Small Business Development
Small businesses sit at the heart of an energetic, local economy. They provide goods and services to residents, create jobs, nurture economic opportunity and innovation, and foster a sense of community.
LISC Toledo supports and invests in small business and entrepreneurs in our community.
What we do
LISC serves small businesses overlooked by traditional financing channels by providing flexible loan options and technical support. Through our suite of commercial and real estate loan products, LISC provides financing to for-profit businesses located in underserved neighborhoods and rural communities where we work. We strategically support businesses in low- and moderate-income communities, and businesses owned by veteran, woman, and minority entrepreneurs.
In 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, thanks to the generosity of local and national partners, we have provided 92 businesses in the Toledo area with more than $850,000 in relief grants. Learn more in our video here.
LISC provides nontraditional lending opportunities to small businesses advancing up the capital ladder. For example, in 2019 we provided a $97,500 loan to help ASAP Mow & Snow, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Ohio Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE) company, acquire the building they'd been renting on Nebraska Ave. This enabled owners Darlene and Gerald Whitehead (pictured at top of page) to continue growing the business they began in 2012 and increase employment opportunities in the Scott Park neighborhood.
Learn more about financing for small businesses.
