The 1327 Fund: FAQ's

What is the 1327 Fund?

The 1327 Fund is a new charitable initiative for you, our members, launched in the summer of 2019, to offer more choice and greater flexibility for the giving of every Goldsmith. It replaces the Members’ Charitable Fund (MCF). 

The 1327 Fund enables you to choose to give donations and gifts directly to young people, emerging talent, and established makers who are working or aspiring to work in the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries through the the Members’ Industry Scheme (managed by The Goldmsiths' Centre). Or you can make a gift to our charitable and educational partners whose activities fall within the priority areas of youth, criminal justice, and an ageing population, through the Members’ Charitable Partnerships Scheme. You may also choose to donate to both of these schemes. 

What has happened to the Members Charitable Fund?

The Members’ Charitable Fund (MCF) has been replaced with the 1327 Fund. All residual funds remaining in the MCF have been donated to the Goldsmiths’ Centre.  If you have a Standing Order set-up to the MCF we would kindly ask you to cancel it and complete a fresh Standing Order form, so your donation can be properly applied to the scheme of your choice within the Fund. 

How do I contribute to the 1327 Fund?

Through the 1327 Fund, together we can continue, in a meaningful way, to build on the Company’s long charitable history of supporting the trade and charitable organisations.

Members of the Goldsmiths’ Company can make gifts to the 1327 Fund by making a request to be emailed the donation forms below. Once completed, the forms must be returned back to us for auditing purposes. You can either post to our offices or email a scanned copy to 1327fund@thegoldsmiths.co.uk

What will happen to my donations to the 1327 Fund now?

All gifts will continue to be received and managed by the Company to ensure the funds are directed to the specific scheme you have selected.  

Members’ Industry Scheme (managed by The Goldsmiths' Centre)

This scheme is a new step in our support both to young people coming into our trade, as well as established makers.  It could enable us, for the first time in our history, to fund apprenticeships outside London and the South East, and to do so at a level that we could not otherwise afford given our other current financial commitments. A feasibility study is currently being carried out. Members’ contributions would be administered through The Goldsmiths’ Centre Charity and the Scheme overseen by the Trustees of The Goldsmiths’ Centre. 

Members’ Charitable Partnerships Scheme

Members who prefer their contributions to go to non-trade charities will be able to specify that their money should go into this Scheme.  It will be administered by a sub-group of the Charity and Education Committees which would make specific grants from the scheme to charitable / educational partners falling within the Company’s charitable objectives.

Do I have to choose? And can I choose both?

Yes, you must choose, but you can choose to give to both too. You will need to complete two separate Standing Order forms to declare how much you would like to donate to one or both of the schemes.

How can I support the trade during COVID-19?

If you would like to provide financial support to the trade during the crisis, please kindly donate to the 1327 Fund and select the Members' Industry Scheme. The team at The Goldsmiths' Centre will be looking at what additional support the trade may need most at this time, particularly for apprentices and a lost generation of individual designer makers who have not been able to complete their degrees.