Capacity Building
 

Capacity Building

We provide the tools and advice organizations need to succeed. 

LISC provides an array of support to community organizations to help them advance their mission and increase their impact. We offer a wide range of advice and support to our grantees, partners, and borrowers as they undertake real estate development activities and programs that improve life in the communities they serve. Funders and institutions may contract with LISC to provide these services because they have a vested interest in strengthening the capacity of community organizations.  

While the bulk of our financial support is in lending and equity investments for projects, much of it could not be done without also supporting the neighborhood groups that have the vision and ideas to get things done.

Services include:

LISC helps build stronger organizations through a holistic approach that improves organizational systems and supports leadership, including:

  • Technical Assistance: Providing technical assistance and deploying expertise to advance community development initiatives, including:
    • Real estate development projects, which includes early-stage feasibility, loan structuring and developer capacity.
    • Programs related to Housing, Economic Development, Community Safety, Community Engagement, and Creative Placemaking, including program feasibility, partnerships, planning and implementation, resident involvement, sustainability, communications, and evaluation.
  • CapMap®, a system for assessing and then strengthening the capacity of community development organizations based on the experience of similar groups across the country.
  • Strategic Collaboration: Supporting partners across multiple sectors identify shared priorities for collaborative, place-based investments and programs.
  • Strengthening the capacity of civic, all-volunteer, and/or low-capacity community organizations
  • Instructional Guides:  Developing user-friendly materials for a variety of interactive workshops on topics related to community development, including real estate development, community safety, commercial corridor management, community engagement, creative placemaking, professional development, organizational capacity building, and more
  • Training:   Offering various trainings to share market and program knowledge and best practices in the field of community development, as well as other professions that intersect with our work