Metropolitan and City Police Orphans Fund

The Metropolitan and City Police Orphans Fund, the world's oldest police charity founded in 1870 by Lt Col Sir Edmund Henderson, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, provides targeted financial assistance to children of deceased or incapacitated (pension-retired) officers from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police. Evolving from the original Metropolitan Police Orphanage—which offered residential care until 1937—the fund now delivers direct, needs-tested grants to support these children's welfare, education, and family stability, embodying values of solidarity, compassion, and long-term stewardship sustained by endowments and police community donations. Over 14,000 children have benefited, with aid continuing while beneficiaries remain in full-time education.

It prioritizes educational grants, regular maintenance allowances, birthday and Christmas payments, and ad hoc welfare support to mitigate hardship from bereavement or parental incapacity, focusing exclusively on individual police orphans and families rather than broader causes.

Eligibility is tightly defined: direct applications from qualifying families (often via police welfare officer referrals), with no support for organizations, charities, or unrelated entities; geographic scope is global for families of eligible London force officers, unrestricted by current residence. There are no income thresholds or entity size rules, only service-based criteria.

Grants typically range £2,000–£5,000 annually per child, scaling with need and educational costs (2023 expenditure >£1m). Applications are rolling, assessed case-by-case at monthly trustee meetings by the Chief Executive team—no fixed deadlines or open rounds. Distinctively, it rejects all unsolicited organizational proposals, emphasizing direct individual aid and century-plus legacy preservation over institutional grants.