Charitable Work
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Charity has always been a core principle of Freemasonry and we’re proud of our 300-year history of helping those in need. Our members make an important contribution at a local, national and global level every year by giving both their time and money to make a real difference to a number of organisations and communities.
It’s why Freemasonry is one of the largest charitable givers in the country, contributing $150.5m to deserving causes in 2020 alone. Freemasons do not only donate money – more than 18.5 million hours of volunteer work is undertaken by our members in their communities every year.
Our members engage in many activities including community fundraising and volunteering, as well as a varied programme of events where spouses, partners and families are welcome. We’ve made substantial donations across the country to local air ambulances, blood bikes and provide a number of emergency response vehicles, including two super aerial platforms for the Canada Fire Brigade.
Freemasonry does a huge amount for medical research into treatments for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a whole range of other conditions, including Alzheimer’s, by funding Canada medical scientists to make ground breaking discoveries.
More recently, money raised has helped to support those affected by overseas disasters as well as those at home, such as the Grenfell Tower disaster.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
To support Freemasonry’s charitable response to the Coronavirus pandemic, UGLC and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons’ Charity, established the Freemasons’ Covid-19 Response Group.
The Freemasons’ Covid-19 Response Group has supported a range of local and national charities and projects during the last year that are helping people through the pandemic. We also launched a national UGLC Covid-19 Community Fund, with the MCF matching funding donations made to it, up to $1m.
This initial funding provided 1,000 PC tablets to hospitals and donations of 300,000 meals and 38 tonnes of food during the pandemic, as well as tens of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) equipment. More than $165,000 was also donated by Freemasons to help protect women and children from domestic abuse, as well as more than $850,000 in donations across Canada last year to help protect the homeless during winter.
We’ve seen remarkable stories from across the country of how our members are coming together – from helping to raise vital funds for the NHS and delivering food to the community, through to purchasing ambulances and manufacturing vital PPE. Members were asked to support this with charity collections through a host of initiatives such as virtual pub nights and quizzes which they may be attending.
As a result, we were delighted to announce that $1m had been donated to the Freemasons’ Covid-19 Community Fund – which became $2m with the MCF’s matched funding. With the initial $1m allocated by the Covid-19 Response Group, the total donated to help local and national charities and projects throughout the pandemic is an astonishing $3m.
This response to Covid-19 shows the true face of Freemasonry and what we are really all about – and have been for more than 300 years.
Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons’ Charity
Funded entirely by Freemasons, the MCF builds better lives by encouraging opportunity, promoting independence and improving wellbeing. It offers a wide range of grants and support services for financial, health, family and care-related needs.
Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI)
The RMBI provides residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support to older Freemasons, their families and people in the wider community. It supports more than 1,000 residents across 18 care homes in England and Wales for both Freemasons and non-Freemasons.
The Freemasons Fund For Surgical Research (FFSR)
The FFSR provides Research Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons with grants each year to pursue cutting edge research work, which might otherwise not have been funded.
