The charitable objectives of the Company are focused on support for organisations with a connection to the Company, support for education and support for the promotion of social inclusion.
Charitable giving has become an increasingly important feature of the Company’s overall purpose. To this end the Company has sponsored two charitable entities, the General Charitable Fund and the Surgical Award Fund, whose trustees are the Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden and Chair of the Charities Committee. The trustees are supported by the Company’s charities committee. The income of the two Funds arises from their own investments, from an annual donation by the Company and from individual donations by members of the Company.
The focus of the charities’ grant giving falls in to three areas: activities connected with the Company’s heritage, the support of education (mostly linked to particular legacies) and the promotion of social cohesion, where supported charities tend to evolve over time; there may, naturally, be some overlap between these three elements. The total amount of grant giving in 2022/23 was some £150,000 up from £100,000 in 2012/13. The donations are roughly split between the three areas of focus. The summary of charities supported is not an exhaustive list.