Connie Max
A Look Forward to 2023, from LISC Lending
With $54 million in new loans already closed in 2023, LISC is starting the year strong in spite of a challenging economic climate. Connie Max, LISC's EVP for Lending, describes how our partnerships continue to help us provide patient, flexible and affordable capital to borrowers who are overlooked by conventional lenders.
The Crucial Link Between Racial Equity and Equitable Lending
As Black History Month draws to a close, Connie Max, executive vice president of LISC Lending, examines how the time-worn structures of borrowing must change if we are ever to narrow the racial wealth gap and see our national economy truly flourish. Nothing less than authentic inclusion and full participation of all people will work—and LISC has some strategies for how to make that happen.
A Look Forward to 2022, From LISC Lending
January always seems to offer hope and possibility, even as one year’s burdens sometimes follow us into the next. That is certainly true of 2022. We may not be able to stop a deadly virus in its tracks, but we can address the through-line of inequality that characterizes much of its impact.
Latinx Businesses: Weathering the Pandemic and Looking Toward Growth
Scale matters. Local commitment is paramount. Deep collaborations drive impact. That’s my short-hand takeaway from this month’s Spotlight Cadre of LISC small business stories, all offering a nod to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs that contribute to the vibrant diversity of the American landscape.
CDFI Fund Awards LISC Capital Magnet Fund Grant
The Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund announced a new round of Capital Magnet Fund grants to spur an expected $5.3 billion in affordable housing and economic development. LISC will use its $7.5 million award to leverage $181 million in development activity in urban and rural communities.
The State Of Lending
LISC SVP for Lending, Connie Max, lays out the imperative of fast, flexible capital as part of the broad effort of CDFIs such as LISC to upend the inequities that keep individuals, small businesses and historically under-invested communities from thriving. LISC’s ability to deploy dollars quickly, where they’re needed, and track impact, has inspired corporate and philanthropic funders to invest in our work, especially in light of the pandemic and our country’s racial reckoning. But so much more is needed to close racial health, wealth and opportunity gaps, and the stories of LISC borrowers show just how effective this capital can be.