Modern slavery statement
Modern slavery statement for the financial year 2024/25.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the Masonic Charitable Foundation’s statement for the financial year ending March 2024 and has been approved by the Masonic Charitable Foundation Trustee Board.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest charities in the country. Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to support Masonic families with a financial, health or family need as well as awarding grants to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF helps to improve the lives of thousands of people every year.
The MCF has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all its activities and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within the charity or in any of its supply chains.
The same high standards are expected from all of the MCF’s contractors, suppliers and other business partners. Wherever practicable, the MCF will seek to include in its contracts with business partners specific prohibitions against the use of forced, compulsory or trafficked labour, or anyone held in slavery or servitude, whether adults or children, and we expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
Our supply chains include, but are not limited to the procurement of mobility equipment, educational supplies, property and facilities maintenance and utilities. The RMBI Care Co, a subsidiary of the MCF that operates care homes in England and Wales, has its own statement on modern slavery which can be found on its website.
We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:
- Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
- Whistleblowing Policy
- Grievance Policy
- Financial Procedure 8, Procurement
Management at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them understand and comply with this policy, and are given adequate and regular training on it and the issue of modern slavery in supply chains.
All staff are encouraged to raise any concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any part of the organisation or its supply chains at the earliest possible stage.
We consider our policies and procedures regularly, not only to ensure they remain relevant, but also to review our progress and ensure we continue to maintain best practice in the sector.