Eastern States Exposition Foundation

The Eastern States Exposition (ESE) Foundation exists to enlist support for ESE’s not-for-profit mission: promoting agriculture, education and industry through innovative events and opportunities that inspire, entertain and connect people across New England and beyond.

Since its inception, ESE has made every effort to heed the mission of its founder, Joshua Loring Brooks, who felt farming was in a general state of decline that called for a common solution. Brooks convinced leadership throughout New England to set aside state boundaries and support the founding of the Exposition, a hub for agricultural advancement, industrial innovation, educational breakthroughs and the preservation of the Northeast’s cultural traditions. Now more than 100 years strong, ESE welcomes more than 3.1 million people annually, and its agricultural program alone attracts participants from 32 states and two Canadian provinces.

ESE is a robust, economic engine that has a profound and positive imprint on both its surrounding community and New England as a whole. In the last 20 years, ESE has invested more than $1 billion in its grounds to make each of the more than 120 events that occur here annually safe, welcoming and exciting, though it receives no state, federal or local support. When you contribute to the ESE Fund, you sustain our facilities so that we not only keep pace with advancement but lead the movement. Your donation makes a lasting impact that will be felt for many future generations of farmers, hobbyists, carnival workers and millions of other visitors and employees that enjoy the complex, year after year.

Why Eastern States Exposition?

Across the country, America’s farmers are aging, and a substantial amount of our nation’s farmland is expected to change hands in the coming decades. As more land transitions out of family ownership, the future of agriculture becomes increasingly uncertain. This is exactly why Eastern States Exposition exists. Our mission and the work we do through agricultural education, youth programs, competitions and The Big E is focused on growing, supporting, and preserving the next generation of farmers. When you support the Eastern States Exposition Foundation, you’re helping ensure that the future of farming remains strong, resilient and rooted in people who care deeply about the land and the legacy they’re passing on.

Preserving our History

From 1927-1931, Helen Storrow—a prominent Boston preservationist—selected buildings, had them disassembled and used them to shape a typical village characteristic of 18th & 19th New England life. Storrowton Village Museum provides a hands-on learning opportunity for children and families to observe and experience colonial life. Programs include "A Day in the Past," where students dress and act in accordance with 1800s life, and "Early American Summer Days," where children do theme activities and experience crafts, games and chores, including farming, broom making & blacksmithing. Storrowton Village celebrates seasonal New England festivals throughout the year and provides an immersive opportunity for children and families to experience an earlier way of life.