MFA Carrie Zaslow

Aims and expectations

LISC equips struggling communities with the capital, strategy and know-how to become places where people can thrive.

Working with local leaders we invest in housing, health, education, public safety and employment - all basic needs that must be tackled at once so that progress in one is not undermined by neglect in another.

Sharing our expertise of 30-plus years, we bring together key local players to take on pressing challenges and incubate new solutions. With them, we help develop smarter public policy. Our toolkit is extensive. It includes loans, grants, equity investments and on-the-ground experience in some of America’s neediest neighborhoods.

Short CV

Founded in late 1979, LISC is the largest community development support organization in the country. For more than three decades, LISC has connected local organizations and community leaders with resources to revitalize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life in areas where we work. The LISC model assembles private and public resources and directs it to locally-defined priorities. Our unique structure enables local organizations to access national resources and expertise and allows our funding partners to leverage their investment to achieve an impact that is truly remarkable. LISC operates in 30 cities and numerous rural locations nationwide. In 1991 LISC opened an office in Rhode Island. Since that time we have invested nearly $300 million in neighborhoods across our state, helping to create more than 7,500 affordable homes and supporting the development of more than 2 million square feet of commercial, child care, educational and community space.

LISC mobilizes corporate, government and philanthropic support to invest in locally defined community development projects and activities through:


 Loans, grants and equity investments
 Targeted training and technical assistance
 Local, statewide and national policy support

At LISC Rhode Island, we are committed to building strong neighborhoods and healthy communities where individuals, businesses and families can thrive. Our strategies – investing in real estate, increasing family income & wealth, stimulating economic development, improving access to quality education and supporting healthy environments and lifestyles – take shape when we bring residents and community leaders together to shape the neighborhoods where they live.