The Mark Benevolent Fund (MBF) – A Briefing
The Mark Benevolent Fund (M.B.F.) was founded in 1868 to provide immediate financial aid to eligible Mark Master Masons and their dependents who may be in distress. Significantly, it was to encourage all Brethren to practice the morals of donating freely and without hesitation. The founder of the Fund, Canon George Raymond Portal, Grand Master (1869–1872) pictured below, considered this code of conduct would provide the Order with a clear and distinctive charitable motive – a noticeable purpose with which Mark Master Masons could readily identify.
It was abhorrent to Canon Portal that there should be any delay in supplying aid to those in need, thus the Latin dictum, bis dat qui cito dat (‘He gives twice who gives promptly’ or ‘A gift given without hesitation is as good as two gifts’), became the guiding principle of the Mark Benevolent Fund.
Throughout the last 158 years, Mark Brethren and their families have supported the work of the M.B.F. with ever increasing donations. Their continuing generosity is no more evident than through the M.B.F. Festivals hosted in turn by Mark Provinces in England and Wales. These Festivals, like the one we are celebrating in 2026, mark the culmination of many years of fundraising and provide a valuable source of funding for the M.B.F., enabling it to continue supporting those in need as well as projects with a wider community benefit. From humble beginnings in 1868, the Fund has grown into a significant force for good, rooted in the traditions of Mark Masonry and still true to its motto.
Examples of grants in recent years: in 2018, to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Mark Benevolent Fund, we renewed our partnership with St John Ambulance with a grant of £3.4 million for new vehicles; in 2022, the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust received a grant of £100,000 towards the purchase of a new surgical robot helping to transform complex surgeries and improve patient recovery times. Since 2024, as part of our current Major Grant Initiatives, £665,638 has been awarded to 30 Blood Bike groups in England and Wales and, to date, £827,727 awarded to 31 wheelchair rugby clubs under the umbrella of the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby organisation.
So far in 2026, grants of over £340,000 have been made to 17 charities across England and Wales. Examples of these worthy causes grants are: £21,533 to Age UK Manchester in the Province of East Lancashire; £25,000 to Ashburton Swimming Pool in the Province of Devonshire; £9,702 to the Kathleen Davis Stage School in the Province of Durham; £3,591 to The Music Space Trust covering the Provinces of Somerset, Gloucestershire & Herefordshire & Bristol; £26,000 to the Castle Point Transport Museum Society in the Province of Essex; and £26,147 to Support Dogs in the Province of West Yorkshire. In addition, twelve of our individual petitioners have also benefitted from the fund with grants of overt £55,000.
In every aspect of its work, the M.B.F. exudes a spirit of enthusiasm and is a clear demonstration of the great personal commitment from the many thousands of Brethren and their families who have helped make the M.B.F. what it is today. In recent years, a key theme of our charitable activity has been to ask what have you done to make yourself feel proud? Your support for the Mark Benevolent Fund for the 2028 Festival in Somerset, is reason enough to support and make you feel proud.
