The Relief Chest Scheme
About the Scheme
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| Collect money for charity easily and tax-effectively |
The Freemasons' Grand Charity Relief Chest Scheme was set up to help the Craft give to charity easily and tax-effectively. It was launched in 1986 and offers individual "Relief Chests" which can be used to accumulate funds collected by a Lodge, Chapter, Province or other Masonic organisation for charitable purposes. In addition to the Lodge and Chapter Relief Chests, The Freemasons' Grand Charity also manages Relief Chests for Provincial Grand Lodges holding festivals for Masonic Charities.
Today, there are more than 4,150 individual Relief Chests. The Freemasons' Grand Charity holds the money on behalf of the Lodge or other Masonic organisation which retains control over the disposal of the money. The Chest Holder uses the funds in their individual Relief Chest to make donations to any non-Masonic or Masonic charity or to an individual (e.g. a Lodge member or the widow or a dependant of a member) who is in need.
The Freemasons' Grand Charity is a member of the Institute of Fundraising which entitles our members to a range of benefits such as access to a free Policy and Information helpline as well as a free helpline for advice pertaining to fundraising and charity law. For further information please visit the Institute of Fundraising page.
The Relief Chest Fund
In 2009:
- £7.50 million was deposited into the Fund
- Tax relief gained under Gift Aid added more than £0.75 million
- Over £0.61 million was generated in interest earnings
- More than £8.08 million of charitable donations were made
In the year ended 30 November 2009, activity for the Relief Chest Scheme included:
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2009 |
2008 |
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Number of Relief Chests |
4,160 |
4,040 |
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Average number of monthly donations into the scheme |
21,178 |
19,725 |
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Average number of monthly tax reclaims |
18,251 |
17,750 |
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Average number of monthly payments from the scheme |
325 |
325 |
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Number of new Relief Chests opened during the year |
161 |
274 |
Further Information
For further information, please contact the Relief Chest Department on 020 7395 9246
Details of the 2008 Budget update on Gift Aid can be found on the HMRC website.
Contacting the HMRC Charities Helpline - For more help you can contact the Charities Helpline on telephone number 0845 302 0203 (open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday)
Please also see the links below for further information:
Gift Aid, the change in Basic Rate Tax and Transitional Relief