LISC’s charter school finance team analyzed the full range of charter school bond issuance from 2015-2022, building on three prior reports that catalogued the history of the sector. “With public charter schools now educating more than 3.7 million students nationwide, and against the backdrop of unprecedented learning loss stemming from the pandemic, preserving dollars to invest in core academic programs is of heightened importance,” the report states.

Every community deserves safe, quality sports facilities where youth and their families can play and socialize. Thanks to the Game On-Community Places to Play Initiative, a partnership of LISC and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, under-resourced neighborhoods in 14 cities and towns now have funding to improve their local youth sports facilities.

LISC teams up with The DICK’s Sporting Goods Foundation to launch the Game On-Communitiy Places to Play Initiative. Community-based organizations seeking funding to upgrade indoor and outdoor athletic spaces for youth in under-resourced communities can apply for a grant by June 23.

A new LISC internship program is helping close opportunity gaps for HBCU students while introducing them to important aspects of the community development field. “This program is part of our work to address systemic racial barriers that keep young people from gaining the experience and connections they need to compete for good jobs,” said LISC President Denise Scott.

LISC and Foot Locker, Inc. have announced the launch of their new Community Empowerment Program, a $3 million, multi-city grant program to empower youth in Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Over the next two years, the program will support nonprofit organizations working to promote racial justice and equity, youth empowerment and career readiness, and community health, wellness and recreation.