Image: Care home nurses wearing visors donated by Freemasons.
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons’ national charity, welcomes the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that £750 million will be made available to help keep the sector afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Innes, Chief Executive of the Masonic Charitable Foundation, said:
“Many charities up and down the country, including several that we work alongside, have seen donations plunge right at the time their services are most needed. The Chancellor’s announcement of £750 million to support the sector will come as a huge relief to them and the many tens of thousands of people they support.”
During the Coronavirus pandemic, Freemasons across England and Wales are providing support to vulnerable people in their communities, ranging from help with shopping and collecting prescriptions, through to using 3D printers to manufacture personal protective equipment for staff in care homes. Fortunately, the MCF will not need to draw on this money and indeed has established an initial fund of over £1m to support frontline charities over the months ahead as they respond to the current crisis.
The MCF is a major grant-giver to over 300 charities every year across England and Wales. These include major grants of £1 million to Age UK to help with the elderly and Home-Start, which supports families with young children.
Every year, Freemasonry as a whole provides an estimated £45 million in charitable giving which is funded entirely from the donations of Freemasons, their families and friends. In addition, Freemasons also undertake more than eighteen and a half million hours of unpaid social and civic volunteering each year.
