Black-owned businesses face systemic barriers to accessing capital and credit. In honor of Black Business Month, we’re sharing our favorite stories about the entrepreneurs we’ve worked with and who have benefitted from the funding partnerships that help break down the obstacles to progress and success.

Wells Fargo has committed a new $1 million, one-year grant to support LISC’s Financial Opportunity Center® network in under-resourced communities nationwide. In the last year alone, our partnership has helped pave a path to resilience and sustainable financial and career success for nearly 12,000 people. To celebrate this renewed support, we’re sharing our favorite stories about people touched by the Wells Fargo partnership.

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

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 has over twenty CDFI partners in local markets across the country, with LISC as national manager. Inclusive Action for the City (IAC) is a community development financial institution and an EOCF partner in Los Angeles providing micro-loans to businesses, with a focus on food vendors. IAC’s Rudy Espinoza explains why protecting street vendors must not be a passing trend but a sustained cultural shift that creates a more inclusive economy.

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.

By Destiny Allen & Michelle Harati

This Small Business Week, we are highlighting how the Community Navigator Pilot Program, administered by the Small Business Administration, is investing in local and national partnerships with trusted organizations to reduce the barriers entrepreneurs face in accessing critical support. Partners work with small business owners across the country, including veterans, women, people with disabilities, and those from rural places and communities of color.