Who
We Are
The
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national
community-building organization, provides grants, loans and
equity investments to community development corporations (CDCs)
for neighborhood redevelopment. In 1995, LISC launched
Rural LISC to expand its reach beyond urban areas to include
rural communities.
Our
Mission
Rural LISC’s mission is to build the capacity of
resident-led rural CDCs, increase their production and
impact, demonstrate the value of investing in and through
rural CDCs and make the resource and policy environment more
supportive of rural CDCs and their work.
The
Need for Our Work
Eight million rural Americans are poor — that’s the
equivalent of the population of New Jersey. Rural
communities lack quality, affordable housing and health
care. They are losing jobs and land to suburban
sprawl. They do not receive the necessary government
funding and support to provide decent education and
transportation services. They are often unable to keep up
with technology and the mainstream economy.
Despite
the image that many of us have of rural America as a
farm-driven economy, less than 9 percent of rural jobs are
in the combined farming, agricultural services, forestry and
fishing industries. Rural LISC recognizes that rural
communities’ needs are not focused on agriculture
alone. We provide a wide range of services to rural
community developers accordingly.
How
We Work
Currently, Rural LISC provides more than 70 Partner
CDC's across the country with training, technical
assistance, information and financial support to address the
problems rural communities face. We forge alliances among
rural organizations, funders, lenders and policy makers to
build support for the rural community development movement.
Rural
LISC is governed by a Rural Advisory Committee comprised of
donors, lenders, rural community developers and other
supporters.
Read more about the Rural Advisory
Committee.
In
1998, the Stand Up for Rural America campaign, a
national coalition initiative that includes more than 1,300
community development organizations and hundreds of banks,
foundations and educational institutions, was conceived to
help rural community developers gain the resources and
policy support their work deserves.
Read more about the Stand
Up for Rural America campaign.
