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Zakim Grantee

Making a Difference

The Lenny Zakim Fund: a legacy of building bridges

Most people facing cancer wouldn’t dream of embarking on an ambitious new project to aggressively promote social justice. But then, human rights hero Lenny Zakim was not like most people.  When he dreamed, he dreamed big. When Lenny was diagnosed in 1995 with multiple myeloma, a rare bone marrow cancer, he called upon his many friends and supporters to help establish The Lenny Zakim Fund.  The Fund’s mission is to reach out to groups “below the radar screen” of large charitable foundations and government, and to provide financial support, technical assistance and networking opportunities.  Focused on individuals and grassroots organizations within a 50-mile radius of Boston, the Fund is especially supportive of programs that build alliances across racial, religious and ethnic lines. Read More…

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Welcome to SmartLink!    
A program of the Neighborhood Funders Group

SmartLink is your one-stop-shop for free and useful ideas and insights, created just for donors, foundation trustees and others who give locally, to neighborhoods and communities.  SmartLink solves your toughest giving problem:   it helps you learn who is building strong communities, what is working to make a difference, and how to connect your giving (whether modest or substantial) to the most effective ideas and projects. 

Connect, with just a few clicks!

Among the treasures you will find here are candid profiles of donors and small foundations from all over the country, making a difference on a range of issues in their communities . With a few clicks on the left navigation menu, you can search briefs and tools focused on six key issues.  Don't stop there, drill deeper to explore action- and results-oriented topics and strategies. 

We won't tell you where to give; instead, SmartLink makes your giving smarter and more focused on making a difference.   Please note:  CGR is not a grantmaker.

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In the News

  • Several Southern states have become the nation’s leaders in Pre-K over the last 10 years. As a result, the South in 2007 leads the nation in offering state-funded Pre-K to three- and four-year-old children. Read More...
  • Giving circles multiply donor's impact Read More...
  • Giving by the nation's 707 community foundations reached $3.6 billion in 2006, finds a new report by the Foundation Center.  Community Foundations' estimated giving in 2006 rose 13.2 percent, surpassing the rate of increase for independent and corporate foundations. Read More...

Facts & Figures

  • U.S. foundations have increased their spending on conferences, training, and other “direct charitable activities” that complement grant making, according to a new report by the Foundation Center, in New York.
  • The average U.S. household donated $1,917 in 2005
  • Adults in more than 9 million families (with 19 million children) work regularly but do not earn enough to meet the household’s needs.
  • An estimated 9 million children do not have health care coverage in the US