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.

Home-based child care providers are a lifeline for working families, yet they often face challenges with housing and financial stability. A new Q&A with LISC experts dives into their struggles, critical needs, and a pilot program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help them thrive.

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.

By Bevin Parker-Cerkez & Maggie-Leigh O’Neill with Nicole Barcliff

To support the struggling child care sector during and after the pandemic, Congress dedicated billions in child care relief funding under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The LISC Child Care and Early Learning team explores how minor but important changes in the administration of ARPA funding directed to child care programs can streamline deployment and make federal fund distribution more equitable.

Alma Lorena Monzón Germán immigrated, on foot, from Sinaloa, Mexico to Arizona, with the goal of making enough money to help her daughter finish her education. Eight years later, she has founded her own party-decorating business and is among the many Hispanic/Latinx entrepreneurs receiving expert business assistance through the community-based organization RAIL CDC. Supported by LISC Phoenix, the work is one way LISC seeks to unleash talent and level the entrepreneurial playing field. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, Monzón Germán shares the story of her journey and of the heritage she hopes to pass on to her daughter.

Latino/a/x entrepreneurs, many of them owners of small, neighborhood-serving businesses, contribute some $800 billion a year to the U.S. economy. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we checked in with Hector M. Treto, a businessperson himself and consultant with RAIL CDC in the Phoenix area. RAIL connects local entrepreneurs to Spanish-speaking small business experts who can help hone business plans and offer culturally relevant technical assistance.