ONE MONTH to Nominate Community-Building Visionaries

Nominations for LISC Jacksonville’s biennial Community Development Awards are due on March 3 at 5 p.m. – nominate an individual or organization TODAY!

The Community Development Awards recognize the local heroes and visionaries who have committed themselves and their organizations to transforming Jacksonville’s most challenged and historically underserved neighborhoods. The awards exemplify LISC Jacksonville’s mission and its role in convening the private sector, government agencies and community organizations to bridge gaps to improve quality of life, increase access to wealth-building opportunities, create jobs, and provide affordable housing in Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods.

“The Jacksonville community – including businesses, nonprofit organizations and government entities – has really stepped up during the past few years to transform our inner-city neighborhoods and create opportunities for the people who live in them,” said Dr. Irvin “PeDro” Cohen, executive director for LISC Jacksonville. “For too many generations, the residents in these neighborhoods, who are predominantly people of color, have been denied the opportunity to depart from poverty and create wealth.”

He continued, “The purpose of the Community Development Awards is to recognize the unsung heroes who are truly making progress in our underserved neighborhoods. We encourage anyone to nominate an organization or individual that they feel should be recognized for their commitment and impact.”

Local businesses, organizations, and government agencies can nominate others or themselves for the following award categories:

J.F. Bryan Award (Formerly known as EPIC Award)

The J.F. Bryan Award, named in honor of LISC Jacksonville’s founding Advisory Board Chair who served in the role for 20 years, recognizes a Community Development Corporation (CDC) or non‐profit organization that has provided collaboration and leadership in bringing diverse voices to improve community through targeted programs, initiatives, or physical development. Past winners include:

• 2020 – Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation for an open-air farmers market on Northpoint II property, which is located in a food desert. 
• 2018 – Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation for the revitalization of several neighborhoods within the Northwest Jacksonville geographic area. 
• 2016 – Edward Waters College for the revitalization of the New Town Neighborhood and Kings Road Commercial Corridor.   

Janet Owens Award (Formerly known as Igniter Award)

The Janet Owens Award, named in honor of LISC Jacksonville’s former executive director and community visionary, recognizes an individual who has served as a catalyst in one of the following three pillars: Community Development, Safety and Justice, or Family Wealth Creation. Past winners include:

• 2020 – Hope McMath for connecting art and community through the Yellow House Gallery of Art located in North Riverside’s CoRK Arts District.
• 2018 – John Crispins for serving as a catalyst for commercial corridor revitalization in Springfield by opening Crispy’s Restaurant, inspiring others to follow.
• 2016 – Delores Barr Weaver for pioneering the revitalization of a Northwest Riverside Neighborhood through the condominium-conversion of John Gorrie Middle School.

Igniter Award (Formerly known as Building Blocks Award)

The Igniter Award recognizes a real estate project that advances the urban core in Jacksonville’s underserved neighborhoods. Past winners include:

• 2020 – Vestcor for development of workforce housing with easy access to transportation in LaVilla.
• 2018 – Ben Davis and Intuition Ale Works for advancing the city's urban Doro Neighborhood through the establishment of Intuition Ale Works Brewery and Tap Room. 
• 2016 – First Coast YMCA for development and building the Winston Family YMCA as a central component of the revitalization of Jacksonville’s Brooklyn Neighborhood. 

“As we look to the future, LISC Jacksonville is embarking upon an aggressive, transformational opportunity in 2022 to create more than $10 million in wealth in the African American community to directly address the fact that the average African American household currently has 10X less wealth than the average white family,” added Dr. Cohen. “Our community development partners are essential to the success of this initiative, and we look forward to addressing this in more detail during the Community Development Awards event, which will be a tremendous networking opportunity for those who want to be involved.”

Nominations may be submitted online or via mail. Submission details are available here.

Mark your calendars for LISC Jacksonville’s biennial Community Development Awards celebration on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 6 p.m. at the Ritz Theatre & Museum! It will be a fabulous evening of cocktails and networking with Jacksonville’s community development pioneers. To purchase tickets, click here.