MASONIC CHARITIES
As you will see from the following descriptions
of the Masonic Charities, they are not in fact totally
for the benefit of Freemasons but also do sterling work
in the wider community. Our charitable work for the local
community is covered on a separate page.
THE ROYAL MASONIC
TRUST FOR GIRLS AND BOYS
This year, 2008, sees the launch
of a new Festival for Lincolnshire in support of The Royal
Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. It is appropriate, therefore,
that we look a little more at the work of the Trust and
further information will be provided on this page as the
Festival gets fully under way.
Grand President
HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC.
President
Mike Woodcock, DLitt, CIntMC, JP
Chief Executive
Les Hutchinson, MBA, BA (Hons), MCMI
60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ
Telephone: 020 7405 2644
F acsimile: 020 7831 4094
Web site: www.rmtgb.org
Mission Statement
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.
Origin of the RMTGB
In the mid -1980s two national charities were brought
together to form the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
(MTGB). The former charities, the Royal Masonic Institution
for Girls (RMIG) and the Royal Masonic Institution for
Boys (RMIB), were merged with the MTGB and given the overall
aim of relieving poverty and advancing education of children
of all ages.
The girls' charity was set up in 1788. The trust deeds
allowed for legitimate daughters of and female children
legally adopted by Freemasons who, from some unexpected
calamity, were driven into poverty, to be educated at
the School. All girls were boarders and educated free,
unless it was deemed that a parental contribution was
required in accordance with the income of the parent(s).
The boys' charity followed in 1798 (although there was
no separate School for 60 years) along similar lines to
that for the girls.
The Boys' School was sold in 1977 and the money raised
was, and still is, used for supporting boys at whatever
school is best suited to their needs. The Girls' School
was not sold, but set up as a separate foundation as a
girls' independent school, the Royal Masonic School for
Girls operating in the private sector in competition with
all others in the area. The school can provide sheltered
accommodation when required.
The aim of the merger was to create one new body having
wider terms of reference and able to give greater assistance
to the children of distressed Freemasons and, when resources
permit, to give relief to children outside the Craft.
By gracious permission of Her Majesty The Queen, the
Trust adopted the title of "Royal Masonic Trust for
Girls and Boys" (RMTGB) on 1 May 2003.
Petitions.
The Petitions Committee meets to consider petitions submitted
to the Trust through sponsoring Lodges. In the case of
Provincial Lodges these are transmitted through and reported
on, by the Provincial Grand Secretary or Provincial Grand
Almoner.
Forms of Petition for children to be admitted to benefits
are obtainable from the Provincial office. Petitions are
considered at the earliest opportunity after completion
and return to the Trust.
Lodges sponsoring Petitions are invited to nominate a
Case Almoner to supervise 
the
particular case and act as the communication, and frequently
the executive, link between the Trust and the child, the
parents or guardian. The attention of Lodges and potential
Case Almoners is invited to an informative pamphlet on
the duties of this officer published by the Trust.
The Trust depends on Lodges for information about cases
of distress which may qualify for assistance. All members
of Lodges are urged, therefore, to be particularly vigilant
in this respect. When a case comes to light, the Lodge
Secretary or Lodge Almoner should at once inform the Trust
through the Provincial Office. In cases of difficulty
the Staff of the Trust are at all times ready to help.
With regard to assistance to children who are not the
children of Freemasons, the Council has decided that assistance
under this secondary object should usually take the form
of donations to children's charities with similar objects
to those of the Trust.
The Move to New Accomodation.
The long awaited move of the four central Craft
Charity's into purpose designed accommodation within Freemasons'
Hall took place early in 2008. Nearly 100 staff are now
co-located in the refurbished area on the new Charities
Floor.
Prior to the move the staff were dispersed over a number
of floors. The improved arrangements mark the start of
a new era of even greater co-operation, innovation and
cost saving in the delivery of charitable support to the
Craft. The closer proximity of staff to old colleagues
and new ones from the other Charities reflects a genuine
desire to foster improved and expanded working relationships
among the organisations, with the aim of providing the
best possible charitable support to thousands of applicants
every year.
