The Lenny Zakim Fund
Boston, MA · EIN 04-3485146. Reported 219 grants totalling $2,695,625 to 101 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For The Lenny Zakim Fund, the IRS classifies it under religion rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE X30) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 101 distinct organizations, with 3% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 67% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 57% median for grantmaking charities -- noticeably lower than the 67% private foundations manage. Organizations like this one rotate more of their list each year, which is where an opening for a newcomer tends to be.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $10,000. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $15,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $35,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Cultural Services Inc | Waltham, MA | $75,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Building Bridges Through Music Inc | Lynn, MA | $70,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Centro Comunitario De Los Trabajadores | New Bedford, MA | $70,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project Inc | Roxbury, MA | $67,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mount Olives Community Center Inc | Hyde Park, MA | $60,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Codesquad Inc | Somerville, MA | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sciboston Inc | Woburn, MA | $52,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Third Sector New England Inc | Boston, MA | $52,500 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| I Have a Future Inc | Nashville, TN | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Coast Lgbtq Network Inc | New Bedford, MA | $49,470 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Top Notch Scholars Inc | Lawrence, MA | $48,300 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| To the Moon and Back Inc | Plymouth, MA | $47,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Union of Minority Neighborhoods | Boston, MA | $47,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chica | Quincy, MA | $44,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Community Caring Clinic Inc | Roxbury, MA | $43,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Black and Pink Inc | Boston, MA | $43,429 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Right to the City Alliance Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $43,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boston Affordable Housing Coalition Inc | Jamaica Plain, MA | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Brazilian Womens Group Inc | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Center for Economic Democracy | Jamaica Plain, MA | $40,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education Inc | Roxbury, MA | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| My Brothers Keeper Inc | North Easton, MA | $37,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Attleboro Area Council of Churches Inc | Attleboro, MA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Bma Tenpoint Inc | Roxbury, MA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Community Labor United Incorporated | Boston, MA | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Community Works West Inc | Oakland, CA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| South Boston En Accion Inc | South Boston, MA | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The City School Inc Amatullah Mervin | Dorchester, MA | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Brockton Workers Alliance | Brockton, MA | $34,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Bryces Journey Inc | Hyde Park, MA | $34,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Neighborhood Counseling and Community Services Inc | N Cambridge, MA | $34,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Upward Project | Dorchestr Ctr, MA | $34,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Autism Sprinter | Randolph, MA | $33,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Kids in Tech | Lowell, MA | $32,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lysoa Inc | Lynn, MA | $32,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| City Strings Inc | Roxbury, MA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Groundwork Lawrence Inc | Lawrence, MA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Neighbors United for a Better East Boston | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Kodeconnect | Brockton, MA | $29,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Deafinitely | Roslindale, MA | $28,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| New Lynn Coalition | Lynn, MA | $28,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ansaar of Worcester Inc | West Boylston, MA | $27,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Institute for Pan-African Cultural Educ | Roxbury, MA | $27,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| P&o Behavioral Health Initiative Inc | Webster, MA | $27,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lynn Worker Center Inc | Lynn, MA | $26,400 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Adaptive Sports New England Inc | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| African Bridge Network | Newton, MA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| English at Large Inc | Woburn, MA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Pinnacle Partnerships Corporation | Norwell, MA | $23,134 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| 365 Dad Inc | Boston, MA | $22,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Cape Ann Art Haven | Gloucester, MA | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Love Life Now Foundation Inc | Avon, MA | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Resist Inc | Jamaica Plain, MA | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| 2GETHER We Eat Inc | Worcester, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Bagly Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Heartofagiant Foundation Inc | Milton, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Muslim Justice League Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nigerian-American Multi-Service Association Namsa Inc | Hyde Park, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Partakers Inc | Auburndale, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center Inc | Worcester, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Sibling Connections Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sitters for Scholars Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Translate Gender Inc | Northampton, MA | $19,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Louis D Brown Peace Institute Corporation | Dorchester, MA | $18,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Healthy Waltham Inc | Waltham, MA | $17,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| History Project Inc | Boston, MA | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mercy Meals and More | New Bedford, MA | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Teen Just-US at Temple Israel | Belmont, MA | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Alliance for Inclusion & Prevention Inc | Jamaica Plain, MA | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Asian Women for Health Inc | Boston, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chinese Culture Connection Inc | Malden, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Communities for Restorative Justice | Boston, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Families for Justice As Healing Inc | Roxbury, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Gratis Healthcare Inc | Franklin, MA | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Saheli Inc | Burlington, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Triangle Inc | Malden, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Welcome Project Inc | Somerville, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cultural Exchange Through Soccer | Worcester, MA | $13,892 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pie R Squared Inc | Brookline, MA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Somali Development Center Inc | Roxbury, MA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation | Roxbury, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (east Boston Social Cente | East Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for Labor Education and Research Inc | Jamaica Plain, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Mass | New Bedford, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Double Edge Theatre Productions Incorporated | Ashfield, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| East Boston Community Soup Kitchen Inc | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Global Village Farms | Grafton, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts Inc | Worcester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New England Medical Association Inc | Roxbury, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Open Door Immigration Services Inc | Beverly, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Our Deaf Survivors Center Inc | Worcester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Outstandinglife Inc | Jamaica Plain, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Public Education Services Inc | Melrose, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Refugees & Immigrants Cultural Empowerment Massachusetts Inc | Worcester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Worcester Youth Center Inc | Worcester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust Inc | Roxbury, MA | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Think Outside the Vox | Littleton, MA | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Brazilian Worker Center Inc | Allston, MA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Legendary Legacies Inc | Worcester, MA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| My Brother's Keeper 617 | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 | |
| Pride Productions Inc | Worcester, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
66 of 101 (65%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 77 of 101 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55 | $706,500 | $12,500 |
| 2022 | 54 | $771,400 | $13,200 |
| 2023 | 55 | $597,554 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 55 | $620,171 | $10,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
95% of its giving went to organizations in Massachusetts. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
Find more funders like The Lenny Zakim Fund
We read newly filed IRS returns and email you the grantmakers whose giving matches your state and cause, as they are published. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $10,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Massachusetts.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Lenny Zakim Fund's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 55 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 33 Arch Street 26TH Floor, Boston, MA, 02110.
EIN 04-3485146 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your organization? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.