By Christina Travers, LISC Executive Vice President & CFO

LISC CFO Christina Travers is among the impact investing leaders who contributed commentaries to a new book, The Social Justice Investor, and joined a panel discussion at today’s book launch. In her essay, “Laying the Cash Tracks,” (reprinted here) she explains the evolution of LISC’s capital markets experience—noting how discouraging Wall Street conversations eventually led to transformative, community-focused investments.

By Christina Travers, LISC Executive Vice President & CFO

With the launch of the new book, The Social Justice Investor, LISC’s Christina Travers reflects on the ways that CDFIs have tapped the capital markets to deepen their impact—working to upend lingering misconceptions among some investors. "Whether we are financing affordable housing, small businesses, health, safety, climate resilience, racial equity or jobs, we see financial performance and local impact as part of the same whole."

By Yvonne Nolan, Vice President of Charter School Financing

Income, race and geography persistently define the educational landscape—year after year, in every state, across both urban and rural communities. "No matter where families might live—no matter their backgrounds or incomes—public education should offer kids the opportunity to reach their full potential,” writes LISC’s Yvonne Nolan, in a new blog commemorating 20 years of investments through LISC’s charter school financing program. “We refuse to stand by and let crumbling buildings undermine student learning and perpetuate inequality,” she says.

By Elise Balboni, Kathleen Keefe & Anna Smukowski

LISC and Enterprise Community Partners have released a joint white paper that catalogs how CDFIs have engaged with the capital markets in recent years. In an accompanying blog, the authors explain why this data is so critical, as economic pressure affects the availability and cost of capital for high-impact community development efforts. "The goal is to help impact investors identify how and where they might put their capital to work and what expectations they should have for performance,” they write.

When The Clay Studio began in 1974, five ceramicists hoped to begin an artist collective. Today, The Clay Studio’s mission is to inspire curiosity and discovery around the art and craft of clay, and draw together students, artists, and an engaged public into a welcoming community. With a LISC investment,  The clay Studio was able to fund a portion of the construction and design work alongside environmental and permitting needs for a larger location to operate at its full potential. With community direction and support, the studio broke ground on their new 34,000 square foot South Kensington location in January 2020.

Florence Amoako, founder of Ako International Market in Tempe, Arizona, just celebrated 20 years in business. With support from the U.S. Bank Access Fund, LISC and our on-the ground partner – the Retail, Arts, Innovation, & Livability Community Development Corporation (RAIL) – connected Amoako with the capital she needs to build resiliency and stay in business for another 20 years.