The move is enabling the Trust to embark upon an extensive
refurbishment of its former home and it’s other building
at 26 Great Queen Street, which was previously occupied
by the Masonic Samaritan Fund. It will also explore ways
of reorganising the student accommodation facilities currently
focussed within Parker Street. Letting the refurbished
offices should provide much needed income and reduce the
annual operating deficit enabling the Trust to maintain
the current level of support for its core, Masonic, beneficiaries.
Facts and Figures
During 2007 the Trust supported 857 girls and 803 boys
at schools, colleges and universities. 66 young people
received grants under the TalentAid scheme. Many others
benefited from grants from our subsidiary funds. In all
over 1,800 were helped at a cost of almost £7M.
Like
all Charities, the Trust has set criteria for Grant Making.
Cases must fall into specific categories before assistance
can be given. In all there are 11 categories of distress;
the four main categories relate to distress where the
father of the children is a Freemason, these are:- Death,
Desertion, Disability and Financial Distress. Then there
are those cases where the father is not a Freemason but
where some other person, often the Grandfather, has to
some extent supported the child. The final three categories
cover the death or desertion of both parents, the orphans,
children of former beneficiaries of the Institutions and,
lastly, where the Freemason father is over retirement
age, and disability of a child.
Anniversary Festivals
The Twenty-third Anniversary Festival was held on 9 May
2008 at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley under the Presidency
of RW Bro E Stuart-Bamford, Provincial Grand Master for
Surrey.
The Twenty-fourth Anniversary Festival will be held on
13 May 2009 at Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth Park under
the Presidency of RW Bro Peter Magnay, Provincial Grand
Master for Northumberland.
Millenium Project
In December 1998, the Trust launched lifelites a special
£7.5M fund for helping all children's hospices throughout
England and Wales. Emphasis is placed on providing networked
multi-media communications and computer-aided educational
and recreational facilities. At the end of 2007 thirty-nine
children's hospices had benefited from the project. It
is anticipated that the number will have risen to forty
or forty-one by the end of 2008. It is proposed that all
new children's hospices will be invited to join the network
as they open. Local Masonic volunteers with IT skills
are helping the Hospices to maximise the benefits of the
new equipment. On 1st January 2006 lifelites was launched
as an independent charity able to seek both the Masonic
and non-Masonic support that will secure its future. It
remains under the administrative umbrella of the Trust.
Please visit www.lifelites.org for further details.
Choral Bursaries
Established in 1995, the Trust's Choral Bursary scheme
now awards bursaries to choristers at 25 cathedrals and
other choral foundations. The bursaries enable children
to join a choir and attend a choir school when their families
are unable to meet the fees. In 2007 25 bursaries were
awarded.
Talentaid
TalentAid was established in 2001 to help gifted children
and young people develop their talents in music, sport
and theperforming arts. Both the children and grandchildren
of Freemasons are eligible.
Two types of grant are given. Recurring Grants are for
fees at specialist schools and colleges, such as Wells
Cathedral School (one of the specialist regional music
schools) or the London College of Music and Dramatic Art.
Grants for fees are means-tested and usually go to the
children of low-income families.
Non-Recurring Grants are for sports coaching, music lessons,
the purchase of equipment or instruments, and towards
the incidental expenses of having a talented child.
During 2007, 66 young people received assistance through
TalentAid.
TalentAid
Case Study
Claire
began dancing lessons at the age of eight. She progressed
through the grades to the higher levels of medal exams
becoming an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers
of Dancing (ISTD) at the age of only 18, which qualified
her to teach Disco and Freestyle.
Claire passed both her BTEC Foundation and National Diplomas
in Performing Arts with Distinction. She successfully
auditioned for a place as a dancer at Her Majesty's Theatre
Haymarket and was one of only 30 out of 5,000 who were
recalled from open auditions for the West End show 'Chicago'.
