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, a small foundation with big plans to transform his vision of social justice into a lasting reality.  His credo? "They have the will. They have the creativity. But they lack the means. We will give them the means." His plan? To make a difference, one person at a time.

Lenny not only believed that one person could change the world; he was living proof of it. Although he died in 1999 at only 46, Lenny’s unrelenting efforts continue to pay off today, reports Jude Goldman, executive director of the Lenny Zakim Fund.

As executive director of the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League, Lenny spent 20 years fighting prejudice, racism and bigotry. A lawyer by profession, he was also a tireless pioneer known for bringing together inter-faith organizations in innovative ways.

In the 1980s, he organized the first ever African American/Jewish Seder, and built youth programs such as A World of Difference Institute, a global organization dedicated to teaching tolerance and providing diversity education and training.

An inspiring legacy

Jude joined the foundation in 2006, and says people were never quite the same after they collaborated with Lenny.

“Lenny was one of these ‘force of nature’ people,” explains Jude. “I didn’t know him, but I feel sometimes as though I did. At my last interview for this job, I asked members of the board to tell me how they knew Lenny. And I was not prepared for the emotion and the stories. It was mind-blowing, and extraordinary. This foundation is his legacy; our mission was Lenny’s vision and it’s an amazing one.”

The Lenny Zakim 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.

“We aggregate donors who are committed to social justice, who understand that there are lots of terrific grassroots agencies, often created by people who are experiencing problems in their communities, and finding solutions,” explains Jude. “Our job is to find the local groups and the people who really want to support their work and put them together.”

Lenny’s wife, Joyce, is particularly active in visiting with potential grantees, notes Jude, a process that fosters openness and flexibility within the foundation.  Last year, the Fund launched the Young Leadership Group to attract young people launching their professional or philanthropic careers into the organization.  Lenny’s oldest child, Josh, sits on the Fund’s board of directors, as does Lenny’s wife, Joyce. Lenny’s two daughters, Deena and Shari, attend events and do site visits.

Seeking opportunities to make a difference

Jude cites the Fund’s commitment to Open Access to Music Education for Children, founded by two Haitian women – a pediatrician and a social worker – working at Boston Medical Center, as a perfect example of grassroots inspiration. 

“These women rightfully had serious concerns about the lives of children in their community, who were the children of immigrants where one or both parents were HIV-positive or had some other chronic condition,” explains Jude. “Their response to that, which was not even remotely typical but was brilliant, was classical music:  they started a small program for kids to teach them to play the violin.”

The Lenny Zakim Fund became a fan of in 2003, when the agency was in its infancy. “They didn’t have a lot of resources, and weren’t all that sure what they were doing,” recalls Jude. “We helped them develop relationships with major music schools, get free instruments, and we also provided management support and other funders.”

The program has since grown from six to 80 children, and now has tutoring and youth development components.

“Music has the ability to change children’s lives. We can see the light shining in the eyes of our children by coming here, by playing with their instruments,” says Geralde Gabeau, one of the program’s founders, in a video on the foundation’s website.

"So many children in our community now have the privilege to play an instrument simply because foundations like The Lenny Fund care about the well-being of children living in impoverished communities," adds Geralde.  "Because of their financial, social and emotional support, we were able to serve kids that we would never have been able to serve, and make connections with other organizations and interested people who share the same passion that we have.   We are forever grateful to the Lenny Zakim Fund team for their commitment to change people's lives one individual at a time."

More than money

Because Lenny believed that small grants given to the right organizations could yield big results, the Fund’s grants continue to range from $1,000 to $15,000. In 2007, the Fund distributed 72 grants totaling about $420,000.

Perhaps even more important than financial assistance is the relationship the foundation fosters with its grantees, notes Jude. Twice a year, the Fund sponsors free, hands-on Institutes, where recipients can develop their capacity building, fundraising and planning skills, and benefit from the networking opportunities within the Lenny Zakim Fund community.

“We bring in outside experts, and do grant-writing clinics or workshops about advocacy,” says Jude. “In 2007, we combined networking with training, by using a case study [based on] three of our agencies; [each] had approached aspects of sustainability by doing major events, developing income streams, and strategic board development.  We also provided management support and introductions to other funders.”

Through these Institutes, the Fund brings together like-minded groups who would perhaps never otherwise meet, adds Jude. “We support an inner-city agency, The Lewis D. Brown Peace Institute, that works with families of homicide victims, and we also support a suburban agency, The Children’s Room, for children who have lost a parent or a sibling.” 

“The two agencies have such an incredible amount in common and so much good they could do together, and they’re going to find each other at the Fund’s Institute.”

Building bridges

In 2002, Lenny’s indomitable spirit was immortalized when the city built the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, a fitting nod to the symbolic bridges he built between countless communities.

Jude tells small foundations how important it is to “know what you don’t know, and listen to the people who probably do know, because every decision is multi-dimensional. When you talk to and listen to a lot of people, it puts you in this wonderful place of ‘You never know’. You just don’t know what’s going to come out of things. Stay open, move around and get out there, so you can know of and respond to opportunities in need.”

Wendy Helfenbaum is a writer and television producer in Montreal.