Stories

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3.13.2024 -

Rudy Espinoza, President & CEO of Inclusive Action for the City, on LA’s Street Vendors, Micro-Loans, and More

The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) is designed to get much-needed capital directly into the hands of small business owners serving communities of color, and has over twenty CDFI partners in local markets across the country, with LISC as national manager. Inclusive Action for the City (IAC) is a community development financial institution and an EOCF partner in Los Angeles providing micro-loans to businesses, with a focus on food vendors. IAC’s Rudy Espinoza explains why protecting street vendors must not be a passing trend but a sustained cultural shift that creates a more inclusive economy.

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11.20.2023 -

2023 LISC Small Business Holiday Gift Guide

This holiday season, support LISC small business borrowers and find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! All of the businesses featured here have received LISC capital to acquire their location, hire new staff, or increase inventory to help their business grow.

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5.03.2023 -

Creating a More Inclusive Economy With the Help of “Community Navigators”

This Small Business Week, we are highlighting how the Community Navigator Pilot Program, administered by the Small Business Administration, is investing in local and national partnerships with trusted organizations to reduce the barriers entrepreneurs face in accessing critical support. Partners work with small business owners across the country, including veterans, women, people with disabilities, and those from rural places and communities of color.

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5.03.2023 -

For Small Businesses, a “Reliable Support System” Is Everything

Meet three entrepreneurs of color who have made meaningful and dream-fulfilling strides on their small business journeys, thanks in part to the SBA's Community Navigator Pilot Program which LISC is helping implement. Each business person has connected with a CBO or community business organization that has connected them with invaluable know-how and access to flexible growth capital - the support system that no small enterprise can go without.

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3.30.2023 -

New Economics for Women (NEW) Takes Ownership for Future Affordable Housing with a Focus on LAUSD Teachers

Latina-led organization New Economics for Women (NEW) purchases a building with support from a $5.5 million LISC acquisition loan. In doing so, NEW nullified this deed’s original racist directive, taking ownership of this property to create a new vision that centers people of color. NEW will improve the acquired property to build mixed-use space for commercial use and affordable housing. When complete, the site will be home to 60 housing units, with inclusion of LA Unified School District (LAUSD) staff in mind.

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3.30.2023 -

TransLatin@ Coalition Expands its Mission to Transform Youth Empowerment Center with $4.4 Million Loan

With a $4.4 million LISC acquisition loan, The TransLatin@ Coalition closed on a larger space in Los Angeles to create a site for the future permanent location to expand services and create opportunities for the community to gather. Once complete, TLC’s Empowerment Center will offer holistic social supportive services specifically designed for Transitional Age Youth (TAY) who identify as Trans, Gender Nonconforming and Intersex. The project will home private spaces for behavioral health counseling and treatment, legal services, employment counseling, life-skills coaching, and systems navigation.