What does Freemasonry teach about charity?

Charity is taught as far more than pecuniary alms or monetary donations; its deeper application is rooted in universal love, goodwill, and affectionate regard toward all humanity 1. Rather than limiting benevolence to physical relief, Masonic instruction presents charity as the brightest jewel and cornerstone of the fraternity, resting upon friendship, morality, and brotherly love while welcoming men of all religious creeds on a common level 1. In the Entered Apprentice degree, this virtue encompasses charity of thought, sympathy, counsel, and the giving of oneself 2.

Physical relief is provided by individual Masons, local lodges, and Grand Lodges, yet it remains subject to ethical and practical bounds 2. The obligation of assistance follows specific gradations: first to a Mason's own family, next to his brethren, and lastly to the broader world 1. A distressed Master Mason holds a greater claim to aid than a non-Mason only when a selection is imperatively necessary, and no Mason is required to bestow relief that would cause material injury to himself or his family 1. Masons are also expected to exercise discernment and utilize lodge machinery to investigate appeals, ensuring relief is given to real needs rather than misdirected to impostors 23.

On its website, the United Grand Lodge of England highlights that modern Masonic charity operates nationally through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, supporting members, their dependants, and wider community initiatives without public solicitations.

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Historically, organized Masonic relief developed through institutional funds, lodge investigations, joint city boards, and dedicated charitable foundations 12. In 1727, the Grand Lodge of England established the Fund of Benevolence, managed initially by a seven-member Committee of Charity that expanded by twelve members in 1730, and ultimately administered by the Board of Benevolence 1. First supported by voluntary lodge contributions, its revenue later derived from fees of honor, dispensation fees, and annual dues paid by London and country Masons 1.

In North America, relief requests were generally routed through local lodges, which maintained administrative machinery to conduct brotherly investigations of petitions before allocating aid 12. To prevent fraud and coordinate assistance among multiple lodges, city-wide Boards of Relief were created 1. In New Orleans, the local board operated for twenty-five years before being chartered by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana in July 1854 as Relief Lodge, No. 1, composed of the Masters and Wardens of participating lodges 1. Brethren also formed voluntary Low Twelve Clubs inside lodges to provide immediate cash death benefits to surviving family members upon a member's passing, though several Grand Lodges discouraged these mutual benefit funds as contrary to pure Masonic charity 1.

Jurisdictions additionally founded permanent benevolent funds and educational institutions 1. In Philadelphia, the Stephen Girard Charity Fund invested capital to provide regular interest for relieving Master Masons in good standing 1. Other regional efforts included the District of Columbia's Saint John's Mite Association, Idaho's annual one-dollar assessment per Master Mason for its Orphan Fund, and Nebraska's Orphans' School Fund 1. Jurisdictions across the United States also erected facilities such as the Oxford Orphan Asylum in North Carolina, the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home in Louisville, Kentucky, Saint John's Masonic College in Arkansas, and the Masonic Female College in Georgia 1.

Charitable causes and institutions supported by Grand Lodges span both internal fraternal relief and public philanthropic projects, evolving from early local initiatives into major national and regional foundations.

In Craft Masonry, historical support centered on vulnerable members, widows, and orphans through dedicated funds, schools, and residential homes. Early institutional efforts included a 1792 Dublin society for schooling orphaned female children, the 1798 English institution for educating sons of indigent Masons 1, and early nineteenth-century adult education programs organized in Philadelphia 1. Jurisdiction-specific funds also provided structured aid, such as Saint John's Mite Association in the District of Columbia, the Stephen Girard Charity Fund, and state-wide orphan funds or homes across North America 1.

Today, Grand Lodges maintain these historic commitments while expanding into wide-ranging civic and healthcare causes. The United Grand Lodge of England states on its website that modern charitable work is administered through central bodies like the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which funds medical research, hospice care, air ambulance services, disaster relief, and community grants for disadvantaged youth and older adults. Similarly, the Grand Lodge of India states on its website that its philanthropic initiatives include operating polyclinics, public schools, and medical care centers for children, alongside village adoption schemes, health and eye camps, and regional disaster relief. Across jurisdictions, Grand Lodge benevolent bodies distribute substantial funding annually to non-Masonic community institutions as well as distressed brethren and their families 1.

The source named below is not among the works in my library. I named it from memory rather than by consulting it, so it may be online or in print elsewhere. What it says may well be right — please check it at the source. “The United Grand Lodge of England states on its website that modern charitable work is administered through central bodies like the Masonic…”“Similarly, the Grand Lodge of India states on its website that its philanthropic initiatives include operating polyclinics, public schools, and…”