Boston Business Journal - Feb 2020

5 Minutes With ... Eric Esteves, new head of Lenny Zakim Fund Feb 27, 2020, 4:17pm EST

Title: Executive Director, The Lenny Zakim Fund Age: 40 Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration and MIS, Northeastern University, 2002; Master's degree in information systems, Northeastern University, 2004

GARY HIGGINS

Eric Esteves, executive director of the Lenny Zakim Fund

Residence: Roxbury

Eric Esteves was recently named executive director of the Lenny Zakim Fund, a philanthropic nonprofit that specializes in making small grants to grassroots organizations. Previously director of the Social Innovation Fund at The Boston Foundation, Esteves also has been a consultant to Harvard Business School’s Interpersonal Skills Development Lab and to the Boston Impact Initiative, where he identified grant opportunities for entrepreneurs of color. He also has been co-director of LeadBoston, an experiential professional development program based at YW Boston.

Earlier, he worked in educational technology administration at Lesley University and the Boston Public Schools. A South Carolina native, Esteves ventured north to attend Northeastern University and never looked back. He and his wife, Simone, met at a conference of millennials of color and are the parents of two. He recently spoke with Business Journal correspondent Robin Washington.

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/02/27/5-minutes-with-eric-esteves-new-head-of-lenny.html?s=print

Before getting the job, what did you know about Lenny Zakim — other than the bridge named for him and that he was the father of a current Boston city councilor? I didn’t have the fortune of meeting the man. I was very familiar with the fund. I served on the board of an organization that was a grantee. I read a lot about him and talked to folks who told me he was their mentor and good friend, and to his widow. I know he started, with Charles Stith, the Black/Jewish Seder. He clearly was active in issues, a visionary — even with the vision to start the fund for grassroots organizations.

A lot of people of color come to Boston for school or fellowships and then leave. What led you to stay? My adjustment to Boston has been good. I got involved in civic life in addition to college life, and I lived all over the city. I became a part of the city taking the bus. I found black people and Cape Verdean people immediately. That process was better and easier than most folks I know who come here, though there are certainly a lot of people who are here, and remain.

The grants are pretty small — $1,000 to $20,000. Are they really large enough to make a difference? Small grants to small organizations do make a difference. In many organizations, the Zakim Fund grant was their first. Some were truly grass roots populations that have a clear need. The current cap is a $350,000 organization budget. Some organizations have one staffer. Some are all volunteers. Some use the fund to go from one part-time person to a full-time person. There are varying levels on the curve of maturity, but what they do well will serve a small number of people. Even us — we have a staff of three.

What are your plans for the fund? This is the 25th year. It’s an opportunity for people who know about it to get reacquainted and help me reimagine what it could be. My goal is to be as authentic as possible.

There’s an adage that grants and fellowships tend to be secret societies, and that 50% of getting one is knowing that they exist. Right.

We want to try to let philanthropy do less harm, so it doesn’t feel as exclusive as it has in the past. There’s a whole movement in philanthropy about being more responsive. We want to fund what they need. Our

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/02/27/5-minutes-with-eric-esteves-new-head-of-lenny.html?s=print

grants are general operating support, so there are fewer restrictions on what they can spend it on.

When you’re not saving the world, what do you do for fun? I enjoy reading. I enjoy watching and playing sports, going out to poetry events, concerts and plays.

Your bio says you’ve been a spoken word poet. Isn’t it once a poet, always a poet? I haven’t done it for a while, but I’ve written poetry for 20 years, something I did pretty regularly. I’m also a former photographer.

I’ve been in the Bay State Banner and the Dorchester Reporter. I can always get back to it if necessary.

Where did you get the nickname "Pops"? I got it 20 years ago, in school.

It started as a practical joke, and it kind of stuck. I was a mentor to a lot of my peers, and I grew into it.

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/02/27/5-minutes-with-eric-esteves-new-head-of-lenny.html?s=print