The Fund is named for Lillian D. Wald, a Jewish woman who left a privileged life to champion the rights of Eastern European immigrants living on New York's Lower East Side at the turn of the century. In 1893, Lillian Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement, a neighborhood health center that later became the Visiting Nurse Service. The Fund carries on Lillian Wald's legacy.

In the past, Lillian Fund grants have been awarded in the local community and Israel. In Israel, Lillian Fund grants have provided sports and educational activities, business leadership training, and mother-daughter communication workshops to help improve outcomes for women in impoverished areas of the country.

In Greater Hartford, Lillian Fund grants have helped to fund counseling for victims of domestic abuse, trained Rabbis and Jewish educators to identify domestic violence in the community, and helped fund a bereavement support group with Jewish content for local women.

Previous Grants:

Maslan: Young Amassadors Against Violence To provide rehabilitation and counseling to victims of sexual abuse and violence in Israel.
		Bat Mitzvahs for All To enable underprivileged Ethiopian girls in Israel to celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
Women and Children in Transition Providing case management services for women and families in need; including counseling, job assistance and other basic human needs in Greater Hartford.
		Educating Tomorrow's Leaders - Today The Unistream Business and Leadership Institute (a JAFI program) to sponsor two women from disadvantaged backgrounds who live in Afula, Israel to participate in the program.