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."