Stories
Bridge Builders for Stronger Communities: The Women of LISC’s Local Advisory Committees
LISC’s Local Advisory Committees (LACs) serve as guides and champions for the organization’s many local offices and rural program. Women leaders from the finance, philanthropy, government and community development worlds bring a special—and especially important—set of skills and insights to this critical, behind-the-scenes part of our work to strengthen communities.
Local LISC Leadership Gets the Spotlight
A recent spate of articles about LISC local office leaders shine a bright light onto the commitment, expertise and hard work our executive directors bring to the complex and demanding job of investing in communities that have been marginalized. Check out these conversations with Hampton Roads, Virginia's Jay Grant, New York's Valerie White, and Jacksonville's Dr. Irvin Cohen.
Message from Jacksonville
LISC Jacksonville’s executive director, Dr. Irvin Cohen, shares his home community’s grief and anguish in the aftermath of the racist mass shooting of Black residents there on August 26. As Cohen writes, we must “honor those who lost their lives by redoubling our efforts to actively foster a community rooted in equality, tolerance and unity.”
Heirs Property and Foreclosure: How LISC is Helping Solve the “Biggest Problem Most People Have Never Heard Of”
A deeply reported article in the Miami Herald highlights LISC Jacksonville’s crucial role in supporting Black families with heirs’ property problems, helping them sort out titling issues, avoid the threat of foreclosure and find home maintenance resources. As Dr. Irvin Cohen, executive director of LISC Jax, describes it, for many Black families, solving heirs property issues is a key means to “prop up family wealth creation…and avert a homelessness situation.”
Walmart Foundation Teams Up with LISC to Expand Equitable Food Access and Fuel Community-Based Nonprofits
In collaboration with the Walmart Foundation, LISC announced funding to help eight community-based nonprofits increase access to healthy, affordable food in under-resourced communities. Located primarily across the Southeast region, grantees will undertake efforts ranging from farmer-led urban agriculture to mobile food markets to the establishment of a community food policy council.
LISC + Ally Financial Bring Financial Coaching to Fuel Homeownership and Entrepreneurship
Three years ago LISC launched a program with Ally Financial to integrate financial coaching into existing services for aspiring homeowners and entrepreneurs in four cities. The program, which wrapped up the fall of 2022, achieved strong results despite the health and economic challenges brought on by the pandemic. In this piece, we look back at what our collaboration with Ally has accomplished and share stories about its impact on people and communities.