The Alexandria – Washington Lodge, No. 22, Foundation, Inc., is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit established to support specific operations of the Lodge and preservation of our museum collection. This is an exciting first step toward elevating our museum collection to the level of scholarship and care worthy of the many important Washington, Early American, and Masonic artifacts that we possess. The Foundation provides an avenue for tax-deductible donations to the Lodge and will allow us to apply for grants, and demonstrates our willingness to further invest in the health and future of the Lodge.

As a tax-exempt charitable foundation with purposes that include museum artifact preservation, education, and scholarship, the Foundation may compete with other like organizations for grants that fund specific projects. Preservation of certain types of artifacts, digitization of historical records, and educational programs are all causes supported by numerous national and international grant making organizations. Being able to compete and receive these funds increases our ability to not only safeguard our invaluable collection, but also to get it out into the world, raising awareness of Washington, Freemasonry, and Alexandria – Washington Lodge, No. 22.

The current Lodge endowment supports regular Lodge operations. However, the annual endowment draw is only one third of our yearly operational budget. Funds for restoration projects, evaluation of art hanging in various spaces throughout the Memorial, and development of educational programs beyond our membership can be both significant in amount and outside of our normal budget. The establishment of the Foundation ensures that neither normal or special operations will have to suffer from lack of funding. The Lodge will be able to do more, engage more, and support more. We are at the beginning of an exciting new era at AW22.