Federal Policy Priorities
Covid-19 Response

Federal Policy Priorities

  • The Rapid Relief & Resiliency Fund
  • Vaccine Access Fund
    • Last updated on 6/12/2020

    Responsive public policies are critical to addressing the coronavirus pandemic in order to help our communities recover from this crisis. The federal legislative measures signed into law have dealt with the emergency needs of workers, families, small businesses, health care providers, and state and local governments, but during this unprecedented time of need, additional resources must be provided to overcome our current economic and public health situation.

    LISC recognizes the important role that the federal government plays in influencing cities, neighborhoods and families. We work with Congress, the Administration and federal agencies to establish and safeguard funding sources for policies and programs that respond to needs in urban and rural communities throughout the country. This work on behalf of communities, community-based organizations, and families, is more critical now than ever.

    LISC has several priorities with respect to federal policy, including but not limited to: 

    • Small Businesses and Nonprofits: (i) Secure additional resources for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and set asides of funding for community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and other community based lenders; (ii) secure an additional $40 million for the Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Program in order to meet the operating needs of local nonprofits.
    • Housing: (i) Secure emergency supplemental funding and authorizations for housing and community development programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program; the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program; and to support project based and tenant based rental subsidies and operating reserves at affordable housing properties; and (ii) secure waivers for certain Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) deadlines impacted by COVID-19, and removing barriers to production of LIHTC and multifamily bond financed housing
    • CDFIs: Obtain $1 billion of additional funding and relevant waivers for Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund programs.
    • Income and Wealth Building: Support initiatives to support families and workers, including income supports, workforce development programs, childcare initiatives, and funding for the AmeriCorps Program.
    • State and Local Government Funding: Support efforts to ensure that states and municipalities are provided with the funding necessary to support education, healthcare and economic recovery through the COVID-19 crisis.
    • Administrative Waivers/Flexibilities: LISC is also engaging with federal agencies to ensure that they are applying appropriate administrative flexibilities so that their program recipients can continue to operate efficiently and effectively through the COVID-19 crisis.

    In addition, LISC is building out its state and local policy operations. We have established State and Local Policy Task Forces to identify critical funding streams made possible through the new federal laws to combat the COVID-19 crisis. Our goal is to advise state and local governments on how to deploy dollars with the most impact.


    Policy Alerts & Summaries