PHILANTHROPY
Clan MacKinnon Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit in the United States and is proud to give financially to other organizations and projects when and where we can. Below are examples of projects that we have supported. Do you have an organization that you feel the Society should consider donating funds to? If so, submit your idea to us. Thank you!
2015 - MacKinnon Hall, West Lothian, Scotland
MacKinnon Hall, a Scout lodge located in West Lothian, Scotland, underwent a large renovation in 2015. We were happy to send a small check to support this project.
2021 & 2022 - Mull Museum, Mull, Scotland
When it was brought to our attention by a current Society member that the Mull Museum in Tobermory was in need of funds to help in their ongoing efforts to digitize their genealogy and historical records, the Society's Board of Directors unanimously voted to donate funds to help in their endeavor. Then in 2022, we also sent several Scottish historical books to add to the museum's research materials. These books were written by our former historian, Gerald McKinnon, who passed away in 2021.
2021 - Caisteal Maol Access Path Project, Skye, Scotland
This historic Clan MacKinnon seat on Skye, Scotland was in need of improvements to the hiking path leading up to it, as well as new signage to inform visitors. In mid-July 2021 final approval was received by the Kyleakin & Kylerhea Community Council (KKCC) to begin construction. Heavy machinery and hard work carved a permanent, safe walking trail that is ready for visitors. Clan MacKinnon Society is proud to have contributed to this project.
2021 & 2023 - Gerald McKinnon's Book Collection, Nova Scotia, Canada
Ross McKinnon signed the contract with the Genealogy Society of Nova Scotia (GANS) to receive over 350 books and research materials donated by his late father, Gerald McKinnon. Gerald was a former Representative of the Chief and Society Historian. Sadly, he passed away in June 2021. Clan MacKinnon Society helped to facilitate and fund the transport of this important historical collection to GANS. Valeria Greenwood, one of the Society's two Genealogy Consultants, donated countless hours helping to catalogue the collection at GANS as well. We donated an additional $1200 in 2023 for a secure bookcase to house fragile items in the collection.
2022 - St Martin's Church, Kent, England
This parish churchyard in Acrise is the final resting place for 33rd Clan MacKinnon Chief William Alexander Mackinnon and his son 34th Chief (also named) William Alexander Mackinnon. We donated £100 in appreciation for the care and conservation provided to the graves by local volunteer Mark Sheppard, and to offset any future expenses the church may incur in caring for these graves.
2022 - St. Brendan Cemetery Borve (Barra), Outer Hebrides, Scotland
This remote cemetery is one of the island's important heritage sites containing the remains of the first church built by missionaries and a number of war graves. Maintaining the cemetery is a marathon task requiring considerable manual labor by volunteers. The Society donated £350 to the Borve Cemetery Organization to support ongoing upkeep and grass mowing efforts.
2022 - Culloden Battlefield, Culloden, Scotland
The Society sent a financial contribution to the National Trust for Scotland to aid in their "Conserve Culloden" campaign against aggressive development in areas surrounding Culloden Battlefield. NTS hopes to prevent the sale of nearby lands for residential and commercial development in order to preserve the quiet dignity of this historic site that many consider holy ground.
2022 - John Muir Trust, Skye, Scotland
The Society donated $1200 to the John Muir Trust to support ongoing outreach initiatives they are engaged in on Skye. These projects include maintaining hiking trails and paths across the island, native woodland regeneration (replacing commercial spruce planting with native hazel, aspen, and ash trees), beach cleans, litter pick-up, and wildlife monitoring. Because of the proximity of these efforts to areas on Skye that were traditionally MacKinnon lands, we felt it important to donate to the John Muir Trust.
2023 - Sleat and Strath Amateur Football Club, Skye, Scotland
The Society sent a $700 donation to the SSAFC, who play on MacKinnon Field in Broadford, Skye, to help them maintain their football pitch. They do a considerable amount of fundraising each summer to pay for the upkeep of their pitch, and the Society was happy to help them out.
2023 - St. Andrew's Society of Detroit, Michigan, USA
The Society gave $200 to MacKinnon members of the St. Andrew’s Society of Detroit to assist them in procuring a plaque acknowledging their sponsorship of the restoration of a historic portrait of Robert Burns, now hanging in the Kilgour Scottish Centre in Troy, MI.
2023 - Steve Mills' Clan MacKinnon Documentary Project, USA
U.S.-based Clan MacKinnon Society Board Member Steve Mills is working on a documentary project about Clan MacKinnon with many scenes filmed in and around Scotland. We donated $500 towards productions costs.
2024 - "Conversation Tables”, Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg
CMS member Marc Andre Frere organized English literacy instruction opportunities for Clan MacKinnon Society members within Benelux. The Society donated $700 to these efforts.
2024 - MacKinnon Association of France
CMS member Robert Amyot has undertaken numerous projects to promote MacKinnon heritage through media communication over the years. The Society donated $700 to support these efforts.
2024 - Ewen Booth Bilingual Educational Series on MacKinnon History in Canada
The Society awarded $700 to support Ewen’s ambitious project to document and share the history of MacKinnons in Canada.
2024 - Skye and Lochalsh Archive Center, Scotland
At the 2024 Edinburgh CMS Gathering, two of our speakers, Drambuie brand ambassador Freddie May and historian Andy Fairgreave, could not accept the honorarium of $525 we hoped to give them. Instead, they donated it on our behalf to the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre. This donation was matched by their employer William Grant and Sons, Inc. Although this was not the original purpose of these funds, CMS is delighted to have been in part responsible for $1050 going to this worthy organization. As part of the Highland Archive Service, the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Center collects, conserves and makes accessible records which reflect the history and diversity of the Scottish Highlands and its inhabitants for the benefit of present and future generations. They aim to make the collections in our care as widely accessible as possible at four Archive Centres, through modern digital channels and through an active community engagement programme, enhancing opportunities in culture, learning, leisure, health and wellbeing. The archives held at these centres are the records of official bodies, businesses, societies and individuals and are a unique record of our Highland past, dating from the 14th century to the present day.