Entrepreneurship
LISC has developed an inclusive economic development framework that expands the ability of people, places, and businesses to contribute to equitable prosperity, so that all are able to thrive. Our work creates accessible opportunities for people to find jobs that increase their income and assets, and at the same time, it grows businesses and rebuilds neighborhood economies through integrated strategies that develop people, places and businesses.
LISC Greater Kansas City supports entrepreneurship and wealth building in our target neighborhoods by helping equip local businesses with the resources they need to grow. We provide direct financing while also building out larger networks of coordinated assistance for small enterprises overlooked by conventional banking and investment. We strategically support businesses in low- and moderate-income communities, as well as businesses owned by veteran, woman, and minority entrepreneurs.
Business Development Organization (BDO) Network
LISC Greater Kansas City’s Business Development Organization (BDO) network provides one-on-one technical assistance and capital access support to small businesses in our target neighborhoods.
The BDO Network provides culturally-competent local business support services, specifically tailored to the needs of women- and minority-owned business enterprises. Our local partners include:
As part of the BDO national initiative, LISC has also provided over $4.8 million in assistance to some 130 business development organizations (BDOs) across the country that provide a range of services, from help accessing affordable capital to free guidance in the nitty-gritty of business planning, cash-flow management, marketing, and staffing.
KC-CUR Small Business Opportunity Survey
In 2019, LISC Greater Kansas City launched a Small Business Opportunity Survey to identify specific barriers for women- and minority-owned business enterprises (W/MBEs) within the Urban Neighborhood Initiative service area, and to devise strategies could be implemented to help local W/MBEs reach their fullest economic potential.
