Richard Henry Holmes Masonic Benevolent Fund

The Richard Henry Holmes Masonic Benevolent Fund, established in 1910 to honor Alderman Richard Henry Holmes’s legacy as Deputy Provincial Grand Master, is a longstanding charitable entity rooted in Northumberland Masonic Lodges. Its core mission centers on preventing or relieving poverty among Freemasons, their families, and dependents in distress, guided by masonic principles of benevolence, fraternity, and relief. With trustees exclusively from Northumberland Masonic Lodges, the fund embodies responsive philanthropy, prioritizing urgent individual welfare while making strategic donations to masonic and non-masonic charities locally, nationally, and internationally. Key thematic priorities include general charitable purposes, education and training, health advancement, disability support, and poverty alleviation, benefiting children, young people, the elderly, voluntary bodies, and the wider public through crisis grants, care home support, bursaries, and aid to frontline North East welfare providers.

Funding targets UK-registered charities and community groups operating in Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, and Northumberland, with a preference for small to medium grassroots organizations serving vulnerable populations—especially those with masonic links or addressing acute hardship in the North East. No strict income thresholds apply, but support favors frontline welfare over large-scale entities.

Typical grants range from £1,000 to £10,000 for organizations (up to £50,000 exceptionally), with annual disbursements around £160,000. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; cases must be referred via the Provincial Almoner or Northumberland Masonic Lodges ahead of biannual trustee meetings in March and October. Distinctively, the fund emphasizes direct relief and dignity-preserving aid over project-based funding, setting it apart through its exclusive masonic governance and unwavering commitment to fraternity-led support in the North East.