By Tatia Ash, LISC Senior Program Officer

As capacity builders, we hope to help strengthen grassroots organizations so they can effectively—and independently—drive progress in their communities. To do that, argues LISC senior program officer Tatia Ash, we must not only guide but also listen deeply, show respect, and share power.

In the blog below, Steve Hall, EOCF National Director and LISC Vice President of Small Business, explores what’s next for the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund as it hits its $500 million goal—ahead of schedule. Hall describes a borrower-informed strategy for the next three years that will build on and leverage climate resiliency and artificial intelligence efforts to expand loan products and get more capital into the hands of entrepreneurs who need it.

Beulah Land Development Corp. is working in partnership with New York-based construction company Spiritos Properties, and housing nonprofit HELP Development Corp., to develop vacant lots at 340 Dixwell Ave. into a 69-unit mixed-use project. The $28 million project was partly financed by the National Equity Fund (NEF)—a LISC affiliate focused on LIHTC and other housing investments. 340 Dixwell is the first Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project on the East Coast utilizing mass timber, an eco-friendly alternative to steel and concrete, and will include 55 affordable units for low-income households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income, and an additional 20 units for people experiencing homelessness.

Quest Safety Products, a small, minority-owned distributor and maker of personal protective equipment and other safety products, has a 27-year track record of meeting customer needs. Now growth capital from the Abbott-LISC Initiative to Support Diverse Businesses in Health is helping CEO Sam Yadav realize an expansion, boosting resiliency in a supply chain that’s vital to us all.

LISC announced today that the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) has surpassed its $500 million goal for small business lending across the country—more than two years ahead of schedule. LISC is now expanding the program to double its impact, aiming to support $1 billion in financing for underserved businesses and communities. “We are working to level the playing field—to connect promising but overlooked businesses to affordable financing so that whole communities can benefit from economic development and growth,” said Steve Hall, LISC vice president of Small Business Lending.

Heirs' property issues have long been a leading cause of involuntary land loss, particularly among Black families. With a new $750,000 multiyear grant from the U.S. Bank Foundation Opportunity Fund, LISC will work with community-based organizations in Cincinnati and Cleveland to provide families with estate planning, legal support and financial counseling that can help clear up clouded property titles and preserve homes for future generations.