Masonic charity
Charity is a major aspect of Masonic activity although unlike other fund-raising
organisations like Round Table and Lions, all the money that we raise comes out of our
own pockets; Freemasons do not collect money on street corners! So whilst every brother
is encouraged to make a contribution it is important that no-one should over-commit
himself in his charitable giving.
Every year Freemasons raise millions of pounds for the four main Masonic Charities.
This money is used not only to support distressed Masons or their
families but also to fund worthy projects in the community, either by
direct grant or by donations to other charities. The four Masonic Charities
are:
The Freemasons' Grand Charity.
The Freemasons' Grand Charity carries on a tradition of charitable
support for both Freemasons and the wider community which has been
maintained since 1727. The Freemasons' Grand Charity is a grant-making
charity. In 2011, over £2.5 million was donated to non-masonic charities across
England and Wales. Full lists of the donations are available
for inspection on the charity's website.
The Grand Charity makes grants to:
Distressed Masons and their dependants (Masonic Relief Grants)
Other Masonic charities
Non-Masonic national charities serving England and Wales
Emergency relief work worldwide
Under its current guidelines for support for national charities, the
Freemasons' Grand Charity makes grants for three main purposes:
Care for the most vulnerable people in society,
Opportunities for young people, and
Medical research.
Hospices also receive grants as part of a national programme.
In total, over £30 million has been donated to non-Masonic charities
of all sizes. This includes over £6 million for Hospice services as
part of a special programme of support that began in 1984 and over
£1.5 million for emergency relief work worldwide.
The RMBI
The The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution's challenge is to provide a comprehensive range of
services to meet the needs of an increasingly large number of older
Freemasons and their dependants.
This is done in two ways:
Provision of sheltered accommodation, residential and nursing care in RMBI
Homes, for those finding difficulty managing on their own;
Provision of annuities, care and support to those who are in financial
difficulty, but wish to remain in their own homes.
Regular practical and financial help, advice, home improvement loans
and holidays are other important ingredients in the help the Institution
provides. The Institution is committed to ensuring the individuals'
right to dignity, respect, choice and control over their own lives.
It strives to offer the highest standards of residential and nursing
care. Professional staff balance the need for business-like efficiency
with a commitment to the spirit, and to the letter, of the aims of
Freemasonry as a caring organisation
The Masonic Samaritan Fund
Established in 1990 with the active support of United Grand Lodge of
England, the Masonic Samaritan Fund is an independent charity, which
provides support for sick and infirm Freemasons, their families and
dependants who are in need. The Fund gives relief to those applicants
who cannot afford the full cost of private healthcare and who are unable
to obtain their treatment on the UK's National Health Service without
undue delay or hardship.
The Masonic Samaritan Fund provides support at the hospital it considers to
be most appropriate to the interests and needs of the applicant and since
1991, the Fund has helped over 6500 to receive treatment at over 400
different hospitals at an average cost of £5,900 per patient and a
total expenditure of over £30 million. Conditions range from major
heart surgery, to child ailments and many of the problems associated
with old age such as:
Cataracts
Prostatism
Hernias
Arthritic hips and knees
The MSF welcomes applications from anyone who at any time has been
initiated into, or joined, a Lodge under the constitution of the United
Grand Lodge of England. There are no age limits and no qualifying periods
of membership. There is no requirement to still be active within the Craft.
In each of the last five years nearly 50% of the grants made by the
MSF have been in support of the wives, widows and dependants of Freemasons.
The RMTGB
The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys' Mission Statement is:
"To continue to relieve poverty and provide an education and
preparation for life for the children of the family of a Freemason and,
where funds permit, for any children, as their fathers would have done,
had they been able so to do."
In 2010, £547,000 was donated to non-Masonic causes.
In 2010, the RMTGB supported a total of 1,820 beneficiaries. The
number of new cases accepted increased by 30% when compared
to the previous year as the effects of the recent recession continued
to be felt by many families.
Its subsidiary charity Lifelites, helped around 5,000 children
through their support at over 40 children’s hospices. In addition,
the grants made to non-Masonic charities through Stepping Stones
and the Choral Bursary scheme enabled us to support a further 230
non-Masonic children and young people.
LifeLites
Lifelites was the millennium project of the RMTGB but has since been
relaunched as an independent charity in its own right.
Through the power of technology and high tech entertainments,
Lifelites is the only children's charity striving to give children
in hospices the chance to spend quality time with their families, the
means to keep in contact with their school and friends, and simply to
enjoy themselves away from the constant reality of their illness.
Its motto is "Giving kids with limited life unlimited possibilities."