LZF Community Newsletter | June 2026

On the evening of June 11th, our Zakim Light co-chairs Lisa Flores (pictured left) and Jessica Hennessy (pictured right) hosted Cocktails and Conversations: an intimate evening previewing LZF's September 19th fundraising event. Both of our co-chairs have been involved with this annual event since its conception in 2024, and are proud to support and represent the work of The Lenny Zakim Fund to all of our Zakim Light attendees.

"My role as co-chair of The Zakim Light evolved naturally because of my commitment to supporting small, essential nonprofits merged with my respect of Lenny Zakim’s legacy. We continue to gain momentum and share the importance of LZF as a resource."

-Lisa Flores, Co-Chair

Click here to sponsor or buy your tickets TODAY!

"I’m honored to co-chair this year’s Zakim's Light alongside Lisa Flores because I believe deeply in civic service and in our shared responsibility to support the communities we’re part of. What makes LZF so meaningful is that it strengthens many grassroots organizations, helping build stronger, more connected communities across Eastern Massachusetts. I’m especially looking forward to celebrating The Zakim Fund’s accomplishments and introducing new people to its work, all against the beautiful backdrop of The Grand Boston."

-Jessica Hennessy, Co-Chair

Last Chance: Support The Zakim Light Before July 1 to Enjoy a Special Experience!

Before the doors opens on September 19, Zakim Light early sponsors and ticket holders are invited to a highly-curated whiskey and chocolate tasting. Purchase by next Tuesday, June 30 to share this sensory experience balancing the warmth with richness of these spirits with locally made chocolate. Brought to you by the Boston Harbor Distillery Team and Goodnow Farms of Sudbury. Find more information about sponsorship information and ticket packages here.

For questions about event tickets or sponsorships, please contact Carla Beaudoin at cbeaudoin@thelennyzakimfund.org.

Thank you to Columbus Hospitality Group for generously hosting us on June 11th. Photos courtesy of Conor Elwell of Columbus Hospitality Group.

LZF's New Grants and Program Coordinator!

We are delighted to welcome Victoria (Tory) Shepeluk as LZF’s new Grants and Program Coordinator! She is thrilled to join the LZF Team and looks forward to supporting our grantee partners and leading the upcoming 2027 grant cycle.

Tory holds a degree in English and Policy & Social Equity from UMass Amherst — a self-designed major focused on the complex political, sociological, and historical determinants of inequality — and brings years of grant writing experience from her time at Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD).

June Grantee Spotlight: City Strings United

“When you put an instrument in a child’s hand... the ownership that you're giving a child is huge. An identity. ‘Oh, I play the cello. I play the violin. I play the piano.’ Now you're helping them with an identity, something that they can boast about, be glad about.”

Learn more about CSU's commitment to youth development through musical education here!

Program Highlight: Annual Learning Institute

On June 4th, LZF gathered representatives from dozens of current and former grantee partners for our Annual Learning Institute. Institute is The Lenny Zakim Fund’s flagship annual gathering of LZF grantee partners since 1996. This year grantee partners spent the day focused on strategy and planning for long-term, sustainable growth, and were able to connect with and learn from peer grassroots organizations from across Eastern Massachusetts.

Special thanks to The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground for hosting us, and to Madeleine Steczynski (ZUMIX), Olu Ibrahim (Kids in Tech), Chad Freitas (Mercy Meals & More), Brianna Boggs, Sam Gould (Think Outside the Vox), and Margo Guernsey for leading sessions this year.

Staff Highlight: Tiffany Lau at GEO 2026

Early this month, Deputy Director Tiffany Lau represented LZF and the Barr Foundation's Reimagining Capacity Building Table on a panel at the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) national conference titled "What Makes Capacity Building Actually Work: Rethinking Readiness, Relationships, and Power."

As a grassroots, capacity building funder, LZF is intentional about how we can best support our grantee partners. Our relationships with grassroots nonprofits begin before they submit an application and continue long after they graduate from our portfolio, and we're glad Tiffany could share our deeply relational approach and learnings with the philanthropic community.

Image courtesy of Barr Foundation.

LZF's Grant Cycle Opens July 1st!

Know an organization you think would be a great fit for LZF? Send this information their way! Find more information on how to apply and our upcoming information sessions here.

For three decades, the Lenny Zakim Fund has practiced community-centered, trust-based grantmaking and built deep expertise in relational, power-conscious capacity building with grassroots organizations across Eastern Massachusetts. On Thursday, October 29th, we're convening our peers and partners across the philanthropic ecosystem to share key findings from our 30-Year Impact Study -- what we've learned about ceding power, building trust, and resourcing grassroots leadership in ways that last.

Join us as we build bridges across the philanthropic sector and explore what this model can offer the field going forward.

RSVP Here!

About The Lenny Zakim Fund

The Lenny Zakim Fund 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. Since its founding in 1995, The Fund has awarded over $13.5 million in grants to over 430 grassroots organizations throughout eastern Massachusetts.

For more information, please visit www.thelennyzakimfund.org.