeological and biblical scholarship with fellowship programs for North American scholars. Comparable as a fellowship-funding, Jerusalem-affiliated institution for biblical/archaeological researchers, though broader in scope than CFEB.
• Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome): Catholic Roman institution of biblical and archaeological scholarship, founded by the Jesuits and parallel in mission to the Dominican École Biblique. Comparable as a top-tier destination for advanced biblical scholarship and as a Catholic scholarly heritage institution.

Emerging players

• Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies (Brigham Young University): University-affiliated center in Jerusalem offering study-abroad and research programs in Near Eastern studies, archaeology, and biblical history. Comparable as a North-American-affiliated, Jerusalem-based host for biblical-studies scholars, though Mormon-affiliated rather than ecumenical.
• British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem (BSAJ): British research institute in Jerusalem supporting Near Eastern archaeology with fellowship and grant programs. Comparable as a foreign-affiliated, Jerusalem-based scholarly host institution with overlapping beneficiary pool for biblical/archaeological researchers.

Regional players

• Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation: Foundation supporting research, publication, and public engagement related to the Dead Sea Scrolls, directly connected to the École Biblique's heritage (Roland de Vaux led scroll excavations there). Comparable as a niche grantmaking body in the biblical-archaeological research space.

Direct peers

• American Friends of the École Biblique: U.S. counterpart organization raising funds from American donors to support scholarships and projects at the École Biblique in Jerusalem. Directly comparable structure (national 'friends of' charity supporting the same beneficiary institution) but operating in a different national fundraising market.
• Association des Amis de l'École Biblique (France): French support organization for the École Biblique, closely comparable in mission to CFEB given the École's French Dominican origins. Engages French-speaking scholars and donors with similar scholarship and library-support programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Canadian Friends of the École Biblique