Charity and Charitable Grants
In The West Riding of Yorkshire, the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund enables local Masonic Lodges to nominate charitable organisations, or charities in the Province, to receive grants for the benefit of the wider community.
Recent beneficiaries sponsored by The Lodge of Dawn have included St Chad’s Broomfield Cricket Club in Headingley (£20,000), John Jamieson Special School in Oakwood (£28,000) and Chapeltown Youth Development Centre for a new all-weather 5 a side pitch (£24,800).
Charitable giving is a key part of masonic life. You can read about all of The Lodge of Dawn’s charitable activity, and previous grants secured, here.
If you are a charity based in the Leeds or local area we would be delighted to help you with a financial grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Only registered charities can apply. Applications must be for a charitable organisation or charity located and/or operating within the geographical boundaries of the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding, ideally in, or close to, Leeds. The proposed grant must be used for the benefit of communities within the geographical boundary of the Province.
Application from or on behalf of individuals will not be accepted, however deserving.
How do we apply?
In the first instance you need to contact The Lodge of Dawn, either via our email, or through one of our members.
What details do we need to supply?
As well as basic details about you other information required include;
* Organisation’s registered charity number (if applicable)
* A summary of the work the charity does
* What the money will be used for
* A fully costed wish list (if applicable)
* How the organisation will benefit from the grant?
* What fund-raising the charity have done themselves, including amounts of monies raised
In general terms the application must contain sufficient information to enable the Fund’s Committee to make a decision.
For minor grants a financial statement in the form of an Income and Expenditure Statement will suffice together with a copy of a recent monthly bank statement.
For major grants, in addition to the above, a last published set of annual accounts will also be required.
How does the process work?
Once you have contacted us, our Charity Steward will contact you to discuss your request. He will probably ask all the questions above, and more. We may even come and visit you to meet face-to-face and see your existing set up.
Once the Charity Steward is happy with yoir application, it will be proposed at a lodge meeting as a ‘resolution’ which will need to be passed and approved by the members.
It will then be submitted to the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund Committee for discussion/review and hopefully approval.
How long will it take?
This will all depend on the size of the grant application, how long you take to supply the requires information and the complexity or otherwise of the application and proposed use. However once a grant has been approved, funds are transferred promptly to the applicant’s nominated bank account.
How much can I apply for?
There are two types of grants that you can apply for; Major Grants and Minor Grants.
Minor Grants
Minor grants can be applied for throughout the year and are considered by the PGM’s Fund Committee at their monthly meetings.
Minor grants are intended to be relatively modest in size but at the same time able to make a significant difference to the beneficiary. Grants will be awarded for either capital or revenue expenditure.
‘Minor’ grants are considered to be up to a maximum of £5,000. All applications in excess of £5,000 must be submitted as a major grant.
Major Grants
Major grants are considered twice a year. The closing date for applications is 28th February and 31st August, with the Review Committee meeting the month after the closing dates.
These grants are intended to cover applications from particularly worthy causes who are in need of substantial financial assistance.
The total annual amount available for the distribution of major grants is up to £100,000, usually made up of a number of smaller grants. However this total may be raised depending on the nature, number and types of applications. The distribution of the £100,000 may also be one large grant.
Any other questions regarding charitable grants?
If you have any other questions regarding applying for a grant from The Lodge of Dawn, please contact us here.
Interested in joining The Lodge of Dawn?
If you are not a Freemason and would like to find out more read our Seven Reason to Join The Freemasons or our simple ‘What is Freemasonry?’ guide.
And if you would like to join The Lodge of Dawn in Leeds, please feel free to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page.