Who We Are


With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America –great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. A catalyst for neighborhood change, LISC works with a diverse group of partners to create places of choice and opportunity for all Washingtonians.

Since 1982, LISC has invested
$500 million
in loans and grants to support DC communities.


Our Mission

LISC equips low-income communities with the capital, strategy, and know-how to become places where people can thrive. Working with local leaders, we invest in housing, health, education, and arts and culture organizations to create sustainable communities: good places to work, do business, and raise families.

We are dedicated to promoting racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity. It's reflected in the work we do, in the neighborhoods we serve, in the organizations we partner with, and within our own company.

Since 1979, LISC has invested more than $18.6 billion nationwide, helping produce 376,000 affordable homes and 63 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space, including charter schools, recreation facilities, health centers, grocery stores, and other retail projects, for a total of over $48.5 billion in development.

Sharing our expertise of 40 years, we bring together key players to take on pressing challenges and incubate new solutions. Our toolkit includes loans, grants, equity investments, and on-the-ground technical expertise, which we deploy to some of America's most under-resourced neighborhoods, including right here in Washington, DC.

Oramenta F. Newsome Fellowship

Oramenta Newsome led LISC DC for nearly 25 years. During this time, she pioneered community development in DC by seeking innovative ways to connect investment resources to nonprofit organizations. LISC has established a fellowship program in her honor.

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