Local Initiatives Support Corporation

What Local Initiatives Support Corporation does

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a U.S. nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 1979 and headquartered at 28 Liberty Street in New York City. LISC deploys grants, loans, equity investments, and technical assistance to under-resourced communities across all 49 states and Puerto Rico, operating through 37 local offices and a network of partnerships spanning 2,400 rural counties. Its primary beneficiaries are low- and moderate-income communities, nonprofit affordable-housing developers, small businesses, healthcare anchors, and youth-serving organizations, with a foundational focus on affordable housing that expands into economic development, child care, health, sustainability, and small-business support.

LISC's core product set is financial rather than technological: flexible lending products (construction, predevelopment, acquisition, and New Markets Tax Credit loans), the Impact Notes impact-investment instrument, capacity-building technical assistance, and affiliated investment vehicles (LISC Fund Management, National Equity Fund, Broadstreet, LISC Strategic Investments). Its technology stack is not publicly disclosed and is not a core differentiator — the organization operates a CDFI capital-deployment platform rather than a software product. Programmatic services include Financial Opportunity Centers, the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation's Game On initiative, the Uber Health Access Fund, the Black Economic Development Fund, the Workday Foundation / Anthropic Solopreneurship Accelerator, and the California Housing Development Training Institute.

LISC's revenue model is hybrid: contributed support from federal, state, and local government grants (including CDFI Fund awards), corporate and foundation grants, net interest income from a $475M+ loan portfolio with under-2% delinquency, equity-investment returns, and fees from managed investment vehicles. Since 1979 LISC has invested roughly $38 billion ($1.8B grants, $7B loans, $29B equity), catalyzing $102 billion in total development activity and producing 506,000+ affordable homes and 82.5 million square feet of community space. Annual investment volume reached $3.1 billion in 2025, the second-largest year on record.

Name

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Legal name

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Website

https://lisc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

LISC is a U.S. nonprofit CDFI founded in 1979 that deploys grants, loans, equity, and technical assistance to affordable-housing developers, small businesses, and community organizations across 49 states and Puerto Rico via 37 local offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Financial Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

Keywords

• Community development finance
• Affordable housing lending
• CDFI lending
• Impact investment funds
• Capacity building services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grants and Government Funding: LISC receives federal, state, and local government grants and CDFI Fund awards to support community development projects in underserved areas including housing, food access, and economic development.
2. Loan and Equity Investments: LISC provides loans and equity investments to community development projects, generating returns through interest and investment income while supporting affordable housing, small business, and community facilities.
3. Partnership and Funder Contributions: Corporate and foundation partners contribute funding to LISC-managed funds and initiatives such as the Black Economic Development Fund, Game On initiative, and Health Access Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that provides flexible lending products (construction loans, predevelopment financing, acquisition loans, NMTC financing), capacity building technical assistance, and impact investment vehicles to under-resourced communities. The organization supports affordable housing, small businesses, community facilities, and youth development across 49 states and Puerto Rico through its network of 37 local offices and wholly-owned investment affiliates.

Product overview

LISC is a community development financial institution (CDFI) offering a comprehensive suite of financial products and services rather than a traditional software product platform. Core offerings include flexible lending products (construction loans, predevelopment financing, acquisition loans, NMTC financing), capacity building technical assistance, Impact Notes investment instruments, and affiliate investment companies (LISC Fund Management, National Equity Fund, Broadstreet). These are complemented by program services including Financial Opportunity Centers, the Game On sports facility initiative, Health Access Fund, Solopreneurship Accelerator Program, Coramino Fund grants, and the California Housing Development Training Institute. LISC also manages the Black Economic Development Fund and provides access to the LISC Resource Library of research and educational materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rural LISC: LISC's rural-focused initiative supporting community development in rural areas across 2,400 counties
• LISC Fund Management
• Black Economic Development Fund
• Game On - Community Places to Play Initiative

Products and services

• Lending
• Capacity Building
• Impact Notes
• Investment Companies
• Financial Opportunity Centers
• Black Economic Development Fund
• LISC AmeriCorps

