Charity has always been a core principle of Freemasonry. Individuals can make an important contribution at local, national and global level by giving both their time and money.
Freemasonry is one of the largest charitable givers in the country, contributing £51.1m to deserving causes in 2020 alone. Freemasons do not only donate money – more than 18.5 million hours of volunteer work are undertaken by Freemasons every year.
London Freemasons 2023 Appeal for London’s Air Ambulance
At the Annual General Meeting of Metropolitan Grand Lodge on 1st March 2023 the Metropolitan Grand Master, Sir Michael Synder, announced the London Freemasons’ 2023 Appeal.
“London’s Air Ambulance Service has just opened an appeal to raise the funds to renew their fleet of two helicopters as their current ones will relatively soon have to be taken out of service due to their age. The charity is genuinely ‘Up Against Time’ to raise the £15 million needed to replace the two helicopters and get the new ones flying by October 2024.
The London Air Ambulance Service – entirely funded by donations – is there for patients who are so seriously injured that saving their lives is dependent on specialist medical care being delivered on site before they are even considered for transfer to hospital.
The new helicopters will deliver emergency consultants, paramedics and A&E equipment to anywhere in London in 11 minutes, enabling them to give lifesaving treatment at the scene. For many this is a case of life or death.
As a charity well known and supported by London Freemasons, I am launching this appeal for London Freemasons to be, once again, the cornerstone funder for these life-saving helicopters. We will be the first big, or I should say enormous, donation for the London Air Ambulance ‘Up Against Time’ appeal. We, as an organization, will be able to look up into the skies of London and know that, because of us, London has this vital service. I have pledged that we will raise £3 million for this appeal. What better gift can London’s Freemasons give to helping keep the people of London safe.
We have supported London Air Ambulance over many years and we are their biggest single voluntary organisation donor. We previously helped them to purchase their second helicopter in 2016 and we have providing record support for their entire fleet of cars. Your donations so far have enabled the charity to be there for 11,000 Londoners. With your generous support, London Freemasons will be there to help many thousands more.
Today we are giving the LAA £100,000 as a pledge. We now have to find the rest over the next eighteen months. This is truly an important and a most exciting challenge!”
How to Donate
For Lodges and Chapters to ensure you are entered into the Appeal Awards scheme please use on of the following methods
- Please use the Green Relief Chest Voucher payable to Relief Chest No. MET2023. Further assistance can be found on the MCF Website at Donations from a Relief Chest guide
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- Those Lodges and Chapters using the E-Voucher scheme can log in to their Relief Chest and create a new voucher and select the Relief Chest number MET2023 enter the amount to be donated and using the normal signatory requirements of your Relief Chest confirm the payment and it will be processed into the Appeal. Further assistance can be found on the MCF Website at E-voucher user guide
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- Cheques should be made payable to the London Freemasons Charity with no other reference on the payee line on the cheque please, just a covering note stating that the donation is for MET2023
All donations must be sent to:
Mrs C Hunt
Met GL
60 Great Queen Street
London
WC2B 5AZ
Individual donations can also be made via this LINK.
Information on our Charities
Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Freemasons Charity
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons' Charity, builds better lives by enabling opportunity, advancing healthcare and education and promoting independence for Freemasons, their families and the wider community.Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country.
A wide range of help and support is available for Freemasons, their wives, partners, widows, children and grandchildren. Most of the support provided takes the form of financial grants to assist with financial, health or family related needs.
For further information about the help and support available from the Foundation, please call their dedicated freephone enquiry line: 0800 035 60 90 or email help@mcf.org.uk
You can also write to Masonic Charitable Foundation, 60 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5AZ
View the MCF's Impact Report to learn more about its work.
Visit the website
The London Freemasons Charity
The London Freemasons’ Charity, formerly known as The Metropolitan Masonic Charity, is a grant making charity run by Freemasons under the banner of Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London. The funds are raised through the huge generosity of the members in London. This generosity has enabled many grants, of varying sizes, to be made for the benefit of London and its residents.
Guidance for Applicants.
While not discounting larger established charities, the LFC looks more kindly towards smaller registered charities and organisations which reflect charitable purpose.
For an application from a registered charity the request must be accompanied by the latest Charity Commission return and accounts. For unregistered charities or other charitable purpose, then a similar set of accounts must be submitted showing income, expenses and reserves.
As the focus of the LFC is for smaller London Charities, if a larger established charity applies then it must be shown that the project is for the benefit of London and the residents of London.
Applications are welcomed from charities supported by individual London Lodges and Chapters through their member, but the application must be made by the charity.
Applications will generally be looked upon more favourably if a specific project or requirement is identified rather than a donation into general charity funds.
Request for grants for anything outside London are unlikely to succeed.
What type of projects does the LFC support?
The LFC is particularly interested in supporting children, young & elderly people, opportunities for education and it will also consider supporting a wide range of projects at a local and community level.
Grants are not usually awarded to individuals and the LFC does not award grants for core funding, retrospective activity or projects which have already started. The charities that the LFC supports must be seen to be inclusive.
What size of grant can be applied for?
Grants are generally awarded for one year in the range £3,000 to £10,000. Occasionally, they may be larger. Multi-year grants are only awarded in special cases. The application must make it clear how an LFC grant will make a significant difference to the work of the charity or a particular project.
What other considerations will be taken into account?
The Trustees will take into account the level of the applicant’s reserves when assessing whether or not to make a grant.
It is expected that any grant will be fully used within twelve months of it being received.
Although not a requirement, it is expected that publicity for both the Charity and LFC should be embraced. A member of Metropolitan Grand Lodge PR team may be in touch with regard to any grant made.
Procedure for applying for a LFC grant:
All applications for a grant must be received via email. Please see the guidance list below and include as much of that as able.
If additional information is required, the charity will be contacted before the application is considered by the Trustees. You are also be asked to supply the bank details as the LFC would use the BACS system for payments. A copy of a voided cheque or a paying in slip will be required to be uploaded, showing clearly the charity name.
Confirmation of Receipt of a Grant Application:
All applications for a grant will be acknowledged by e-mail of receipt.
Confirmation of Successful & Unsuccessful Applications:
All applications for a grant will be notified by email whether successful or not.
When can I re-apply for a grant?
Whether an application for a grant was successful or not, no further application may be submitted until 12 months have elapsed since the date the grant payment or notification of an unsuccessful application was notified.