Raise Up Massachusetts is a left-of-center grassroots organization that promotes labor-union-aligned policies such as tax increases towards funding public transportation fares, increased pay for teachers  and providing paid meals for students at public schools.  ^{1 2}

As of 2025, Raise Up Massachusetts advocates the “Corporate Fair Share initiative,” a policy project to advocate for increased taxes on business profits held in offshore accounts for the purpose of funding government-run health care, education, and housing. ^{1 3}

Raise Up Massachusetts was founded in 2013 through the sponsorship of Field First LLC, a left-of-center consulting firm founded the same year that focuses on “winning elections.” As of 2025, Field First LLC claimed to continue to manage Raise Up Massachusetts’s Steering and Grassroots committees. ^{4 5}

Activities

Raise Up Massachusetts is a Boston-based left-of-center grassroots organization that manages a coalition of activists, religious organizations, and labor unions. The coalition claims to promote pro-labor policies such as raising the minimum wage, medical benefits for workers including paid sick and family leave, and funding increased towards public transportation and public education. ¹

In 2022, Raise Up Massachusetts advocated for the Fair Share Amendment, a state ballot initiative which raised tax rates on state taxpayers with annual income over $1 million. The ballot initiative passed, and the new amendment was put into law. Advocates for the amendment claimed that the new tax rates led to increased $6 billion in revenue for spending: specifically $782 million towards public school spending, $419 million towards public school meals, $866.8 million towards state and public transportation infrastructure, $422 million towards regional transit fares, $289 towards public college financial aid, $287.5 towards tuition at at community colleges, and $1 billion towards government-funded child care. The organization Fair Share Massachusetts, which also promoted the Fair Share Amendment, is sponsored by Raise Up Massachusetts. ^{1 2}

As of 2025, Raise Up Massachusetts advocates for “Corporate Fair Share,” a policy initiative that supports legislation to increase taxes on local businesses to fund government-run health care, education, and housing. The initiative would also advocates for increased corporate taxes on companies that hold revenue in offshore accounts.  ^{1 3} As part of its Corporate Fair Share initiative, Raise Up Massachusetts calls on coalition members to contact Massachusetts state legislators to support “An Act Combatting Offshore Tax Avoidance.” ⁶

Affiliations

Raise Up Massachusetts is listed as an partner of Massachusetts Peace Action, the Massachusetts state branch of left-wing foreign policy advocacy group Peace Action. ⁷

Raise Up Massachusetts collects donations through ActBlue, a left-of-center pass-through fundraising platform. ⁸

Field First LLC, a self-described “progressive consulting firm focused on winning elections,” claims to have “coordinated” Raise Up Massachusetts since before it was founded in 2013. As of 2025, Field First LLC claimed to manage bi-weekly steering committee meetings for Raise Up Massachusetts as well as monthly meetings for the organizations grassroots committee. Field First LLC also claims to maintain Raise Up’s digital platform and social media. ^{4 5}

Like Raise Up Massachusetts, Field First LLC was founded in 2013. The business expanded to California in 2018 to work with left-of-center activists in Los Angeles County. ⁴

People

The former co-chair of Raise Up Massachusetts was Harris Gruman, the executive director of the SEIU Massachusetts State Council. ⁵

As of 2023, the spokesperson for Raise Up Massachusetts was Andrew Farnitano. As of 2025, Farniatno was the founder and president of ACF Strategies, a public affairs firm focused on promoting left-of-center causes in Massachusetts. ^{9 10}

1. “Raise Up Massachusetts.” Raise Up Massachusetts. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.raiseupma.org/.
2. “Fair Share.” Fair Share. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.fairsharema.com/.
3. “Corporate Fair Share.” Raise Up Massachusetts. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.raiseupma.org/corporat.
4. “About.” Field First. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.field-first.com/about/.
5. “Raise Up Massachusetts. Field First. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.field-first.com/case-studies/raise-up-massachusetts/.
6. “MA Businesses for Corporate Fair Share.” Raise Up Massachusetts. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6621be192d579357839eeebf/t/681a0f9934c9c938466f9d3a/1746538393806/Corporate+Fair+Share+Business+Fact+Sheet.pdf.
7. “Allies.” MAPA. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/peace-action/.
8. “Donate ot Raise Up Massachusetts.” ActBlue. Accessed July 21, 2025.
9. Lisinkski, Chris. “Raise Up Coalition Wants $20 Mass. Minimum Wage By 2027. WBZ. February 7, 2023. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/raise-up-coalition-wants-20-mass-minimum-wage-by-2027/.
10. “ACT Impact Strategies.” ACF Strategies. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.acfstrategies.com/.