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.1 billion invested in 2025, second largest investment year on record
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UbercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Uber and LISC opened new grant applications through the Health Access Fund with up to $750,000 in new grants to help nonprofit healthcare providers connect low-income patients to transportation for medical appointments. Grants averaging $50,000 per awardee across nine U.S. markets during 2026-2027. Since the fund's launch in 2021, Uber has contributed more than $9 million.
• AnthropiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Anthropic partnered with CDFIs including Accion Opportunity Fund, Community Reinvestment Fund USA, Pacific Community Ventures, and LISC to expand AI access to underserved small business owners through the Solopreneurship Accelerator Program. LISC provides coaching through its network of Business Development Organizations.
• Merritt Community Capital CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026LISC launched the 2026 California Affordable Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI) in partnership with Merritt Community Capital Corporation to train nonprofit developers in affordable housing development. The program has trained over 600 practitioners since 1988.
• Abode CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026LISC provided $2.16 million in predevelopment financing to Abode Communities for Western Landing, an 80-unit residence for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, through the Modular Housing Fund.
• Yoke Management PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026LISC invested $2.4 million as a capital partner in Yoke Management Partners' redevelopment project in Prince George's County, Maryland. The project transformed a neglected property into high-quality affordable housing using a layered capital approach combining private developer equity with nonprofit capital and public-sector preservation funding.
• VerizoncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 February 2026Verizon partnered with LISC to operate the Small Business Digital Ready Grant program, a competitive national program supporting high-potential small businesses demonstrating operational excellence and growth readiness with digital systems and operational innovation.
• Enterprise Community PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2024LISC partnered with Enterprise Community Partners and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to publish 'What's Possible: Investing NOW for Prosperous, Sustainable Neighborhoods,' a guidebook for equitable green investing and community development funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit CDFI delivering loans, grants, and policy advocacy for affordable housing and community development. Direct peer to LISC — they even co-publish research on equitable green investing and frequently co-invest in affordable housing deals.
• The Reinvestment Fund: Philadelphia-based CDFI providing flexible capital for housing, education, health, and economic development in disinvested communities. Closely comparable to LISC in product mix (NMTC, lending, equity) and target markets.
• Self-Help / Center for Community Self-Help: North Carolina-based CDFI network offering home loans, small business lending, and community development financing. Comparable scale and mission to LISC, with strong federal CDFI Fund track record and similar rural/multi-state reach.
• Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF): San Francisco-based CDFI focused on housing, child care, education, and community facilities for low-income communities. Closely comparable to LISC's program areas and CDFI Fund-certified capital deployment model.
• Capital Impact Partners: National CDFI delivering capital and capacity building in housing, health, education, and economic development. Highly comparable to LISC in product suite (NMTC, lending, technical assistance) and ImpactAssets 50 peer status.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): Maine-based CDFI providing small business loans and community development financing. Comparable as a CDFI Fund-certified lender serving under-resourced markets, though more regionally concentrated than LISC.

Broad incumbents

• Opportunity Finance Network: National CDFI intermediary and trade association that finances and represents 1,000+ CDFIs. Comparable to LISC as the broader CDFI ecosystem backbone, though it operates more as a network/investor than a direct lender.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global nonprofit building and financing affordable homeownership. Overlapping mission and beneficiary base with LISC, but focused on direct homeownership construction rather than multi-product community development finance.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC): National coalition advocating for fair lending and community reinvestment. Adjacent to LISC's policy and advocacy work in CRA-related financing, with overlapping corporate and foundation partners.

Emerging players

• Grameen America: Microfinance nonprofit providing small business loans to low-income women entrepreneurs. Overlaps with LISC's small business lending and Financial Opportunity Center programs but focuses narrowly on microenterprise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lisc_hq
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/localinitiatives
• Facebookfacebook.com/lisc.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-initiatives-support-corporation-lisc
• Instagraminstagram.com/lisc_hq

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds15 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Local Initiatives Support Corporation