Page 19 - EssexMason (Issue 86) Online Version

Charity

New Essex Charities Set to Provide Funds

for Projects Across the Province

A
major shake-up in the way that Essex Freemasons support community projects and good causes in every part of the Province will be ajor shake-up in the way that Essex Freemasons support community projects and good causes in every part of the Province will be
m
completed by September with the launch of two new charities and a major overhaul of an existing fund.
The move, part of an ambitious new initiative by the RW PGM, Rodney Lister Bass, OBE, will release suffi cient funds to allow potential grants and the
opportunity for Province to work directly with Lodges and Chapters to match fund selected projects.
At the time of writing Trustees are still working on how the grant making process will operate and members will be advised later this year but we
anticipate numerous applications from Lodges & Chapters for match-funding and while we will make every effort to make funding available to support
as many projects as possible, not every application will succeed.
Funding has to work in tandem with existing resources and income which means that every new application will be considered on its merits and the
contribution it makes to the wider Essex community.
The two new charities are the “Essex Provincial Almoners Fund” which is covered elsewhere in this magazine by the Provincial Grand Almoner, W.Bro
Nick Clarke, and the “Essex Freemasons Community Fund.” The “Essex Provincial Charity Fund,” which was established in the 1930’s, has been
completely overhauled. All three charities have also been formed into CIO’s (Charitable Incorporated Organisations) which will enable us to have
greater fl exibility when awarding grants.
So how will it all work? It’s estimated that the Almoners Fund will need around £50,000 a year to continue its good work with local Masons and their
families and this will be provided directly from the Provincial Charity Fund as explained by Nick Clarke. This is in addition to the nearly half a million of
funding which comes to Essex each year via the MCF to support Masonic families.

Flagship Charity
The “Essex Freemasons Community Fund” is our new fl agship charity formed at the request of the RW PGM. It has been made possible by making
economies at the Provincial Offi ce and has a remit to support a wide range of good causes – even those that are not registered charities.
Longer term the bigger plan for the Community Fund is an aspiration to identify one large project each year, which we may also look to the MCF to
match fund with us. This would work alongside smaller, but equally signifi cant projects in each of the fi ve major population centres of the Province -
Colchester, Chelmsford, Harlow, Basildon and Southend.
We are still looking at different ideas but these projects might be themed for greater impact and publicity potential. These could include for example,
charitable causes to alleviate loneliness in one particular year and in the next we might consider supporting paediatric care charities. In all such cases
we would still try to get support from the MCF with these, particularly if our strategy matched theirs for that particular grant making period.
It is also the PGM’s request that this charity looks closely at “match funding” by supporting Lodges and Chapters make more of their own donations by
doubling the amount available, but as explained earlier it will be impossible to support every application so members are encouraged to only submit
requests where they can demonstrate a signifi cant benefi t to their local community.
These smaller match-funded grants will help lodges make a bigger impact with their own contributions, but as funds would be fi nite we may have to
set agreed amounts as to what lodge donations we would consider supporting each year.
Freeing Up Reserves
Equally as exciting is the Essex Provincial Charity Fund which has been in existence since 1932 and has amassed reserves is excess of £900,000.
The PGM has made it clear that the money will do more good in the wider Essex Community.
It will only be able to support registered charities but with its new CIO status once again it will be possible to make match-funded grants or direct
donations as needed and all grants from this fund will be considered on merit.
So these are exciting times for the Province in terms of making Charity work in every part of the County, but like all charities there will come a time
when we also will need to raise money if the work is to be continued.
Once the Festival is over we hope that once a year every Lodge and Chapter will be able to donate the proceeds of at least one Alms collection or
preferably a raffl e to either the Community or Charity Fund. If we had a choice we would hope that this could come from an installation meeting.
Monies for the Community Fund will continue to come each year from surpluses accrued in the Provincial accounts by prudent management but like
all charities there will never be enough to support demand so we hope that longer term support really will be a two-way partnership between Lodges
and the Provincial charities.
Further announcements will be made soon and I look forward to working with you.
W.Bro Colin Felton
ProvGChStwd
Danehurst Lodge 4541 Support Willingale Junior School

When the members of Danehurst Lodge 4541 learnt that Willingale Junior
School in Loughton were struggling to establish much needed after School
clubs, they stepped in and made a grant which was suffi cient to allow the
school to purchase all the equipment they needed. School Governor, Mr
Lee Cromwell, is now pleased to report that the after-school clubs are now
up and running and proving of great benefi t to parents of children at the
school.
W.Bro Peter Clark , Charity Steward of Danehurst Lodge comments “ the
Members of Danehurst Lodge believe they can make more of a difference
in supporting small local community causes than in supporting national
charities who already have much greater resources available to them . We
were delighted to support this local appeal for funds therefore which is
already clearly proving of wide benefi t in the community.”
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