Dear Friends,
By now you’re probably aware of our inaugural Light the Night fundraising event, coming up on Saturday, September 7—and are planning to attend, we hope! We can’t wait to have you join us at the beautiful waterfront Alcove restaurant in the West End, recently named as one of Boston’s best patio venues, with the lights of the Leonard P. Zakim Bridge shimmering above us.
Our Planning Committee is crafting a wonderful evening of celebration, including festive cocktails, delectable dinner bites, and dancing with curated music by Boston DJ legend Mike Amado. We’re counting the days until September 7th, and early bird tickets, which are available through June 30th, are going quickly.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 617-406-6036 or apicott@thelennyzakimfund.org for sponsorships, tickets, or questions.
Come light the night with us!
Allison E. Picott
Executive Director
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Summer internships are nothing new, but Teen JUST-US offers a six-week experience unlike any other, combining social justice, hands-on projects, leadership development, and personal growth for Jewish high school students entering 11th and 12th grade.
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Bridge Builder Event Focuses on Grassroots in Election Year
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Thanks to everyone who joined us at The Barr Foundation offices for our April 10 Bridge Builder event — and especially to our featured panelists from the Krupp Family Foundation,
Massachusetts Voter Table, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and I Have A Future, who led a lively discussion on the importance of grassroots organizing within the nonprofit ecosystem and how philanthropy can better support organizers to reach their goals. The conversation emphasized that while the election year plays an important role in influencing this work, movement building at the grassroots level is vital to cultivating thriving communities even in non-election years.
You can view the recording of this event by clicking here.
Stay tuned for details on our fall Bridge Builder, which we hope to share with the community soon.
Photo courtesy of Cameron Teleau, I Have A Future
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First Program Day for 2024 TLC Cohort
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On April 24th, eleven nonprofit leaders and nine coaches - who make up the third cohort of our Transformational Leadership Cohort (TLC) Program - came together for our first TLC Program Day of the year.
Launched in 2019, TLC is an intensive, year-long, capacity-building program specifically designed for leaders of small, grassroots organizations. Each year, a cohort of current and former LZF grantee partners receive individual executive coaching and participate in trainings designed to build their knowledge and confidence while also expanding their network of trusted peer leaders.
Thanks to everyone who joined us, both virtually and in person, and especially to facilitator Chanelle John, who led the group in a rich conversation about building cultures of care and integrating care practices into our daily routines.
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Former Grantee Partner Kids in Tech Honors LZF
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Thanks to former LZF grantee partner Kids in Tech for featuring Allison Picott as a speaker and LZF as a recipient of its Philanthropic Partner Award at their inaugural Pathways to Success Dinner & Awards event on April 18. We are inspired by the Kids in Tech community changemakers, who are empowering low-income families to embrace opportunities in STEM, and proud to partner with Kids in Tech in cultivating a diverse pipeline for the next generation of innovators in our state.
Photo courtesy of Kids in Tech
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Thank You, Boston Marathon Runner, Ben Stepansky!
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For the second year in a row, LZF supporter Ben Stepansky ran the world’s most-watched marathon wearing the LZF bib on Patriots’ Day—and exceeded his $10,000 fundraising goal.
“With anti-Semitism growing in the U.S., this year in particular brings new meaning to driving social change,” Ben said on his Boston Marathon fundraising page.
Thank you for your dedication to the LZF mission, Ben, and congratulations on two years of surpassing your very ambitious goals!
Ben celebrating post-Marathon with wife, Katie. Photo courtesy of Ben Stepansky.
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About The Lenny Zakim Fund
Established in 1995 by the late civil rights leader Lenny Zakim, The Lenny Zakim Fund continues to reflect his work and ideals by providing financial support, education, technical assistance and networking opportunities to small, community-based organizations and individuals who are passionate about social, racial, and economic justice and determined to become vehicles of critical change.
The Lenny Zakim Fund knows grassroots leadership is integral to ensuring that programs are successful, culturally relevant, effective, and meet the needs of affected people. Social justice at The Fund is about more than just grantmaking – it is about coming together in partnership to support leaders and the grassroots in their work against systemic oppression and their fight for equity.
LZF is a 501(c)(3) public, nonprofit organization that relies 100% on the generosity of our donors to support our annual operating budget, which includes our annual grants program. Over the past 29 years, The Fund has awarded nearly $13 million in grants to nearly 400 grassroots organizations throughout eastern Massachusetts.
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