Guide to making an application to the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities

Transcription

1 Guide to making an application to the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities About this guide This guide will help you make an application to the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities. It refers to you as the Applicant - the person who is looking for help. If you are a Visiting Brother, it will guide you through helping the Applicant to complete an application. Whether you are the Applicant or a Visiting Brother, the guide will: Give you some basic information about the charities Explain the application process Help you to complete an application form We hope you will find both this guide and the application form easy to use. If you have any questions, you should contact your Provincial or District Grand Almoner. If you are applying through a London Lodge and you need advice, please call Freemasonry Cares on freephone or help@freemasonrycares.org. If you are applying for health or care support, you must contact the grants team at the Masonic Samaritan Fund on or grants@msfund.org.uk before completing the application form. The application form can be completed by you or by a Visiting Brother. In either case, the Visiting Brother will be asked to visit you in your home and verify that the information entered on the form is correct. Please take the time to read this guide and complete the application as thoroughly as you can. It will help us to process your application as quickly as possible. Thank you.

2 Information about the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities You must have a Masonic connection This may include: Who we can help All current and former Freemasons under the United Grand Lodge of England Dependants of a Freemason, former Freemason or deceased Freemason: wives, widows, partners and children In non-medical cases, non-dependent relatives who are clearly linked to a Freemason, former Freemason or a deceased Freemason: for example grandchildren You must have a clear need for help This could be: Financial, healthcare or family-related support which cannot easily be met from a person s or a family s own income and savings What help we can offer Financial Household expenses and goods Home repairs and improvements Funeral costs Emergency costs arising from illness, death or redundancy Medical treatment Dental treatment Mobility equipment Home adaptations Respite care Health and care Family Children s maintenance Scholarships for university students Student accommodation Educational activities and equipment Educational travel Specialist mobility and play equipment 2

3 The application process Complete the form You should complete the application form together with your Visiting Brother. Please use the notes on the following pages. This will ensure that all three charities have the information they need to decide whether or not they can help you. Keeping you informed We will let you know that your application form has arrived safely. We will tell you which charity or charities will consider your application. This will ensure you know who to expect replies from and who to contact if you have any questions. Contact from the charities The charities that are looking at your application will contact you or your Visiting Brother if they need any more information. In some cases they might ask one of their Welfare or Care Advisers to visit you. Giving you a decision Each of the charities that receive a copy of your application will let you or your Visiting Brother know whether or not the application has been successful. They will either inform you of the support awarded, or explain why they cannot help. 3

4 Notes to help with completing the application form The following notes are in the same numbered order as the sections of the form. Please have these notes to hand and read them as you work through each section of the form. The notes are to help you with how to answer each of the questions on the form. If you need any further help, please contact your Provincial or District Grand Almoner. If you are applying through a London Lodge or you are still having difficulty, please call Freemasonry Cares on freephone We - means the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities You - means the Applicant, the person who is asking for help All of the information you provide will be treated in confidence. We will store and use your information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and will not share it with third parties without your consent. 1. Reason for application Financial Need Household expenses and goods Home repairs / improvements Emergency costs arising from redundancy, illness or death Funeral costs Health and Care Support Medical treatment Dental treatment Mobility equipment Home adaptations Respite care Help for Children Help with the cost of bringing up your children Help for students at university Help for children with severe disabilities We want to identify which of the charities might be able to help you, so please tick all of the boxes on the form which apply to you. Please use the space provided to tell us briefly: what help you are looking for; and why you need it. If you would like to give us any further information, please use the space provided at Section Applicant information Please complete your personal information, including your address and contact details. Masonic details Support from all of the central Masonic charities is dependent upon a valid Masonic membership, that means the Freemason must be, or have been, a member of a Lodge under the United Grand Lodge of England. If you are a Freemason, please provide your own Masonic details. If you are not a Freemason, please provide details of the Freemason who is most closely related to you, and how they are related - e.g. husband, father, father-in-law. If you are not related to a Freemason, give the details of the Freemason you were, or are now, dependent upon. Please provide a Lodge number and Province, if possible. There is no need to give information about other orders such as Chapter. 3. Partner information (if applicable) If you are married or living with someone, your partner is part of the household and we will need to know about them, so please provide their details on this section of the form. 4

