Welcome to The Merchants House of Glasgow Website

The Merchants House of Glasgow was constituted in 1605 by the Letter of Guildry, which laid down the rights, duties and privileges of the Merchants and Craftsmen of Glasgow.

From the beginning, the Merchants House supported members and their families who had become "decayed and distressed", both within their hospital and outside it. Over the years donations and bequests have enabled the House to continue and extend this benevolence.

The Merchants House is now a major charitable institution and donations of more than £700,000 are awarded each year to deserving charities and individuals in Glasgow and beyond. For over four hundred years after its foundation, it is part of the fabric of Glasgow and the city is richer for it.

Benevolence is available on application from other organisations active in charitable fields in Glasgow and the local West of Scotland area. The House also makes grants amd provides bursaries from its funds to various educational institutions.

Your generosity will help to support our Home from Home service in Glasgow, Marion's House.

Our home helps families to stay close to their child throughout treatment; as one parent explains, "It has made a difficult and scary situation less stressful by having a base close to hospital, leaving us to not have to worry about travel costs and long journeys."

CLIC SARGENT

Thank you so much for helping to ease the many practical and financial difficulties families face throughout their child's treatment.

The support from The Merchants House of Glasgow has been instrumental in the delivery of complementary therapies at the Royal Alexandria Hospital and has become an important part of the charity's work to support cancer patients. This has also formed the model for other complementary therapy projects at a number of NHS facilities across the West of Scotland.

BEATSON CANCER CHARITY

At Kibble we care for some of the most vulnerable young people in the country. This support allows us to teach new skills, offer a wider range of subjects, and work towards qualifications that will lead to employment opportunities. We also want to try and encourage more girls to take up design and technology subjects.

“I would like to thank the Members of Merchants House Glasgow for their support. Their contribution will make a massive difference to the opportunities available to the young people in our care.”

KIBBLE

We are extremely grateful to The Merchants House of Glasgow for their generous grant of £28,000 for the purchase of this mini bus.

Their long term support of our veterans is so much appreciated. The bus, which was donated in recognition of our centenary year, will be well used by our residents for outings and days out.

ERSKINE HOME

People with lived experience of mental health find it harder to access services, face greater levels of discrimination and self-stigma. The grant from Merchants House will enable us to continue delivering our core service and help us grow our network of self-help groups and self-management training. The groups provide community and friendship for people who are isolated and excluded. It empowers people who feel powerless and acts as a forum to exchange insights, views and experience of Bipolar. This is an essential part of self-management, helping people keep well and thus reducing hospital admissions.

BIPOLAR SCOTLAND