The materials in this collection were organized, indexed, and microfilmed in 1985 by the following students: Margaret Beiter, Harryette Drayton, Joseph Gerace, Mary Beth Germain.  The students were supervised by Dr. Monroe Fordham of the Buffalo State College Department of History and Social Studies Education. Arrangements for filming this project were made by the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, Inc.

The Institute for People Enterprises was founded in 1978 by William Gaiter and became a registered non-profit in 1979. William Gaiter served as the president of the institute, as well as being affiliated with the Buffalo Affirmative Action Program (BAAP), organizing and chairing the Western New York Council for African Relations, and the president of B.U.I.L.D. The Institute for People Enterprises helped to connect workers to more than 120 service groups around the country and provided consulting, training, and operations assistance to various community, business, and political groups.