Ellen Lazar is a Partner at Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP). For 28 years, Lazar has been a distinguished nonprofit and philanthropic leader with expertise in community development and affordable housing nationally and in the Washington Region.

Most recently Lazar served as Senior Vice President for Housing and Community Initiatives at the Fannie Mae Foundation where she was responsible for grantmaking and management of the Foundation’s national, regional and DC offices. Prior to this position, she served as Executive Director of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (dba NeighborWorks America), a nonprofit corporation that works to revitalize rural and urban communities by mobilizing public, private and community resources at the neighborhood level. During her tenure, Lazar led a strategic planning process that positioned the organization for broader impact. During the Clinton Administration, she was Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Fund continues to build and evolve the community financial institutions and micro-enterprises throughout the nation. She also held leadership positions at the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders and Enterprise Community Partners, where she served as Chief Administrative Officer, Vice President and General Counsel. Lazar was also assistant general counsel to the National Corporation for Housing Partnerships and served in the Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.