5 4. Household income Support from all of the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities is based on a financial assessment. This section of the form is for you to provide us with details of your household income: the total income for everyone contributing to your household. Please use gross figures, which means before any deductions for tax, National Insurance or pension contributions etc. Deductions should be recorded at section 5, Household expenses. If you or your partner receive an income which is not listed, use the line labelled Other to give us details. We need to know what that income is and how much is received. A. Employment We need to know about all income from employment. The Visiting Brother, Care or Welfare Adviser will need to verify your earnings by seeing a P60 or at least two recent payslips. If you or your partner are self-employed, we will need a copy of the most recent full accounts for the business. If accounts are not available we will need a copy of the most recent self-assessment tax return. B. Pensions We need to know about any pensions you receive. This could be a State Retirement Pension, possibly including Pension Credit, a pension from a previous employer or a pension from a late spouse s employer. They could be paid to you and/or your children. We will need confirmation of the amount you receive for each pension. C. State benefits and Tax Credits We need to know about income from state benefits paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Tax Credits paid by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). You must provide the most recent award notifications or notice of entitlement for means-tested benefits. All the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities expect Applicants to have already claimed all state benefits to which they may be entitled. Disabled people and their carers can contact the DWP to check entitlement to claim benefits by calling the benefit enquiry line, freephone: or go to For all other benefit enquiries, you should contact your local Jobcentre Plus office. If you are of pension age and have a low income you may be entitled to Pension Credit. If you have a disability or illness and need help with personal care, you may be entitled to claim Attendance Allowance. You should call the Pension Service helpline, freephone: or visit If you have dependent children you should be receiving Child Benefit, and usually at least one of Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit. Please call HMRC on or visit for more information. If you have a low income, you should contact your local authority as you may be able to claim support such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. D. Additional income We need to know about any income you might have from other sources. Please tell us about the gross income you receive from your capital. This could be interest on your savings or dividends from any shares you own. Please continue on a separate sheet if you need more space. Please also use the lines provided to tell us about any maintenance payments paid to anyone in your household from ex-partners, if applicable. If you own any other properties, please tell us about them and any rental income you receive. 5

6 5. Household expenses This section of the form is to record your household expenses. These are the combined expenses for you and, if applicable, your partner. Please enter amounts for all expenses that apply. If you have any other household expenses that you think we need to know about, please give us details in the space provided at the end of this section of the form. 6. Housing costs Please use this section of the form to tell us about your mortgage or rent costs. If you know how much of your annual repayments go towards the interest and how much go towards capital, please detail them separately. We will need a copy of your last mortgage statement or evidence of how much rent you pay. If you receive any DWP assistance with your mortgage or Housing Benefit towards your rent, you need to tell us how much you receive as well as any amount that you pay yourself. If you have an endowment policy which will be used to pay off all or part of your mortgage, please tell us how much you pay each year. 7. Capital Please use this section of the form to give us details of the value of any properties you or your partner own and any outstanding mortgages. If you do not have a recent valuation, give us your best estimate of what any property is worth at the moment. We also need to know how many years your mortgage will run for and when it will be paid off. If you have any additional charges on your home, we need to know the amount and the reason. We also need to know about the total value of any savings and investments you and your partner have, such as shares, ISAs, premium bonds and bank or building society deposits. There is space to tell us about any capital you and your partner have and for you to give us details about each item. Please continue on a separate sheet if you need to. 8. Other assistance In this section of the form, please tell us about help you have already received from any other sources, including any Masonic grants, or any applications you have made, even if you do not yet know if you have been awarded any support. If the qualifying Freemason is also a member of any Mark Lodges, it is possible that support could be provided by the Mark Benevolent Fund. Please provide details of any Mark Lodges the Freemason belongs to and let us know if any applications have already been made to the Mark Benevolent Fund. If the qualifying Freemason has ever served in the Armed Forces, please provide details of their service. This is so that we can look at whether other charities might also be able to help. 9. Dependent children This could include children who are pre-school age or at school; those in further education or training such as attending college or taking an apprenticeship; or those studying at university, either undergraduate or postgraduate courses. It could also include children and young people who for any reason have their learning needs met outside of school. We need to know which school, college or university they are attending and what course they are currently studying. Please tick the relevant box for each child to tell us which type of education they are undertaking. 6

