Encouraging Commercial Development
By taking a building that was literally falling down and converting it into a combination concert facility, lounge, arts center and offices took real commitment by the developers and a willingness to take significant financial risks. This project turned a house of music and artistic expression for all to be enjoyed in the years to come. The main hall of the church provides a concert venue unique to Buffalo. The restored church is now home to Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, bringing the center back downtown, and enhancing Buffalo's strong visual and performing arts community. The Asbury Delaware Church was the winner of the 2005 New York State Historic Preservation Award for Private Sector Achievement. LISC helped make this project possible by providing a significant allocation of New Market Tax Credits to the project through our subsidiary, the New Market Support Corporation. In addition, HSBC Bank USA provided a total investment of $7.45 million to the project. A true partnership effort, the Asbury Church is providing significant new addition to the life and vitality of our re-emerging downtown. Jefferson Marketplace Start-up businesses are being matched with development of affordable retail
space, like the Jefferson Marketplace, to bring more job opportunities and
services to Buffalo neighborhoods. MicroBiz Buffalo As a founding member, LISC was successful in securing CitiBank grant funding to allow MBB to hire its first staff member.
Asbury Delaware Church
Preserving Buffalo's distressed older treasures and restoring for the enjoyment of generations is rewarding, valuable, exciting and complicated. The re-birth of the historic Asbury Delaware Church by Righteous Babe Records and its principals, recording artist Ani DiFranco and Scot Fisher, is one example. 
The Jefferson Marketplace is now up and running, with Mr. G's Fashions, Flashy Toppers and PrintEFX snatching up attractive new retail space. M&T Bank serves as the building's anchor tenant, bringing full service banking back to this underserved community. In addition, M&T Bank was successful in getting the New York State Banking Department's approval for the designation of Jefferson as a Banking Development District. The banking development district program provides incentives, largely in the form of below market municipal deposits, which encourage regulated financial institutions to locate in underserved communities thereby offering residents access to mainstream financial services. Development of a banking facility often times also serves as a catalyst for economic development within the targeted community.
MicroBiz Buffalo (MBB) brings a diverse partnership of non-profit organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and funding agents together to streamline micro entrepreneurial service delivery by creating a "wrap-around" service delivery system for start-up or fledging entrepreneurs. MBB will be able to provide credit counseling and financial literacy assistance, business training, help creating a business plan, mentoring, alternative loan access, and technical assistance. Utilizing this model, MBB plans to train 500 entrepreneurs who will create 200 stable businesses and 600 jobs over the next 5 years. 
EVA is a not-for-profit corporation formed
in 1994 to strengthen the economic competitiveness
of the
neighborhood commercial district, encourage volunteerism, and create partnerships between residents, local government and neighborhoods.
In 2001 EVA was designated a NMSI Network Member and received technical assistance from LISC/NMSI to promote, develop and improve the Elmwood Village commercial district. EVA continues to successfully organize and hold various events within the commercial district including the farmers market, summer concerts series, Garden Walk and Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts.
EVA maintains the Elmwood Avenue streetscape, maintained a strong commercial area promotion program, developed a successful Storefront Facade Program, is pointed to as a model of success and continues to receive significant media attention.
To learn more about them, please visit www.foreverelmwood.org