Introducing Freemasonry and Charity
Freemasonry and charity - What many people may not know is that Freemasonry is a great contributor to charities. Indeed, they are one of the largest private charitable donors in the United Kingdom – Through the generosity of Freemasons and their families we are able to raise almost £1,000,000 a week in the cause of charity, which is an astounding figure.
Built upon the founding precepts of helping those who are less fortunate, this work continues today amongst not only it’s members and their dependents, but the wider community with over 50% of funds raised being given to non-masonic national and local charities in support of their work for local communities and society in general. This includes long-term funding for medical research such as prostate and ovarian cancer.
The Freemasons’ Fund For Surgical Research
The Freemasons’ Fund for Surgical Research (FFSR) is a charitable organisation that provides grants to Research Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS England) to pursue groundbreaking research projects. With over 50 years of history, the FFSR has played a vital role in supporting innovative research that might not have received funding otherwise.
The FFSR, funded entirely by Freemasons, has donated over £5.9 million to the RCS England since 1967, with the current value of the fund being approximately £7 million. The fund’s mission is to support the RCS England’s clinical research and contribute to the advancement of surgical knowledge and patient care.
Amalgamating The Big 4
Recently, the Masonic Charitable Foundation was set up to bring together the four national Masonic charities which have operated under different names since the 18th century, these being:
The Freemasons’ Grand Charity
The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
The Masonic Samaritan Fund
During their time of operation, the four charities each provided a specific type of support to meet various charitable aims in support of Freemasons and their families. However, now in additiona t supporting Freemasons and their families, the MCF receives over 1,200 requests per year for both small and large grnts with over 150 charities benefitting each year.
All of the funds disbursed by these Masonic charities are raised directly by local Lodge members and their families, which demonstrates the integration between Freemasonry and charity. All charity contributions are at the sole discretion of individual members with no contributions being collected from the public. Each of the national and local Masonic charities has its own charitable objects for specific purposes.
