Folds of Honor, a national foundation that provides academic scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders, announced today a $1 million scholarship commitment to qualified spouses and children of members of the New York City Police Department.
Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 73,000 scholarships totaling over $340 million in all 50 states.
“When I was in New York City to honor Detective Islam and announce future scholarships for his three children, the dedication of the NYPD and the need for academic support was clear,” said Lt Col Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. “This commitment to the brave men and women who protect our families embodies our mission to Honor Their Sacrifice and Educate their Legacy.”
Detective Islam, assigned to the 47th Precinct in the Bronx, was killed during a mass shooting in an office building in Midtown Manhattan. On July 28, 2025, a gunman entered the building and opened fire, killing Islam and three others before turning the gun on himself. Islam, who died at age 36, joined the NYPD in 2021. His wife was pregnant at the time and gave birth to their third child just weeks after his murder.
“The families of our fallen and disabled heroes sacrifice so much,” said NYC Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry. “When tragedy strikes a police family, any plans they had for the future, including their educational goals, are turned upside down. With their extraordinary scholarship commitment, Folds of Honor is giving these hero families a piece of their future back. That means the world to our entire ‘Blue Family.’ We can’t thank them enough.”
Folds of Honor added first responders to its mission in 2022. There are over two million first responders in the US that respond to approximately 240 million 9-1-1 calls made each year.
“In the future, we want to add similar programs to different categories of first responders and in other cities,” Rooney added. “Because of our generous supporters, we hope this is just the beginning.”
The Folds of Honor application window opens February 1 and continues until March 31. Individuals can apply for an educational scholarship by visiting www.foldsofhonor.org.
For the 2025-26 academic year, the organization set an all-time record distributing nearly 11,000 scholarships for over $53 million. But the need remains great. A total of 7,700 qualified applicants did not receive full funding because of a lack of financial resources.
For more information about Folds of Honor, please contact Glenn Greenspan at ggreenspan@foldsofhonor.org. For more information about the NYC Police Benevolent Association, please contact John Nuthall at jnuthall@nycpba.org.
About Folds of Honor
Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of US military service members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country and communities. Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Funds for a second bachelor’s degree or trade/technical program certification are also available. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 73,000 scholarships totaling over $340 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 43 percent are minorities and 57 percent female. A total of 91 percent of expenses fund our mission of providing educational scholarships to the families of our nation’s heroes. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on Candid. It was founded by Lt Col Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot (with three combat tours in Iraq) and PGA Professional. He is serving as
Commander of Recruiting for the Oklahoma Air Guard. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.
About the NYC Police Benevolent Association
The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (NYC PBA) is the largest municipal police union in the nation and represents nearly 50,000 active and retired NYC police officers.