Fran Froehlich and Kip Tiernan (deceased) founded The Poor People’s United Fund in 1980. The late 70’s saw drastic cuts to government funding for human services, and the smaller grassroots organizations were no match for the larger organizations when competing for vital private foundation funds. Kip and Fran believed that the grassroots organizations were closer to the neighborhood problems and had a vital role to play in the community. For nearly half a century, PPUF continues to service the same grassroots needs of the community, frequently as the last resort for those who have been refused help from every other known source. We are funded entirely from generous and caring donors. We take no funds from the city, the state, or federal government, allowing us to critique policy without fear of financial censure and to provide help to those in need, with no strings attached.