The Freemasons' Grand Charity is a grant-making charity, which is funded by Freemasons and their families.
Last year it gave grants totalling over £5 million to support people in need and fund the work of charities
helping the wider community ... read more here

In addition to the millions of pounds given annually to non-masonic charities, freemasons are proud of their support of the various masonic charities, and like any club or organisation it is quite natural to want to look after your own members and their dependents.

Masonic charity starts in local Lodges with gifts and support for widows of past Members, summer outings and Christmas parties. In addition, many Lodges will support one or more local charities. Maidstone Masonic Charities also deals with local charities, widows etc. and can recommend certain cases up to London to the Grand Charity.
Whilst some Masonic Charities cater specifically for masons and their dependants, others do a great deal of non-Masonic charitable giving. The Grand Charity, in addition to helping Masonic petitioners and other Masonic Charities, is the central arm for the Craft's non-Masonic donations. Each year it gives in excess of £100,000 in sums from £500 - £2,000 to a whole range of national medical and welfare charities that have no connection with Freemasonry. In addition, each year it takes a major project to which it gives a donation, usually £250,000 over a period of five years. Over the last few years this has included the provision of a lifeboat to the RNLI; £250,000 to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Wishing Well appeal; the endowing of a Chair in Gerontology at Cambridge University; support to Crisis at Christmas, research into drug abuse, research into cancer and heart disease, and over half a million pounds to Hospices throughout the country. In addition large sums have been given to disaster appeals both at home and abroad. On a local level many Lodges support the local hospital, children's home, or old people's home etc. and in addition to money, provide time and talents to help within the community.

Of the Masonic Charities, the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys supports over 1,000 children. The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution has 19 complexes throughout England and Wales, which combine flats and centralised accommodation. The Masonic Housing Association funds projects which result in sheltered accommodation part of which is reserved for Masonic use but the majority is available to the local community.

There is one slightly unusual but important aspect to Masonic Charity. All the money is raised internally by donations and covenants. We do not hold fund raising activities to obtain money from the general public.

Freemasonry is by no means confined to England or the U.K. It is world wide with 116 Grand Lodges which are recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. It is particularly strong in the USA but also in the Commonwealth, South America, Europe and Australasia. The most exciting event of recent time has been the re-emergence of masonry in the former Communist countries. Hungary was first, then Czechoslovakia. Yugoslavia was anticipated to follow until civil war. Communism banned Freemasonry, just like the Nazis.

A total of £62,400 has been awarded in minor grants so far this year to twenty-five national charities. They are the latest awards through The Freemasons Grand Charity Minor Grants scheme which provides support for smaller charities active in the areas of youth opportunities, vulnerable people and medical research. Minor Grants and Contact details

26th October 2009

The President of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved an emergency grant of £25,000 to Save the Children, following the Kirshna River bursting its banks flooding 5 districts in India. The grant will help 20 of the worst affected villages in Southern India by providing them with essential and life-saving relief, as many families were unable to salvage even basic hygiene materials, cooking utensils or dry clothes ... read more

The latest edition of the quarterly reports which show the value of grants made by the four central Masonic Charities (The Freemasons Grand Charity, Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and the Masonic Samaritan Fund). The report shows the values of the grants made and the number of beneficiaries for each charity by Province over the last 12 months. It also shows the total value of the grants for the past 5 years. 

We hope this information will be useful for Provincial year-books, as well as assist you both in fundraising and in demonstrating the support which is available from the central Masonic charities.

The Freemasons Grand Charity will be back in three months with the next update. Please contact the individual charity concerned for any statistics enquiries ... read more here

The Masonic Province of East Kent donated £1000 towards the fixtures and fittings for a new meeting hall for the 1st Headcorn Scout Group and I (Trevor Pankhurst) attended the official opening of the new building on Sunday 4th July 2010 ... read more

Mike Brook-Foster MBE



Picture on the right
Jamie Kadinopoulos, Explorer Scout; Scout Leader, Mike Brook-Foster MBE

Masons Collect for Heart of Kent Hospice


Maidstone Freemasons were out in force on Saturday 10th July 2010 to collect money for The Heart of Kent Hospice.

