The economic downturn of 2008 forced retired Fortune 100 executive, Artura Taylor, back into the workforce. Instead of working for someone else, she launched her own business, TDG Scientific, to supply lab equipment, chemicals, PPE, and more to the corporate and government sectors. Like many Black business owners, Taylor found it difficult to access capital to scale her business. Thanks to financing through the Abbott-LISC Initiative to Support Diverse Businesses in Health, Taylor’s business now has the resources to invest in its IT infrastructure and grow its bid department to pursue more contracts.

By Michelle Harati, LISC Senior Policy Officer

The Economic Mobility Corps program is investing in the capacity of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) while expanding inclusive access to workforce development opportunities within the field.

East Toledo’s Masonic Temple once held a stately presence on Fourth and Main. With support from LISC, a local developer is reclaiming its historic prominence in the neighborhood, converting it into 42 units of affordable senior housing.

By Lisa Glover, LISC CEO

In a new blog, LISC CEO Lisa Glover takes a closer look at LISC’s innovative collaboration with Abbott to fuel diverse suppliers in the healthcare field—supporting inclusive gains in jobs, health and family incomes as well. “All told, the program is a pro-growth, pro-equity model for small business financing that is designed to have a long-term impact well beyond the work being done today,” she writes.

Three years ago, we wrote about the Latinas Welding Guild, an Indianapolis organization that trains women, most of them BIPOC, to enter a field that is still more than 95 percent male. Through the pandemic, the Guild not only survived but has thrived as a vital educational and community hub. To commemorate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, we’re sharing the Latinas Welding Guild’s story via the video below, created to celebrate the 2021 finalist for LISC Indy’s “Love They Neighbor” awards and the strength of the community that Guild founder Consuelo Poland continues to nurture.

By Lisa L. Glover, Interim LISC President & CEO

Three important new federal funding awards will help LISC build the capacity of community-based organizations, while also attracting tens of millions of dollars in private capital to small businesses and economic development projects. Taken as a whole, they illustrate the importance of connecting policy and program expertise to maximize community development resources and create more opportunities for families to thrive.