From 1999 to 2019, Friends of Adin Ballou was a fellowship dedicated to researching and studying the words and deeds of Adin Ballou and the Hopedale Community, and finding ways to keep their legacy alive in the modern world.

During its 20-year history, Friends of Adin Ballou met approximately quarterly, and published a newsletter, The Vine and Fig Tree. The group sponsored an annual lecture; an annual open-mic Peace Picnic; and an annual peace essay contest for students in grade 7 to 12.

There was always a Friends of Adin Ballou table at Hopedale's annual "Day in the Park" and other Hopedale events. To commemorate Adin Ballou's 200th birthday in 2003, the group presented a re-enactment of the Hopedale Community's Spring Festival. Members of the group presented lectures and programs at Unitarian Universalist district, state, and national meetings, including the "Harvard Square Lecture" of the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society.

Friends of Adin Ballou was an incubator for articles and books on Adin Ballou and Hopedale. Out of its study sessions grew a book, Practical Christianity, an abridged edition of Ballou's Practical Christian Socialism. FAB was the inspiration for the publication of annotated editions of Ballou's Autobiography and History of the Hopedale Community, an expanded edition of Hopedale Reminiscences, and a children's book, To Live a Truer Life.