7 10. Other people in the household Please use this space on the form to tell us if there are any other people in the household other than dependent children recorded in section 9. We also need to know if they are employed and if they contribute to the household finances, for example do they pay an amount for rent or keep? If so, please write the amount on the form. 11. Health and care needs (if applicable) If you are applying for help with the cost of medical treatments, dental treatments, respite care, mobility aids or home adaptations, you must contact a member of the MSF grants team before completing the application form: or grants@msfund.org.uk. The following information will help you to understand what information will be required by the MSF to consider an application. Even if you already have some or all of this information, you should always discuss your request with a member of the grants team before submitting your application. Medical treatment You will need to have seen a consultant who has recommended treatment or surgery and who will need to complete a form on your behalf. You will need to have been given an indication of an NHS waiting list time. Dental treatment You will need to have had an assessment from your dentist confirming a recommended treatment plan. Your dentist will need to complete a form on your behalf and return it to us with copies of your treatment plan, dental chart, relevant x-rays and other information that will be required. Respite care You will need to have had a recent Care Assessment from your local Social Services department outlining your care needs and what care support is being offered to you and your carer. Grants can be considered for domiciliary and residential respite care. Mobility aids and wheelchairs You will need to have had an assessment from an Occupational Therapist or NHS wheelchair assessment confirming your mobility needs, and that any recommendations are safe and appropriate for you. You will need a letter from your GP confirming your current state of health and wellbeing. Home adaptations and stairlifts You will need to have requested a Disabled Facilities Grant from the local housing department of your Local Authority. You will need to have had an assessment from an Occupational Therapist confirming what adaptations you need. You will need to provide three quotes for the cost of the adaptations. 12. Any other information from the Applicant Use this space on the form tell us about the circumstances that led you to apply to the Central Masonic Grant- Making Charities and anything else that you think might be helpful when considering your application. Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary. The additional information you provide could help our Trustees to make a decision on your application. 7

8 13. Declaration by the Applicant It is important that the information you give us is accurate and complete. This is because the Central Masonic Grant-Making Charities will use this information to assess whether you are eligible for support, and to calculate the level of any support awarded. Before signing, please read through the form and make sure you have completed all of the necessary sections. Please also make sure you have provided any documentation we have asked for to support your application. When you are happy that everything is correct to the best of your knowledge, please sign and date the form. 14. Report by Visiting Brother / Care or Welfare Adviser Please use this space on the form to record any information which you feel will help the charities to decide whether or not they can assist the Applicant. 15. Declaration by Visiting Brother / Care or Welfare Adviser The application form can be completed by the Applicant or a Visiting Brother. In either case, the Visiting Brother must verify that the information entered on the form is correct. By signing the declaration, the Visiting Brother is confirming that he has: verified that the information on the form is correct; and ensured the appropriate documentation is available to send with the form. Please note that applications should not be delayed while a Visiting Brother waits for new documents to arrive, such as letters from the DWP. Please forward the form with the latest available documents. We will ask for more up-to-date documents if we need them. We ask for contact details so that we can contact the Visiting Brother, Care or Welfare Adviser to clarify anything on the form, or if we need more information. 16. Provincial or District Grand Lodge or London Lodge representative This section is not required if you are only applying for help under Section 11 of the form, Health or Care support. In these instances, please send the form directly to Charities Reception at the address below. This section must be completed in all other instances by a representative from the Province or District, usually the Grand Almoner, or by a Lodge representative if it is a Metropolitan Lodge. By signing this part of the form, the representative is confirming that they are aware of the application and that to the best of their knowledge, the facts declared on the form are an accurate record. Once Section 16 has been completed, the form must be sent to: Charities Reception Freemasons Hall 60 Great Queen Street London WC2B 5AZ 8 JG1-2011