Pi Lambda Phi

Pi Lambda Phi

Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity Inc. (ΠΛΦ or Pilam) is a college social fraternity with 35 active chapters and four colonies in the United States and Canada.

The fraternity was founded at Yale University by Frederick Manfred Werner, Louis Samter Levy, and Henry Mark Fisher in 1895. These three, men all Jewish, were determined to start something new. Together they decided to start the first fraternity that was open to all men without regard to race, religion or creed. Chapters at other universities started soon after. While non-sectarian, it was predominantly Jewish until the end of World War II. It was founded as the first non-sectarian fraternity, "a fraternity in which all men were brothers, no matter what their religion; a fraternity in which ability, open-mindedness, farsightedness, and a progressive, forward-looking attitude would be recognized as the basic attributes."

The Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity Foundation, was founded in 1938 to provide educational scholarships for the brothers of the fraternity and reestablished in its current form in 1991 as "Pi Lambda Phi Educational Foundation, Inc.", is the fraternity's charitable arm. In addition to providing scholarship and educational programs, the foundation provides recognition of humanitarian work for individuals outside of the fraternity through its sponsorship of the Pi Lambda Phi Humanitarian Award. The Elimination of Prejudice is the fraternity's official philanthropy. Founded in 1996, The Elimination of Prejudice, headquartered in Berea, Ohio, works to set the conditions for sensitive societal conversations to take place, and promotes the principles of equality and inclusiveness to the widest possible audience. From video and essay contests to youth-based educational programs and retreats, the different ways to encourage society to talk about tough topics are endless. The Elimination of Prejudice raises money to fund the aforementioned programs and others. Presently, The Elimination of Prejudice is a call to action currently on 40 college campuses and universities, with nearly 1,000 active students in the U.S. and Canada.