Dear Friends,  

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well and warm as we head towards the winter months.

Each November, we count on you to "show up" for our No Show Ball, and this year, you showed up in force! On November 17th, we remembered and celebrated Lenny Zakim on what would have been his 71th birthday from the comfort of our homes while strengthening Lenny’s legacy of hope and transformation through the generous donations totaling over $130,000 (and still counting) you collectively made.  

Following what we hope was a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving holiday for you and your loved ones, we want you to know how truly grateful we are for the role each of you plays in supporting LZF’s grassroots grantee partner organizations and ensuring that eastern Massachusetts communities have the resources they need to thrive. 

And as another year of hard work draws to a close, we have some exciting plans in store for our biggest year yet: the 30th anniversary of The Lenny Zakim Fund. It’s been remarkable looking back on what we’ve accomplished together since our founding in 1995, and we’re excited to share those stories with you and lay the foundation for an even brighter future. 

Best wishes for a holiday season of love, joy, and gratitude, 

Allison E. Picott  

Executive Director     

LZF Welcomes Interim Director of Development

Carla Beaudoin 

We are thrilled to introduce Carla Beaudoin as our new Interim Director of Development, filling the long-needed role of fundraising and grant management for LZF.

Carla brings more than two decades of experience to our team from development and executive positions at Metro Housing|Boston, the Boys and Girls Club of Woburn, and the Newburyport Education Foundation, as well as several years as a

legislative aide in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She holds a Political Science degree from Suffolk University and a certificate from Boston University’s Institute of Nonprofit Management & Leadership.

Carla is dedicated to creating meaningful impact through strategic development and looks forward to advancing The Lenny Zakim Fund’s mission of social justice and community empowerment. Welcome, Carla!

LZF Grantee Partner Spotlight: NUBE

“Get out the vote” efforts don’t end with election season, and no one knows that better than the members of Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE), a Grantee Partner in East Boston whose ongoing voter registration and education efforts have led to many successes. Click here to read more about their inspiring work, which reminds us of the importance of local elections and the vital role each of us plays in our democracy. 

Thank you to all who joined us at the Civic Pavilion at City Hall for our free October 16th Bridge Builder event, Voices of Resilience: Immigrant Stories in Greater Boston's Nonprofit Sector.

Thanks as well to our featured panelists from Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education, Asian Women for Health, and the Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity, who led an insightful discussion on the experiences of immigrant leaders in Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector, how their culture and experiences inform their work, and how philanthropy can continue to support thriving immigrant communities. 

You can view the recording of this event by clicking here.

The date and topic for our spring 2025 Bridge Builder event will be announced in the March newsletter.

Save the Date:

LZF's Light the Night & 30th Anniversary Celebration!

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 $13 million in grants to nearly 400 grassroots organizations throughout eastern Massachusetts.

For more information about The Lenny Zakim Fund, visit www.thelennyzakimfund.org.