By Mark Kudlowitz & Nicole Barcliff

The Farm Bill presents an opportunity to provide rural communities and people the resources they need to flourish. LISC’s Mark Kudlowitz and Nicole Barcliff examine where things stand in Congress and how the legislation can support the needs of families while also revitalizing communities that have long experienced capacity constraints that hinder community and economic development opportunities.

By Mark Kudlowitz, LISC Senior Policy Director

Recent research highlights the importance and needs of nonprofit community development organizations. LISC’s Mark Kudlowitz examines how this data informs our work and the need for additional resources to support these groups’ abilities to help communities across the country.

The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) has launched a three-year assessment of the health of the community development field—a critical undertaking for our industry if we want to get the right resources to where they are most needed. Shelterforce, along with the rest of us, is tracking the project, and spoke to LISC’s Mark Kudlowitz for a recent article highlighting new information about the financial plight of community-based development organizations.

By Mark Kudlowitz, Senior Policy Director

The Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping health care, climate and tax package signed into law in August, presents groundbreaking opportunities to combat environmental injustices. LISC’s Mark Kudlowitz examines how the new law can impact community development and revitalize communities that have long suffered disproportionate impacts from climate change.

By Mark Kudlowitz, LISC Senior Policy Director

As the country’s affordable housing crisis intensifies, exacerbating racial wealth gaps, it’s more critical than ever that federal policy help pave the way out of crisis and inequity. Mark Kudlowitz, LISC’s senior policy director, weighs in on the steps Congress can take to dismantle age-old, racially discriminatory barriers to plentiful, high-quality affordable housing and home ownership opportunities.

By Mark Kudlowitz

The United States is at a homeownership inflection point, and a line-up of federal proposals offers the potential to break down systemic barriers for BIPOC families, while at the same time helping mitigate the housing impact of COVID-19. LISC Senior Policy Director Mark Kudlowitz takes a closer look at promising policies to expand homeownership opportunities for underserved families and communities.