Washington, DC LISC

Meet Brittney Drakeford from The Capital Market of 20743, a community-led organization in Prince George’s County, MD that centers food systems and leverages cultural capital to revitalize communities. Drakeford co-founded the organization in 2018 after residents felt the loss of food access when the local grocery store closed.

With support from LISC and Kaiser Permanente, The Capital Market has built its capacity to make an impact by strengthening its board and developing program plans through strategic visioning and planning. Now seen as a trusted conduit for healthy food access, The Capital Market has hosted more than 150 community events, 130 farmers’ markets and food activations, and healthy food walk audits to teach residents how to shape their own food systems.

Washington, DC LISC

Manna Breaks Ground on DC Mixed-Use Redevelopment Project - Connect CRE Manna, Inc. broke ground recently on S Street Village, an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment project that builds on a 40-year partnership with LISC, a national nonprofit financial institution. Funded in part by LISC DC, S Street Village will bring 90 new energy-efficient, affordable apartments to the...

Big news! The Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program returns for a fifth round of funding. Grants of up to $100,000 are available for nonprofits in 14 cities, including DC, that are advancing health, education, mentoring and jobs programs to improve the outlook for youth in low-to-moderate income communities.

The application deadline is September 30, and we encourage interested applicants to tune into our informational webinar on June 12. Learn more: https://www.lisc.org/our-initiatives/sports-recreation/foot-locker-foundation-community-empowerment-program/

"We've seen in the history of community development in the city and nationally what happens when stakeholders come together across common goals to shape their communities for the better." - Bryan Franklin, LISC DC Deputy Director

Last month, LISC DC had the pleasure of hosting our 2025 Coffee Break Kick-off which convened partners, funders, and other stakeholders in the community development and affordable housing industries from across the DMV region. This space allowed us to discuss the achievements and challenges of the last year while painting a collective vision for 2025.

Check out our recap video to hear about LISC DC's Project 100: Sights, Sites, and Insights initiative last year as well as from our amazing partners who are working on important projects and programs in our region. https://youtu.be/yMIyaNLCNpg?si=RESrnvMJLC3XKhYY

We are thankful to Wells Fargo, TD Bank, and Forbright Bank for their generous support of our 2025 Coffee Break Kick-off event, which would not have been possible without their contributions.

LISC DC's 2025 Coffee Break Kick-off On January 23rd, 2025 LISC DC convened partners, funders, and friends from across the DC region to reflect and connect. We discussed the achievements and cha...

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.

The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation and LISC Award $1.7 Million to Upgrade Under-Resourced Community Sporting Spaces in 20 Cities and Towns | Local Initiatives Support Corporation LISC and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation announced grant recipients from the second round of the Game On-Community Places to Play Initiative. Twenty communities across the country will use $1.7 million in grants to fund renovation of facilities for basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, foot...

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).

MacKenzie Scott and her organization, Yield Giving, are setting a new LISC record! Scott has generously gifted our $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://www.lisc.org/our-stories/story/mackenzie-scott-donates-65-million-lisc/

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! 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://app.etapestry.com/.../2024TrackingEquityEvent.html

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.

Check it out! A new LISC case study, supported by The Kresge Foundation, highlights how our work with local partners to invest in arts events, public art displays, and art & culture entrepreneurs can improve community health, fight displacement, and much more. See examples from , , and here: https://www.lisc.org/our-resources/resource/power-arts-and-culture-heart-community-health-revitalization-and-inclusion/

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://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/MontgomeryHousingPartnershipI/2024TrackingEquityEvent.html