Haymarket People's Fund (Boston, Mass.)

Non-profit foundation, self described as, " activist-controlled, committed to radical social change," created in 1974 to raise funds and award grants to "grassroots groups throughout New England fighting violence, poverty, and injustice."

The Haymarket People's Fund is an activist-controlled foundation committed to radical social change. Founded 1974 by George Pillsbury in Boston, Mass. to help grassroots groups throughout New England; named after Chicago's Haymarket Affair of 1886. The Fund seeks to help workers, people of color, women, tenants, people with disabilities, students, the elderly, gay men and lesbians, environmentalists, veterans, and welfare recipients. The Haymarket cannot fund social service of advocacy projects; groups with budgets of more than $100,000; groups that receive large government or corporate grants; alternative businesses or institutions such as food co-ops or alternatives schools; groups with no fundraising plans other than Haymarket; or groups that have existed for less than one year.

A granting agency that advises and provides funding for grass roots, non-profit projects and organizations in order to bring about broad social change by addressing local issues and community needs.

Founded 1974 by George Pillsbury to help grassroots groups throughout New England; named after Chicago's Haymarket Affair of 1886.

The Haymarket People's Fund is a non-profit foundation created in 1974 to raise funds and to "give grants to grassroots groups organizing throughout New England fighting violence, poverty, and injustice [and] aiming to empower oppressed communities." (See Annual Report, 1988-89, p. 2 in Series II, Publications). Named after the famous Haymarket Square Affair of 1886 in Chicago, the Haymarket People's Fund is a self-described "activist-controlled foundation committed to radical social change. " It maintains that through its process of fundraising and grantmaking, it is "building a unique partnership between activists and donors, all working for progressive, economic, social, and political change." (Annual Report, 1988-89, p. 2)

The Haymarket People's Fund raises its funds by soliciting donations throughout New England and the Northeast. Since 1977, it has also had an endowment which now totals about $700,000. In its first fifteen years of existence, the Fund has distributed more than $3,000,000 in grants through its nine regional boards to activist-groups throughout New England. Individual grants are small, usually ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. In 1988-89 for example, the largest single grant was for $4,000 and the smallest $200.