What is a Fraternal Benefit Society?
Fraternal Benefit Societies or “Fraternals” are not for profit membership organizations that have a representative form of government and are organized through a lodge system to carry out social, intellectual, educational, charitable, benevolent, moral, fraternal, patriotic or religious purposes. Fraternals provide members with life insurance and other financial protection benefits in accordance with state law and use the earnings to fund member-supported community activities. Fraternals are chartered by state law and have been exempt from income tax under Section 501(c)(8) of the U.S. Tax Code since 1909.
Membership Benefits
At Luso-American, we are proud of our Portuguese heritage and language and want to do our part in sharing our contributions within our local communities and the world as a whole. We do this in part by our involvement in the Portuguese community, but most importantly as a member, you now have a voice in through our local Council/Lodge network where you can use the benefits of our fraternal organization and programs to benefit your local community. In addition to the fine life insurance and financial products that help protect your family, membership in Luso-American also includes the opportunity to benefit from the following:
-
LUSO “Matching Funds” Program for qualified philanthropic purposes
-
Youth Programs (Teach Leadership, Philanthropy, Portuguese folklore, Portuguese Culture, etc..)
-
Youth Summer Camps (Promotes education, exposure to college life, life experience, etc…)
-
Scholarships to High School Students through our Luso-American Education Foundation
-
Scholarships to returning students (ages 20-39) through our Luso-American Education Foundation
-
Grant Programs administered through our Luso-American Education Foundation
-
Local Council/Lodge events that promote social interaction in the communities we live in and support our fraternal ideals.
-
“Rod Alvernaz Fraternal Award of Merit” – an annual award given for outstanding fraternalism
-
“Peter Francisco Award” – given by PCU for outstanding contribution to the Portuguese community
