The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) is designed to get much-needed capital directly into the hands of small business owners serving communities of color, and works through over 20 CDFI partners in local markets across the country, with LISC as national manager. The team at Pacific Community Ventures (PCV), a nonprofit impact investor and community development financial institution (CDFI), shares how they created a loan product to support small businesses in the green sector.

This holiday season, support LISC small business borrowers and find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! All of the businesses featured here have received LISC capital to acquire their location, hire new staff, or increase inventory to help their business grow.

Building Inclusive and Healthy Neighborhoods, Block by Block: Findings from 11 Neighborhoods Nationwide

LISC + Brookings Metro

A new report from Brookings Metro examines LISC’s community-centered economic inclusion initiative, which centers neighborhoods as the key setting for driving strong regional economies. The lessons in this report make one thing clear: To truly transform the prosperity and well-being of entire cities and regions, it’s past time to abandon top-down or “trickle-down” approaches and embrace the actionable, community-rooted models that have demonstrated impact in cities and neighborhoods nationwide.  Image courtesy of Jana River Medlock Photography

LISC’s Local Advisory Committees (LACs) serve as guides and champions for the organization’s many local offices and rural program. Women leaders from the finance, philanthropy, government and community development worlds bring a special—and especially important—set of skills and insights to this critical, behind-the-scenes part of our work to strengthen communities.

A healthy community isn’t just about access to high-quality, reliable health care. Individuals and families also need access to good jobs, opportunities to build wealth, and thriving, locally-owned businesses. Kaiser Permanente understands how economic factors can shape well-being, especially in communities of color that often don’t benefit from regional or national prosperity. Learn how LISC is collaborating with Kaiser Permanente to support locally-driven strategies that spark economic growth in under-invested places.

With disability diagnoses on the rise, and an acute affordable housing crisis in full swing, the need for supportive housing for adults with disabilities has never been greater. In California, LISC construction financing from the Partnership for the Bay’s Future fund is helping nonprofit Big Wave Project open a visionary housing community that addresses this critical gap.