In many parts of rural and tribal America, upwards of 21 percent of the population lack broadband access, and the obstacles to installing and preparing people to use broadband in rural America are high and complex, in spite of unprecedented federal support. LISC has been helping local nonprofits, as well as town, county and tribal governments, to leverage public capital and get connectivity, digital devices and training into local places and the hands of residents. The upshot is more people and regional economies accessing business, educational and social opportunities that are imperative for life in the 21st century.

By Anna Smukowski, LISC Investor Relations and Capital Strategies

As part of an ongoing blog series, LISC’s Anna Smukowski looks at the way LISC is advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a range of activities supported by LISC Impact Notes, including investments that support Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

The Power of Partnerships

From the unprecedented $1.5 billion we invested last year in people and communities across the country, to our burgeoning collaborations with sectors ranging from tech and healthcare to sports and local government, the LISC 2018 Annual Report is chock full of good news, good numbers, and good ideas. These resources and strategies propel us on our journey to shape a brighter future for all our nation's residents. And that, in a nutshell, is the heart of LISC's mission. Read on!

Ovenly is a beloved Brooklyn-based bakery and small business committed to providing quality jobs for people who have been denied access to economic opportunity. It is also the first recipient of a loan from The Good Jobs Fund, a cutting-edge initiative from our affiliate, the New Markets Support Company, that funnels transformative private equity capital to businesses dedicated to creating living-wage jobs in under-resourced communities.

Bill Taft, the longtime executive director of LISC Indianapolis, has been named senior vice president of economic development for LISC and will be spearheading our work to grow enterprises and create jobs in the places that need them. In the following Q&A, he talks strategy, practice and what it takes to build inclusive local economies in real life.

by Maurice A. Jones

Over the next ten years, LISC will direct 50 percent of our annual investments to fuel inclusive economic development in underinvested communities across America. That means preparing people to take on high quality, well-paying jobs. And it means ramping up our work to help small businesses succeed and transforming vibrant commercial and industrial districts. “We have no doubt that this kind of progress is good for residents, good for communities and good for the country,’ says Maurice A. Jones, LISC CEO.