In 2005 she commenced a 3-year Professional Diploma in
Performance at the Millennium Dance 2000 performing arts
school. She began commuting from her family home but the
long days and evening rehearsals meant that this arrangement
soon became impractical. Claire was awarded a place in
the Trust's student accommodation, Ruspini House, which
has allowed her to concentrate on her 
dancing.
The TalentAid scheme provides an accommodation grant and
a contribution towards her fees.
One of the problems facing a young person starting a
course or seeking a job in London is the difficulty in
finding good quality yet reasonably priced accommodation.
The Trust has Ruspini House for young men and women -
close to the Trust's offices near Covent Garden in Central
London. Preference being given to Beneficiaries or former
Beneficiaries, but places are sometimes available for
other Masonic children. Potential residents are welcome
to visit and view the halls of residence at almost any
time during office hours. Demand for places can be considerable,
so early application is advised. Contact the Trust for
more details.
Planning an Open Day
Did you know that the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and
Boys has a professional presentation stand, which can
be used to illustrate some of the good works carried out
by this charity? If you would like to find out more about
utilising this useful facility for your open day or fundraising
event, or to receive a promotion pack, please contact
W Bro Ray Collings, Fund-raising Manager.
Guest Speakers
The Chief Executive will, on request, be happy to arrange
for a speaker to attend Lodge meetings to talk about the
work of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.
Gift Aid Envelopes
Our Gift Aid envelope is available for you to use if you
are a UK taxpayer who has paid an amount of income tax
or capital gains tax in each tax year at least equal to
the amount we may reclaim on your donation. [In 2008/2009
this is 28p in every £1]. The envelope enables the
Trust to reclaim tax on donations made to alms collections,
festive boards and ladies nights, etc.Gift Aid
The Trust actively encourages all eligible donors to complete
a Gift Aid declaration, which enables the benefit of your
donation to be maximised. Please ensure that you contact
the Trust if your tax situation changes or if you change
address.
Legacy Giving
By
remembering the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
in your Will you can make a real difference to the level
of support we provide. Legacies are immensely important
to our work. Making a Will is a simple but very important
step. It is the only way of ensuring that you decide who
will benefit from your estate after your death.
Your legacy can help us to change the lives of generations
of children by enabling us to continue our work well into
the future.
Please contact the Trust in order to receive your legacy
pack.
Subsidiary Trusts Administered by the RMTGB
In addition to the main funds, there are several subsidiary
trusts available to the RMTGB to give relief to children
and young people, and these fall into three categories.
The first contains two funds available at the discretion
of the Trustees to provide immediate relief in an emergency
or in special circumstances affecting the whole family
of the child or young person. The second category covers
accommodation in London, and the third comprises Scholarships,
Bursaries and Travelling Fellowships available to qualified
students on application and awarded on merit at the appropriate
time in the academic year.
Discretionary Funds for Emergency Relief
The normal procedure for granting relief to children and
young people in need is through the presentation of a
petition to the RMTGB. However, there are many occasions
when immediate relief is necessary through emergency and
these can arise both before and any time after a petition
has been heard and approved. Such relief is available
through the medium of two discretionary funds, known respectively
as the Ruspini Fund and Burwood Trust.
Ruspini Fund (for Girls)
The Ruspini Fund, which is supported by voluntary donations
from Lodges and members of the Craft, exists to provide
limited assistance to girls in circumstances not provided
for in the Rules for the application of the General Fund.
Help may also be given to a girl's immediate family to
relieve hardship or to overcome a problem, which affects
the whole family and their ability to support the girl.
It is named after the founder of the RMIG, Chevalier Ruspini.
It is a most useful fund, permitting instant response
to emergency need.
