The Masonic Charitable Foundation 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 Masonic Charitable Foundation 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.
Financial
Health
Family – Children in full-time education
Family – Care
Practical assistance
The Foundation’s Advice & Support Team offer confidential, impartial and practical guidance about the help we can provide. The Team can also help with applications for state and local authority benefits and can put you in touch with other organisations who can give advice on care, employment and education.
How to apply
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 For more information about the Foundation’s grants and the application process, please visit: www.mcf.org.uk
How the Foundation helps communities
In addition to the support provided to Freemasons and their families, the Masonic Charitable Foundation looks beyond Freemasonry, making significant financial grants to charities that help people to live happy, fulfilled lives and to participate actively in society. The charities supported make a significant and lasting difference to people in need. We aim to benefit as many people as possible and further those causes about which Freemasons and their families have told us they are most passionate. To find out more about the Foundation’s Community Support and Research grants, please visit: www.mcf.org.uk/community
Craft Masonry is the starting point of every Mason’s journey through the Order. Without it none of the other orders which follow could exist. It is therefore the most important element of Freemasonry.
Every Mason is a member of at least one Craft Lodge. A man becomes a Freemason by being initiated into one of these Craft Lodges, usually the one which meets nearest to where he lives or works, although there may be reasons why he joins one further away. At this point the newly made Mason is known as an Entered Apprentice. Over the course of the following months he will be passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft Freemason, and then raised to the degree of a Master Mason
What else is involved in becoming a Freemason? You have to be male, aged 21 or over and be of good character (which means not having any criminal convictions). You must also believe in a Supreme Being, but Freemasonry is not a religion; men from a variety of faiths belong.
