Cleeves and Whitehead Trust

The Cleeves and Whitehead Trust, the philanthropic arm of the West Yorkshire Province of Mark Master Masons, honors two former Provincial Grand Masters by providing targeted relief to past and present Mark Master Masons and their dependants facing need, hardship, or distress. Rooted in values of compassion, fraternity, and stewardship, it balances primary support for its Masonic community with discretionary funding for broader Yorkshire charities, focusing on general charitable purposes, health advancement, poverty relief, disability support, and aid for children, young people, the elderly, and those with special needs. Its grant-making emphasizes practical, outcome-oriented initiatives like accessibility improvements, family support groups, welfare for disabled individuals, and community projects.

The Trust prioritizes grants to individuals (welfare and emergency aid) and organizations (project, capital, and core costs funding), with beneficiaries including special needs groups, parent charities, and local welfare providers. It supports small grassroots efforts to larger regional charities operating in West Yorkshire and wider Yorkshire areas such as Bradford, Calderdale, Wakefield, Doncaster, East Riding of Yorkshire, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, and Sheffield.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding flows through the Provincial Almoner or Masonic networks by invitation only, with trustee decisions at quarterly meetings and no fixed deadlines. Typical grants range from a few thousand pounds to £24,464 for organizations and up to £20,000 annually for individuals, with no income thresholds or entity restrictions specified beyond regional ties. Distinctively, it uniquely fuses Masonic mutual aid with flexible regional philanthropy, excluding open calls to maintain focus on established needs and donor intent.