Local Initiatives Support Corporation

History

The idea for LISC was conceived in 1979 by a group of Ford Foundation officials and trustees visiting community development projects in Baltimore. One of the trustees asked Ford Foundation Vice President Mitchell Sviridoff "what he would do if he had $25 million to spend on helping declining cities." Sviridoff responded that he would "identify competent leaders in 50 to 100 communities around the nation and give them as much money and support as possible." Sviridoff went on to become LISC's first president.

LISC was founded in December 1979 and formally announced in May 1980, with $10 million in capital from the Ford Foundation, Aetna, Continental Illinois Bank, International Harvester, Levi Strauss & Co. and Prudential Insurance. LISC's initial areas of concentration were the South Bronx, Boston and Chicago. By 1985, it had raised $100 million and was active in 20 cities. In 1987, LISC created the National Equity Fund to syndicate the Low Income Housing Tax Credit created by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

In 1995 LISC launched Rural LISC, expanding beyond urban areas in an effort to spur rural economic and housing development. In 1997 it partnered with the NFL to create and refurbish playing fields in low-income urban areas. In that year President Bill Clinton toured Charlotte Street in the Bronx, one of the first LISC projects, saying "Look at where the Bronx was when President Jimmy Carter came here in despair. Look at where the Bronx was when President Reagan came here and compared it to London in the Blitz. Look at the Bronx today. If you can do it, everybody else can do it." In 1999, Clinton's Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin became the Chairman of the Board of LISC. In 2002, with support from the Walton Family Foundation, LISC began financing charter schools.

Building Sustainable Communities

LISC's development strategy, launched in 2007, is called Building Sustainable Communities (BSC). LISC's programs are designed to meet BSC's five goals:

Expanding investment in housing and other real estate

Affordable housing is the largest LISC program area. While many LISC initiatives finance the construction of new homes, others refurbish existing housing stock.

Increasing family income and wealth

LISC supports nationwide job training and financial literacy programs through a network of 71 Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs). FOCs provide low-income individuals with personal career coaching and job placement programs, financial and credit literacy training and access to public benefits.

Stimulating economic development

LISC works with local governments and civic groups to finance the construction or redevelopment of retail corridors, arts center and civic institutions. Examples include:

Improving access to quality education

LISC is a major financier of charter schools nationwide. According to the LA Times, at least a dozen schools in California would run out of money without financing from LISC designed to cover shortfalls in state funding.

Supporting healthy environments and lifestyles

LISC partners with the NFL in the "Grassroots" program, which has built or rehabilitated 269 youth and community football fields nationwide

In 2012, LISC launched the "Healthy Futures Fund" to create affordable housing units linked with health care and social services.

LISC's Community Safety Initiative works with police departments and local residents to improve police-community relations and reduce crime.

Nationwide

LISC's national headquarters is located in New York City. Its research and evaluation program, The LISC Institute for Comprehensive Community Development, is also located in New York City, and its national policy team is located in Washington, D.C. These cities host local LISC offices as well. The full list of local LISC offices can be found on the organization's website.

New York City

In January 2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that LISC New York City would administrate a $15 million mold remediation program through its affiliate, Neighborhood Revitalization NYC. The program is designed to address the epidemic of mold damage caused by Hurricane Sandy

Chicago

LISC Chicago funded the construction of La Casa, a dormitory for students at Chicago-area Community Colleges which opened in 2012.

Washington, D.C.

LISC DC has been credited with using a combination of housing, retail and cultural development to revive Washington D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood after the damage wrought by the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots.

Peoria

In 2012, LISC announced that it was opening its first new local office in 15 years in Peoria, Illinois, thanks to a $3 million grant from the Caterpillar foundation.

Presidents

Mitchell Sviridoff [1] 1980-1985

Paul S. Grogan 1986-1998

Michael Rubinger 1999–2016

Maurice A. Jones 2016-present