By Denise Scott, LISC President

Program funders and impact investors are vital parts of the community development ecosystem, helping power transformative progress every day. But even with their support, years of unrelenting pressure have taken a toll on community-based organizations. Can funders urgently ramp up operating support, or will communities lose vital parts of their social infrastructure?

Denise Scott, an affordable housing and community development expert who has spent more than two decades at LISC, has announced that she will retire at the end of 2023. She will work closely with LISC's new CEO, Michael T. Pugh, until her departure to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Scott has made a deep and enduring impact on communities and the industry at large through her work with LISC, in her prior roles in New York City and federal government, and during her years serving on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In an op-ed for the New York Daily News, LISC president Denise Scott and Citi Foundation's Brandee McHale describe how efforts like LISC’s HBCU internship program enrich the work of community investment while nurturing a new generation of diverse community development professionals.

LISC President Denise Scott shares a video message highlighting the significance of Juneteenth, which holds both pain and purpose. Scott urges us to acknowledge racial inequity as a crucial human rights concern and prioritize racial equity in our industry and beyond. Let's unite in honoring this day and working towards a fairer and more inclusive future.

By Denise Scott, LISC President

LISC President Denise Scott takes a look at what it takes to promote homeownership for people of color and underserved communities, as inflation raises new barriers to access and affordability. From preservation and development programs to financial assistance strategies, “progress requires remedies focused on households that have been directly affected by unfair housing practices,” she writes.

Route Fifty, a publication that targets state and local government leaders, reports on the extraordinary impact of Detroit’s zero percent home repair loan program, which LISC has been running since 2015. To date, the program has helped nearly 700 families make critical repairs to their homes and is, at its root, “a Black homeownership preservation tool for really intergenerational wealth-building strategy,” says LISC’s Damon Thompson, who is quoted alongside LISC President Denise Scott.

“One of the Most Powerful Tools We Have”: Improving Health Through Cross-Sector Collaboration

LISC president Denise Scott joined The Root of Issue podcast to discuss strategies for upending negative social determinants of health in marginalized communities. Just as LISC's comprehensive community development work tackles many fronts simultaneously (housing, financial stability, jobs, safety, etc) to help close wealth and opportunity gaps, that cross-sector approach and intentionality are what can make the difference in closing health gaps, too