A new $5 million grant from American Express will help LISC and its business development organization partners equip small business owners with the knowledge and tools they need to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. The work will focus on communities in Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and Puerto Rico.

LISC has named Rob Lockett, an innovative philanthropic and business leader, as the new executive director of LISC Detroit. Lockett most recently served as the team leader for national housing stability at Rocket Community Fund. “Rob knows how to connect the dots from capital to community to long-term positive impact,” noted Dr. Ruth Jones Nichols, LISC executive vice president for local and national programs.

LISC CEO Michael T. Pugh joined David Dworkin, CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), the nation’s oldest and broadest affordable housing coalition, on NHC’s podcast “Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing.” The wide-ranging and energetic conversation between these two Detroit natives spans topics ranging from Pugh’s history in the workforce and housing spheres to innovative new projects in Detroit, Dallas and Charlotte, to the imperative work of supporting generational wealth and homeownership for people who have been sidelined from America’s prosperity. This is a must-listen! The podcast episode below was originally published on: A Conversation with Michael Pugh, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) By The National Housing Conference

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

In recognition of Black History Month, we’d like you to meet four organizations that, through support from LISC and the Black Economic Development Fund, are creating housing, employment and other economic opportunities in the neighborhoods that need them the most.