Burwood Trust (for Boys)
The Burwood Trust was inaugurated by the Council of the
Trust in 1991 for the purpose of assisting boys in the
same way as the Ruspini Fund assists girls. It is named
after William Burwood who, with other members of the United
Mariners Lodge, founded the RMIB.
Student Accomodation
One of the problems facing a young person starting a course
or seeking a job in London is the difficulty of finding
good quality yet reasonably-priced accommodation. The
Trust has Ruspini House for young men and women – close
to the Trust's offices near Covent Garden in Central London.
Preference being given to Beneficiaries or former Beneficiaries,
but places are sometimes available for other Masonic children.
Potential residents are welcome to visit and view the
halls of residence at almost any time during office hours.
Demand for places can be considerable, so early application
is advised.
Contact the Trust for more information.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND TRAVELLING FELLOWSHIPS
RESTRICTED TO BENEFICIARIES OR FORMER BENEFICIARIES
MTGB Scholarship Fund for Boys
The Scholarship Fund was founded in 1896 to assist in
setting up scholarships for boys who had been assisted
by the RMIB. In the light of modern conditions, however,
it has been decided that the Fund would be put to better
use by financing travelling scholarships to enable boys
going on to higher forms of education to broaden their
minds by travel abroad. The very interesting reports received
from the recipients clearly indicate the great value of
these scholarships.
The Empire Lodge Centenary Travelling Fellowship
(for Girls and Boys)
and The Prince of Wales's Lodge Bicentenary Fund (for
Girls and Boys)
Both the Empire Lodge Fellowship (1985) and the Prince
of Wales's Lodge Fund (1987) were established to further
the education of Petition girls or boys who, in the opinion
of the Trustees, are the most deserving in each year.
Selection is on academic achievement in the final year
at school for travel to any part of the world and may
be used in addition to, or as a supplement to, another
award. The successful candidates are required, at the
conclusion of the Fellowship, to write an account of their
travels and the use to which the award has been put.
Scholarship Fund of the Public Schools' Lodges
of Freemasons (for Girls and Boys)
This Fund was established in 1962 with capital provided
by the Public Schools' Lodges Council. It was originally
set up for the benefit of boys, but was changed on the
formation of the MTGB. The objects are to provide Scholarships,
Bursaries and Maintenance Allowances tenable at any University
or other places of learning in respect of any girl or
boy who is or has been under the care and protection of
the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys who, in the
opinion of the Trustees, is in need of such assistance.
The Fund will also provide tools or books to help beneficiaries
prepare to enter a profession, trade or calling.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CHILDREN OF FREEMASONS
NOT RESTRICTED TO BENEFICIARIES OR FORMER BENEFICIARIES
The Frederick Phillips Charity (for Girls and
Boys)
This Charity was constituted, founded and established
in 1927 and was originally administered by the Grand Charity.
It has wide terms of reference, but is currently being
used for assistance with post-graduate education. Accordingly,
the Charity was passed to the RMTGB for administration.
The Leslie Smith Bursary (for Girls and Boys)
This Bursary was established in 1985 by the Trustees of
the Leslie Smith Foundation and takes its name from the
late W Bro L H A Smith, a founder member of the Council
of the RMTGB. The object of the Bursary is to advance
education and/or relieve poverty for the benefit of children
of the family of a Freemason under the United Grand Lodge
of England.
Old Masonians Association Memorial Trust (for
Girls and Boys)
This Bursary was established in 1989 as a permanent memorial
to Norman Taylor Sinclair, a former Headmaster of the
Royal Masonic School for Boys, to former pupils of the
School who gave their lives in the service of their Country
and to the School and the work it did over a period of
179 years. The object of the Bursary is to provide assistance
by way of relieving poverty and/or advancing education
for the benefit of children of the family of a Freemason
under the United Grand Lodge of England.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANY GIRL OR BOY
The Masonic Boys' Welfare Fund (for Boys)
This Fund was originally set up in 1922 for the maintenance,
further education or advancement of boys under the age
of 23 years who had been beneficiaries of the RMIB. In
January 1988 a scheme was approved by the Charity Commission,
which removed the dependency on the RMIB and inserted
that beneficiaries must be in need of financial assistance,
and that preference would be given to boys and young men
who were the sons of Freemasons.
