Police Children's Fund

Police Children's Fund is a grant-giving charity providing financial assistance to support the education, development and wellbeing of the children of deceased or medically retired police officers from our 22 contributing forces across England and Wales.

The Fund may provide grants towards general educational expenditure, school trips, computers, driving lessons, school holiday activities, mental health support and higher education.

When was it established?

As a philanthropist and activist, Catherine Gurney (9 June 1848 – 11 August 1930) established the Police Seaside Home and the Provincial Police Orphanage in Hove, East Sussex in 1890.

The orphanage moved to Surrey in 1895 and following major welfare reforms, a reduction in numbers needing its services led to its closure in 1947. It was replaced by the work of the Gurney Benevolent Fund (GBF). In 1948 the Gurney Fund (TGF) came into being providing financial support to the children of deceased or medically retired officers. In 2014, The GBF and TGF merged to form the incorporated grant-giving charity, The Gurney Fund. In 2023, the change of name to Police Children’s Fund encapsulates both the historical work of Catherine Gurney and the ongoing mission of the Fund today.