St. George's Society of New York

Our Mission

One of the oldest charitable organizations in New York, St. George's Society (named after the patron saint of England) was founded by Englishmen living in New York in 1770 to celebrate St. George's Day and to assist fellow countrymen in need or distress.

Over the years, SGS's assistance has taken a variety of forms: a bag of coal or a voucher to a woodpile to keep a family warm during the winter months; free ship passage on the White Star line back to England when the "American dream" did not work out for a spinster in 1898; a free hospital bed at St. Luke's Hospital for the ill (the average stay in 1927 was one month); a pawn ticket paid to retrieve a winter coat in 1904; assistance for "British War Brides" who found themselves in need upon their arrival in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s.

Today, SGS has two main areas of philanthropic endeavor, a Beneficiary Program to assist disadvantaged New Yorkers of British and Commonwealth heritage, specifically the elderly, disabled and others in crisis; and a Scholarship Program for promising students enrolled at Lehman College, part of City University of New York (CUNY), in the Bronx.

While the assistance SGS provides has changed over time, the purpose has remained the same - to help those who cannot help themselves. Since its founding 242 years ago, we have aided thousands of British and Commonwealth persons while striving to fulfill our mission statement: "Let mercy be our boast and shame our only fear."

As a result of this unique record of charity, SGS has a close working relationship with the British Consulate-General in New York and for over a century each serving Consul-General has been SGS's Honorary President. His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester became SGS's Royal Patron in 2000. He takes an active interest in our work and has met several SGS scholars and beneficiaries on official visits to New York. SGS was also honored in 2000 with armorial bearings by the College of Arms in London, acting under the authority of the British Crown, to recognize the charity's long and respected history of aiding British and Commonwealth subjects in New York.