LISC offers a number of grant opportunities for people and organizations interested in making their neighborhoods better. All LISC grants are related to specific program areas. Many are awarded based on priorities in neighborhoods with whom LISC is working closely on specific projects.
Supporting Comprehensive Community Development
Community-based organizations located in any of the five LISC Sustainable Communities Neighborhoods may be considered for technical assistance and organizational development grants. For details, contact the LISC program officer for your neighborhood. LISC is not accepting applications for additional sustainable communities neighborhoods at this time. Other Indianapolis neighborhood organizations interested in promoting resident engagement may apply for funding through the IMAGINE grants program offered through the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center. Find out more at www.inrc.org.
Expanding Capital Investment In Housing
LISC provides technical assistance, predevelopment funds, and construction financing to help community-based organizations develop affordable homeownership and multi-family rental housing developments. Grants are not available for housing projects.
Stimulating Local Economic Activity
LISC provides financial and technical assistance to neighborhood-based organizations to support their economic development efforts. Any neighborhood-based organization can apply, although preference is given to the existing four competitively selected FOCUS business districts. These resources include:
• Façade Improvement Grants – Matching grants and design assistance to improve the front of commercial buildings.
• Technical Assistance Program – Small grants to hire experts (architects, developers, financial consultants) to develop commercial property.
• Neighborhood Brownfield Initiative – A partnership with the City of Indianapolis offering small grants and loans to clean contaminated sites.
Increasing Family Income, Wealth, And Employment
LISC works with six existing Centers for Working Families (CWF) to provide grants to support staffing, IT, and technical assistance to each center. LISC is not seeking new applications for CWF at the present time.
Improving Access To Quality Education
LISC provides technical assistance to charter schools to review and comment on pre-development budgets, project budgets and operating pro formas, identify development team members and potential partners, and evaluate sites and site plans. The only grants available to charter schools are for brownfield remediation.
Supporting Healthy Environments And Lifestyles
The NFL Fields Grant is a matching grant program that provides financing and technical assistance to non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations, middle schools, and high schools to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local, community football fields. There are two levels of funding available: (1) general field support (e.g. irrigation, bleachers, lights, etc.) and (2) field surface grants.
• General Field Support: Matching grant up to $50,000 for capital projects not associated with the field surface.
• Field Surface Grants: Matching grant up to $100,000 to resurface field of a community, middle school or high school. Matching grant up to $200,000 to purchase/install new synthetic sports turf surfaces.