LISC DC

We are elated to see the completion of the construction of Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP)'s #netzero energy homes in Fairmount Heights. These homes will be affordable to first-time home buyers and will feature a microgrid and pocket park. LISC supported this project with a $1.8 million construction loan. This summer, we had the privilege of watching the modular home construction right before a solar eclipse. We are grateful to HIP as one of our partners in Prince George's County and for their exemplary sustainability work! Check out this LISC story to learn more about the project: https://lnkd.in/e33ZST4f

Last week, LISC DC celebrated the end of the year with our Local Advisory Committee (LAC) members, LISC staff, and other supporters. We reflected on the year, including our Project 100: Sights, Sites, and Insights initiative which is our mission to have 100 in-person engagements this year with community members, industry professionals, and other stakeholders. We convened our Holiday Toast at Shanklin Hall - a Black-owned, social club in Adams Morgan. It is owned by a group of DC natives and curates a space to celebrate and honor DC's Black history and culture. LISC invested $250,000 to support Shanklin Hall through the Uber Black Restaurant Fund. We visited Shanklin Hall on a walking tour in September with LISC's Executive Vice President, Dr. Ruth Jones Nichols, and it was amazing to revisit it and see it in action!

Congratulations to all of the awardees! We are excited to celebrate a grantee in one of our neighborhoods - Anacostia. Congratulations to Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School who will be able to upgrade the school gymnasium for both students and community events.

Yesterday, I had the honor of participating and speaking at the Tracking Equity event hosted by the University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth . It was an incredible opportunity to discuss equitable transit-oriented development along Maryland’s Purple and Blue lines. A huge thank you to Kathryn Howell and the team at the National Center for Smart Growth for hosting this important conversation. Special thanks to staff at LISC DC and Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP), including Judy Estey, Eva Dillon, CFRE, Bryan Franklin, and Chris Gillis for their partnership in organizing the event. Thank you to the speakers and panelists including Ramon Jacobson, Rob Hartman, Sheila Somashekhar, Chelsea Allinger, Reemberto Rodriguez, Brittney Drakeford, AICP, Jazz Lewis, and Carlos Perozo, for your thoughtful contributions to the conversation. At Wells Fargo, we recognize the importance of this collective work and are committed to supporting initiatives that drive equitable development and community impact. Thank you Paul Rachetta, Madiha Amir, and Kenrick Thomas for your support and participation at the event. Let's continue to work together to create a more equitable future for all! #TrackingEquity #CommunityImpact #EquitableDevelopment #WellsFargo #LISCDC #MontgomeryHousingPartnership #LISC #SmallBusinessGrowth #HousingAffordability #TransitOrientedDevelopment

Thank you to everyone who attended the Tracking Equity event hosted by Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP), Wells Fargo, National Center for Smart Growth , and LISC. This event focused on equitable transit-oriented development along Maryland's Blue/Silver and Purple Lines. It featured two lightning talks from Sheila Hosagrahara Somashekhar, Director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition and Brittney Drakeford, AICP, co-founder of The Capital Market. The panel featured LISC DC Executive Director Ramon Jacobson, Maryland State Delegate Jazz Lewis, President of MHP Robert Goldman, Reemberto Rodriguez former Director of Silver Spring Regional Center, and Carlos Perozo, small business owner in Long Branch. Panelists compared and contrasted ToD along the Blue/Silver and Purple Lines and noted that funding and support for local small businesses and community needs need to be factored in at the outset in order to have equitable outcomes. They also emphasized the need for collective will on the local, county, and state levels as well as from community members and community-based organizations. We're grateful for our partners in this work as well as our co-hosts. A special thank you to Wells Fargo for their generous support of LISC's equitable transit-oriented development initiatives, our work would not be possible without it. Some photos courtesy of Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP)

Congratulations to So Others Might Eat (SOME) on the grand opening of the Father John Adams Resource Center! Our team enjoyed the ribbon cutting event and fitting tribute to Father John's decades of dedication to DC communities. LISC is proud to have supported this center with early-stage grant dollars through HUD Section 4's Capacity Building program. We are excited to see how this dignified space will make a difference for our neighbors in Ward 5 and beyond.

MacKenzie Scott and her organization, Yield Giving, are setting a new LISC record! Scott has generously gifted our #CDFI $65 million in unrestricted funding, which will enable LISC and our local partners to be more innovative, creative, and sustainable in our community work + impact nationwide. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eB-ftHAf This contribution builds on a $40 million gift from Scott in 2020, which LISC used to seed programs that narrow gaps in health, wealth and opportunity, particularly for communities of color. We are grateful for the continued partnership!

Happening next week! There is still time to RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eX-22_zv

Check out this new LISC case study highlighting the power of arts and culture! We'd especially love to uplift the work of our partners, the Anacostia Business Improvement District and the 11th Street Bridge Park, who are both featured in this report for their amazing arts, culture, and placekeeping efforts east of the river in Washington, DC.

We want equitable transit oriented development throughout our MD suburbs, but how can we achieve it? Join us for Tracking Equity, a live panel discussion on November 19, from 10 am - Noon. This event will bring together community development practitioners, investors, researchers, residents, and funders to explore equitable, transit oriented development around Maryland’s Purple and Blue/Silver Lines. Speakers will highlight the contrast of the current states of the Blue/Silver Line — a 40 year old line that has not experienced the type of investment other regional metro stops have — and the Purple Line, which is currently under construction. We will explore how we can pursue an equitable future for both, while uncovering best practices and key challenges across different facets of equitable development including housing, support for communities and small businesses, placemaking and more. The event is free but RSVP is required. https://lnkd.in/eX-22_zv Wells Fargo; Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP); National Center for Smart Growth