Jeanne Cola, Senior Executive Director, LISC Rhode Island

In a sharp editorial for the Boston Globe, LISC Rhode Island senior executive director Jeanne Cola celebrates a $120M housing bond that will go before voters this fall, but warns that the figure is not nearly enough to close the state’s enormous affordability gap. Citing a range of creative solutions, Cola argues that only an all-hands-on-deck approach, with corporate citizens, non-profits and all levels of government collaborating, can make good housing for all a reality.

This year, the Coramino Fund, a nationwide partnership between LISC, Gran Coramino Tequila, and Kevin Hart to help entrepreneurs serving Black and Latino communities, awarded $10,000 grants to 50 businesses. For Pride Month, Coramino Fund grant recipients Thrive Cakery and Officiant NYC shared how cookie sales and personalized ceremonies support the LGBTQ+ community year-round.

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday every year—a national day of service—we celebrate not only his legacy but also LISC's AmeriCorps members, who are answering his call to action and dedicating themselves to serve the under-resourced communities we work with, every day of the year. Since the program's inception, LISC AmeriCorps has placed more than 3,400 full- and part-time members in over 102 communities across the country. Meet some of them here, and learn about new and creative ways they are fueling equity and impact through their service.

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.

Here’s a compelling tale of system change in action: An article in the Boston Globe digs into how Rhode Island’s nascent participatory budgeting process dovetailed with the state’s Health Equity Zones (which have a long history of support from LISC) to fund programs and neighborhood assets that residents (as young as age 13) determined their communities needed.

Basic digital skills are essential to compete for good jobs. A new $1.25 million grant from Citizens Bank Foundation will help LISC bridge the digital skills gap in under-resourced communities by embedding digital skills training into LISC Financial Opportunity Centers®, helping people build a strong career pathway for the future.