LISC wins $2.1MM in new AmeriCorps funding

NEW YORK - June 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) nearly $2.1 million in grants to support 248 LISC AmeriCorps members as they help revitalize disadvantaged communities across the country.

LISC was one of 16 organizations to receive operating funds for its AmeriCorps program for the coming year. LISC was also named as a recipient of stimulus funds earmarked for national service pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by the president earlier this year

“We’re thrilled that the Corporation for National and Community Service has again recognized the value that LISC AmeriCorps members offer to low-income communities, and we’re even more excited about the increased focus on national service we’ve seen under the Obama Administration,” said Michael Rubinger, LISC president and CEO.

Unlike most AmeriCorps programs, LISC AmeriCorps draws the majority of its members from the low-income communities in which it works. Members are placed in community-based organizations and pursue projects that fit with LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities strategy to transform distressed neighborhoods into good places to live, work, do business and raise families.

“AmeriCorps members are invaluable assets to neighborhood nonprofits and the communities where they operate,” Rubinger noted. “But they also represent the future of community development. Through their LISC AmeriCorps experience, they create a pipeline of professionals who can continue this important work long after their national service is concluded,” he said. “For more than 15 years, this has been a remarkable program for us.”

The work of LISC AmeriCorps is connected to the priorities of the communities in which it operates. “That includes helping develop high-quality affordable housing,” noted Stacey Rapp, LISC AmeriCorps Program Director. “In many places, that is key. But it also goes well beyond that. Our members work on programs to help families develop stable incomes and build assets. They support education programs by developing after-school curriculum and service learning opportunities. They help connect neighbors to police departments, business organizations, tenant associations and crime watch groups to improve the safety of their neighborhoods. And they spearhead efforts to clean up neighborhood green space and plant neighborhood gardens that have broad health and recreational benefits for communities,” she said. “Their work is as diverse as the places in which they operate.”

In 2009-2010, LISC AmeriCorps members will be deployed in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit, Duluth, Houston, Jacksonville, throughout Michigan, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Rhode Island, San Diego, San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area, Toledo, and across Virginia.

About LISC

LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $9 billion to build or rehab more than 244,000 affordable homes and develop 36 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC support has leveraged nearly $28 billion in total development activity. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

About Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation engages 4 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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