The Ruspini Welfare Fund (for Girls)
This Fund is similar to the Masonic Boys' Welfare Fund,
but is for girls. It was started by a donation from St
Alban’s Lodge No 29 to mark their 275th Anniversary, and
to commemorate Chevalier Ruspini, who was a member of
the Lodge and founder of the RMIG.
The Croydon Lodge of Endeavour Travelling Fellowship
(for Girls and Boys)
This Fund is for the advancement of the education of girls
and boys through travel.
The London Grand Rank Association Heritage and
Educational Trust, The Colin Dyer (1988) and Nigel Haines
(1989) Bursary Funds (for Girls and Boys)
These Bursaries have been provided for application by
the Secretary for such educational purposes as the RMTGB
and the Heritage Trust may from time to time think fit.
The Canada Lodge Travelling Fellowship for Girls
and Boys
The Canada Fellowship is similar to the Empire Lodge Fellowship
and the Prince of Wales's Fund, but preference is given
to any child wishing to travel to Canada.
The Globe Lodge 275th Anniversary Fund (for Girls
and Boys)
The Globe Lodge 275th Anniversary Fund was established
by the Globe Lodge No:23 on 6 September 2001 to assist
young people wishing to study abroad.
THE ROYAL MASONIC SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
The Royal Masonic School for Girls is an independent establishment
operating freely in the private sector of education in
competition with all other fee paying girls' schools in
this country. The School is open for the admission of
fee paying students of any denomination, whether or not
the daughters of Freemasons, but is required to accept
girls placed there as beneficiaries of the Royal Masonic
Trust for Girls and Boys.
The setting of the School, in 320 acres of most attractive
Hertfordshire parkland and its superb facilities compare
favourably with all other girls' schools in the land.
Please help to publicise the School to your fellow Masons
and to your friends as a place worthy of consideration
for the education of their daughters, that by this method
of support for our work they assist in maintaining the
School as a safe haven for the less fortunate "Daughters"
of the Craft
WHAT THE FUND IS DOING IN LINCOLNSHIRE AT THIS
TIME
There are 29 current cases in Lincolnshire (as at April
2008). The cost for the year ending April 2008 was £126,039.86.
Over 5 years the support has been to the value of £542,957.78.
On the Choral Bursary area we have one Chorister at Lincoln
Cathedral and 2 Choristers at Great Grimsby.
There is one child receiving TalentAid assistance to
the value of £4,877.
THE MASONIC PROVINCE OF LINCOLNSHIRE IS TOTALLY
COMMITTED TO MAKING THE TARGET FOR THE FESTIVAL AND WELCOMES
ALL THE SUPPORT THE BRETHREN CAN MUSTER IN ACHIEVING THIS
AIM.
Information Release 11 March 2009
£5,000 FOR FIJI FLOOD VICTIMS
In response to a request from the South West Pacific Group of Lodges, the President of the Grand Charity has approved an emergency grant of £5000 to help victims of severe flooding acros Fiji.
Triggered by torrential rain in Janauary, the floodong affected most of Fiji and destroyed housing and infrastructure, leaving thousands homeless. Many of the families now housed in the emergency relief centres have lost everything and have only the clothes they were wearing when they escaped the waters.
The estimated cost of the damage has been calculated to be in excess of £60 million. The emergency relief grant will support the relief efforts of the South West Pacific Group of Lodges.
THE
GRAND CHARITY
The Grand Charity was formed as an independent charity
in 1980 to take over the functions of the United Grand
Lodge of England's Board of Benevolence, which itself
had its origins in the Committee of Charity set up in
1725. Like its predecessor, the Grand Charity has a threefold
function:
