Hall Education Fund, Inc.

The Hall Education Fund, Inc. is a not-for-profit charitable organization the purpose of which is to enhance educational opportunities for New Brunswick students. The fund primarily provides scholarships to graduating seniors and the goal is to support their first year of college. Students who apply for this scholarship acquire letters of recommendation, write personal essays, and submit their high school transcripts, and soon after are interviewed by the trustees. These students are named "William Hall Scholars" and are awarded between $500 and $3,000 to begin their college careers.

The Hall Education Fund originated in 1801, when William Hall, a distinguished New Brunswick citizen, left $2,200 in his will to establish a trust fund for "educating poor children in the city of New Brunswick." His son's inability to execute the trust, led to him ask the New Jersey General Assembly to appoint two trustees from each of the three Protestant churches in New Brunswick to administer the fund. In November of 1808, the New Jersey legislature passed an act accepting John Neilson and Moses Grant of the Presbyterian Church (est. 1726), James Schureman and Staats Van Deuson of the First Reformed Church (est. 1703) and finally, Robert Boggs and William P. Deare of Christ Episcopal Church (est. 1742) to execute the trust in his stead.

With this foundation, the trustees of the fund opened the first free public school in New Brunswick in 1814. The Lancastrian School was on the corner of George Street and Schureman Street, previously the home of Queens College. Between 1838 and 1853, the school relied on funding from the Common Council of New Brunswick and the state of New Jersey. By the mid 19th century, the Hall Fund fell into disuse with the creation of free public education in 1870, and only a few hundred dollars remained in the fund; consequently, the Lancastrian School was shut down indefinitely in 1879 after several temporary closures. In 1940, two representatives from each of the three churches reactivated the fund, and by 1966 the fund grew to a market value of nearly $10,000. While the Hall Fund was never meant to be a strictly religious organization, it was run and operated by the three churches and the fund has been used to provide scholarships for financially deserving children within each respective congregation.

In 2001, the Fund's 200th anniversary, to address the growing need for financial assistance among New Brunswick students, the trustees decided to broaden the scope of their mission, while remaining true to William Hall's intent. As a part of this process, the Hall Fund became The Hall Education Fund, Inc. and the number of trustees was increased from six to nine. By this time, the Hall Education Fund's endowment has grown to approximately $115,000 and it was organized as a not-for-profit charitable organization with the mission of providing funds to financially deserving high school graduates. The following year, the organization gained tax exempt status; since then the trustees have worked toward becoming a more organized and unified organization.

From then on, the fund's primary focus revolved around helping the students of New Brunswick. The trustees applied for grants from various foundations in support of their cause, their most generous contributor being Church & Dwight Company, Inc. The trustees have also worked on fundraisers and events in attempts to raise money for the fund. Beginning in 2008, events ranged from wine tastings to shopping fundraisers. Any money gained from donations, events, or fundraisers goes toward the Hall Fund's goal of granting scholarships to New Brunswick students.

Most recently the Hall Fund trustees have considered ways to expand their mission to better serve the poor children of New Brunswick.