The Ulster Volunteer Force Patriotic Fund was established in May 1916 with Sir Edward Carson as its president.  It was setup ‘For the benefit of those victims of the war, who are Ulster’s special charge,’ and ‘the persons for whose benefits the Fund is intended will include all Members of the Ulster Division and other Members of the U.V.F. who shall have served in the present war in His Majesty’s Naval and Military Forces and the dependents of any of the above, also any other individuals whom the Committee may think right to include.’

It was initially intended that the UVF Patriotic Fund would pay the salary of the caretaker of the Ulster Tower but this later proved troublesome for the Fund’s committee.

During 1921 the UVF Fund had contributed a total of £1,255 (approximately £63,000 today) to the maintenance of the Ulster Tower but by 1928 this money had been reimbursed by the Northern Ireland Parliament as the tower was designated ‘a national memorial, and should be no different from its imperial counterparts.’