Worcestershire Masonic Charity Organisation

The Worcestershire Masonic Charity Organisation, established by deed in 1934 as the Worcestershire Provincial Grand Lodge Benevolent Fund, is a Freemason-led charitable trust dedicated to providing relief to Freemasons in distress, their widows, and children, while also supporting other Masonic charities and local Worcestershire causes. Governed by five volunteer trustees appointed by the Provincial Grand Master, it embodies values of benevolence, public benefit, and prudent stewardship through robust financial management, risk mitigation, and transparent reporting. Distinctively, it operates a sheltered housing complex (Ellard Hanson Court in Bromsgrove) for elderly beneficiaries and manages restricted funds like the Yorke-Brookes Fund (lodge obligations), Ellard Hanson Fund (housing maintenance), and Heritage Fund (Masonic buildings for community use).

It prioritises alleviating poverty and hardship, funding welfare relief, project costs, capital improvements, and occasional core operations for children, youth, elderly people, those with disabilities, and health/education initiatives—primarily within the Freemason community but extending to wider Worcestershire voluntary groups when resources allow. Recent examples include grants to Festival 22, local charities, and housing upgrades, often leveraging partnerships for impact.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups based strictly in Worcestershire, with a preference for small to medium-sized grassroots organisations; no income thresholds apply, but it does not accept unsolicited applications. Grants, decided discretionarily at ad hoc trustee meetings (at least annually), typically range from £1,000 to £10,000, with no fixed deadlines or public process—requests must originate from known Masonic or local contacts aligning with charitable objects. It excludes non-Worcestershire activities and unsolicited external bids, standing out as a heritage-focused, community-embedded funder blending targeted Masonic welfare, housing provision, and third-sector support.