The annual Maidstone street collection was organised this year by W. Bro Mick Packham of Belvidere Lodge with support provided by a number of local Lodges Mick’s merry band of helpers donned hats and plenty of sun screen as temperatures sored to the high 20’s on what transpired to be one of the hottest days of the year. It wasn’t only the weather that favoured the event, the good folk of Maidstone dug deep to help fill the collecting boxes and buckets that could be seen throughout the centre of Maidstone town centre.

The Right Worshipful the Provincial Grand Master Michael Bailey together with his wife Sandra supported the event and gave a helping hand with the collection.

The total raised £1064


Article by Trevor Pankhurst
Assistant Provincial Information Officer

This year's TLC sponsored river walk took place on Saturday 11th July

Family and Friends walk to raise over £4000 to give a little TLC

More than 130 walkers completed a 5 mile walk along the River Medway at Yalding, raising in the region of £4,000 to buy more teddies to be donated to A&E units across East Kent. This was the 4th year that the event has been organised by East Kent Freemasons headed by the Chairman of the East Kent TLC Committee, John Keeley.
John Keeley said, “Where does the magic come from? The ability for a small cuddly bear to sooth and calm a crying child, the simple act of giving a bear to a child is happening every day in every A&E department and minor injury units throughout East Kent. In the four and a half years since the appeal started 47,000 teddy bears have been donated by Freemasons from the Province of Kent” Dressed in yellow T shirts bearing the well known TLC and teddy logo the enthusiastic participants completed the 5 mile walk in between 1 and 2 hours. Some of the more energetic walked an additional 2 miles to raise a little extra cash. The walk started and finished at Tea Pot Island, Yalding where John ably assisted by the TLC Committee, family and friends had organised a Marquee with a Hog roast BBQ, children’s entertainment and live music. There was even a duck race on the river Medway to add to the fun.

Teddies for Loving Care Appeal (East Kent)

Family and Friends walk to raise over £4000 to give a little TLC

Read more

The event was supported By the Provincial Grand Master of The Province of East Kent, Michael Robin Bailey together with his wife Sandra. Other members of the Provincial executive also took part in the walk. 28 local businesses sponsored the event, without which the magic couldn’t happen. Micky the Clown (W. Bro Mick Smith) entertained the children and the band ‘Goodbye Eric’ entertained the adults, free of charge. The Wildlife heritage foundation supported the event by donating a generous raffle prize to visit the Big Cat Centre at Smarden. The lucky winner, W. Bro David Horne will enjoy ‘a Big Cat Experience’, which includes hand feeding a number of the big cats. Hopefully this won’t affect his ability to salute in the future!

The ‘multiscan’ machine was purchased by PSA Kent from donations made by a number of Lodges across the Province of East Kent together with support from Maidstone Rotary.

The Chairman of PSA Kent, Mr Alan Prior who is also a Deal Freemason presented the equipment to Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Paul Reddy and Lesley Baxter MGH Urology Unit Manager.
Mr Reddy said ‘ this equipment is desperately needed and will enable us to screen people more quickly’. Secretary of the PSA Kent, Mr Graham Edwards said ‘ we started in 2006 and our fund-raising was launched with donations from Deal Masonic Lodges. They even provided us with our Chairman! Since then through support from Masonic Lodges throughout East Kent, together with other donations, we have raised over £100,000 and purchased 9 portable multi-scanners for hospitals.’

Lodges represented at the presentation included; Belvidere 503, Staplehurst 8145, Duke of Kent 5818, Watch & Ward 8809, King Edward V11 3252, Gillingham Lodge of Benevolence 184,
Manor of Gillingham 3983

Article by Trevor Pankhurst
Assistant Provincial Information Officer

For more information about The Grand Charity please visit the website
Click here

The Masons behind the Appeal are everyday people with families, jobs and commitments of their own, but who have a little time on their hands to make a difference to people’s lives effected by the distress of a sick or injured child... read more