Latest News

Meet Rodric K. Reid: President, Alliance for Northeast Unification

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Earlier this spring, Rodric K. Reid was hired as the President for the Alliance for Northeast Unification (ANU). We wanted to give you the chance to get to know him better and learn about the wonderful opportunities in the Northeast Corridor: What is the project in your neighborhood you are most excited about? There are many great things happening in our community to be excited about. We are nearing capacity for our retail center which will host, in addition to the already opened Goodwill, Save a Lot and Dr. Tavel Eye Clinic- a barbershop, dental office and a pizza restaurant. Our … Continued

2017 Small Business Facade and Property Improvement Grants

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The 2017 Small Business Facade and Property Improvement Program is a component of FOCUS that provides matching grants to property owners willing to renovate the street-front exteriors of their structures. These improvements could include new signage, windows, painting, and/or structural or design changes. This is a rebate program where business and property owners receive reimbursement for up to 50% of the cost of the project in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for completed work. The goal is to build long-lasting relationships that connect neighborhoods with businesses and new resources to revitalize urban markets. To apply, call LISC’s direct line … Continued

State Farm Neighborhood Assist- Be the Catalyst for Positive Change in your Community

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Have you ever wanted to help your community with a problem but didn’t know where to start? Maybe it’s a run-down park or to help the impoverished in your community. Now, YOU have the power to fix it. State Farm Neighborhood Assist wants to help identify and address key issues faced by consumers throughout the United States. State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative, lets communities determine where grant funding is awarded. The application is short and simple, and can be found by visiting www.neighborhoodassist.com. You, or someone you know, could be the catalyst for positive change to your … Continued

Indy Chamber’s 2016 Monumental Awards

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ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT! Project submissions are being accepted for the Indy Chamber‘s 2016 Monumental Awards. Entries due no later than 5 PM on Friday, July 29. LISC is the nominating sponsor for the Neighborhood Revitalization and Innovative Reuse category! Click here to learn about the entry guidelines, 2016 category requirements and judging criteria.

Mass Ave Industrial Corridor Video

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The Mass Ave Industrial Corridor is a legacy industrial district near Downtown Indianapolis that has been targeted for revitalization. There are many small manufacturers with a long history in the area but an influx of new artisan manufacturers and makers are starting to call this Industrial Corridor home. This short video created by Yardbox Films, shares a glimpse of people working, products being, and policy considerations that are all reshaping the area.

ACE PREPARATORY ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL ADDS VIABLE EDUCATION OPTION TO NORTHEAST CORRIDOR

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BES-Indy LLC, a special purpose entity of Charter School Support Services, a national nonprofit developer, recently closed on construction financing from LISC and IFF to finance the development of a facility located at 5326 Hillside Avenue which will be leased to a new K-5 charter elementary school, ACE Preparatory Academy (“ACE Prep”). The start-up school is founded by Anna Shults. ACE Prep is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016 and will serve a total of 432 students at full enrollment. Read more here.

LISC Indianapolis Invests $280,000 in Local Small Businesses

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Grants will be used to revamp small business commercial facades throughout Indianapolis LISC has awarded matching grants to 35 local businesses through its Small Business Façade Improvement Program. This year’s commitments total $280,000 and are helping to leverage over $1.2 million in total building and façade improvements. Doubled support by the City of Indianapolis provided the financial capital for 13 additional awards over last year’s total, strengthening the program’s overall impact. Other sponsors include Chase, State Farm and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership. The Small Business Façade Improvement Program is one of the largest, well-established façade initiatives in the country focusing on small … Continued

Northeast Quality of Life Plan Unveiled

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The Unveiling Event of the Northeast Corridor Quality of Life Plan was a great success! There were over 260 stakeholders, politicians and neighbors present to learn about action goals towards improving mass transit, implementing grocery stores, developing access to healthcare, and more. With the support of LISC, the Northeast Corridor Quality of Life plan was developed from the grassroots level over the past 16 months and powered by 928 people and 87 organizations who were involved in the planning process. Guided by Amandula Anderson, executive director United Northeast Community Development Corporation, and Ben Harris, a community builder with the King … Continued

Northeast Corridor Quality-of-Life Unveiling Event

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All are invited to the Northeast Corridor Quality-of-Life Unveiling on March 27 at 4:00 pm at 3908 Meadows Drive. For more information and to register for the event please go to: NE Corridor Community Unveiling Invite. LISC has supported this plan that covers the neighborhoods of King Park, Martindale-Brightwood, United Northeast and Millersville at Fall Creek Valley. For more information on the NE Corridor process, please visit www.necorridor.com. As Erika Smith reports in the Star, “What could the Meadows look like? Imagine boulevards for bicycles and buildings designed around mass transit, the mode of transportation that many residents use. Imagine a grocery store … Continued

Northeast Corridor Looks to Make Improvements in Quality of Life

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By Jessica R. Key Indianapolis Recorder The Northeastside of Indianapolis is an area that has its assets and disadvantages like any other neighborhood in the city, yet residents and community stakeholders aren’t satisfied with the status quo. They would like to see the area reach its full potential. In order to harness that desire and turn it into action, the Northeast Corridor Quality of Life plan will be created. “The area has a lot of potential as far as the parks, the Monon, businesses and some solid residential areas. It also has some real challenges,” said Bill Taft, executive director of … Continued

Neighborhood Visionary Project: The Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School

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It was an idea as risky as it was bold: to open Indiana’s first accelerated school—using a rigorous accelerated education model that treats all students as gifted—in an abandoned grocery store in one of Indianapolis’s most economically-depressed areas. But LISC saw promise in the vision of the Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School’s founders, and provided a charter school loan to help it get off the ground. “LISC saw what we saw,” Tindley co-founder Siri Loescher said. “An opportunity to help kids get a better education in an area where it’s needed most.” Today, the Tindley School is a model of … Continued

Neighborhood Visionary: Amandula Anderson

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On Indianapolis’s eastside, the East Washington Street corridor that runs through historic Irvington Corridor is bustling with small businesses, artists, and young professionals—and an eclectic mix of stores, restaurants, and hip places to live. But it hasn’t always been this way. East Washington’s transformation from a run-down business district full of empty shops to a vibrant cultural epicenter didn’t happen overnight. It took a significant coordinated effort and countless hours of strategic planning and execution. And Amandula Anderson, former executive director of the Irvington Development Organization, was at the center of it all. It all started when Amandula noticed development … Continued