Rural LISC

05/29/2026

The Ozarks are a great place to celebrate and our partners at Ozarks Small Business Incubator () are great partners to celebrate with!

OzSBI's LaunchU program helps entrepreneurs like Mary Palmer of Mary's Little Lambs strengthen their operations, expand their reach and build a more sustainable business.

Learn more about our BDO partnerships at https://www.lisc.org/rural/our-work/workforce-development/business-development-organizations/

05/28/2026

Today we're celebrating down on the bayou with Coastal Communities Consulting, Inc. (CCC) in Gretna, Louisiana.

CCC works with Louisiana's small seafood producers to develop strategies to grow and adapt in a changing world. Thanks to support from LISC and American Express, they're able strengthen and diversify the income streams of agricultural entrepreneurs.

Learn more about our work with BDOs at https://www.lisc.org/rural/our-work/workforce-development/business-development-organizations/

05/27/2026

Happy ! We're celebrating by featuring of our partners. Rural BDOs like Mountain BizWorks Works in Asheville, NC are critical in developing the infrastructure and know-how to support and Entrepreneurs in Rural Communities.

Learn more about our work with BDOs at https://www.lisc.org/rural/our-work/workforce-development/business-development-organizations/

05/27/2026

Continuing through northwest Ohio, we arrive in Findlay, a community where housing, workforce, and financial stability are closely connected.
This stop highlights the work of Habitat for Humanity of Findlay, Ohio, an organization focused on building stability through affordable housing, critical home repairs, and neighborhood revitalization. Their work goes beyond construction - supporting long-term outcomes for individuals and families across the community.
Through its Financial Opportunity Center® program, Habitat expands this impact by offering financial coaching, employment support, digital literacy, and free tax preparation. Open to all community members, the FOC removes common barriers to access - ensuring individuals can engage in services without income or time restrictions.
By pairing housing with financial capability and workforce support, this approach creates a more complete pathway to economic security.
This stop highlights how housing-focused organizations can deepen their impact by connecting stability at home with stability in finances and employment.

See snapshots of the entire virtual roadtrip at the homepage of the Rural FOC network, https://www.lisc.org/rural/our-work/workforce-development/financial-opportunity-center/

05/26/2026

In collaboration with our friends at Jobs for the Future (JFF), our Workforce & Financial Prosperity team hosted a refresher session on Skills-Based Career Navigation for our network partners. Led by JFF's Tracey Everett, attendees discussed skills-based career navigation principles, how they see these show up in their current employment coaching, and learned about relevant tools to support job seekers in navigating non-linear job-to-job progression and career advancement opportunities. Relevant tools included JFF's "Get Better Results for Jobseekers with Generative AI" and Google's Career Dreamer.

05/20/2026

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Rural families are at risk of losing their affordable homes forever, unless Congress passes the Rural Housing Service Reform Act (HR 4957/S. 1260)?

In an article in Shelterforce, Mark Kudlowitz, LISC's Senior Director of Policy, explains how passing this bill can help revitalize and preserve USDA’s Rural Housing Service Section 515 program - and why it matters for every Rural community.

The federal rural rental assistance program would be extended in the proposed federal housing bills—with an important rule change.

05/20/2026

Rural LISC staff led by Dr. Moriah Shiddat, Ph.D and our partners participated in the Understanding Heirs’ Property at the Community Level Train-the-Trainer in Atlanta, hosted by the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University. The multiday program equips practitioners with practical tools to help families understand heirs’ property, prevent future ownership challenges through estate planning and education, and address existing heirs’ property issues that drive land loss and housing instability.

Participation supports Rural LISC’s Southern Rural Housing Initiative and builds on our JPMorgan Chase–funded Scaling Heirs’ Property work. Rural LISC partner organizations represented included SEASHA, Community Housing Improvement Program, Inc. (CHIP), Communities Unlimited, and Southside Outreach Group reflecting growing networkwide momentum to address heirs’ property as a critical housing and land retention issue in rural communities.

05/20/2026

The federal rural rental assistance program would be extended in the proposed federal housing bills—with an important rule change.

05/19/2026

This spring, Ephraim Palmero, MSCID conducted a site visit to Virginia to visit two members of the Rural BDO Network, Shenandoah Community Capital Fund - SCCF & Community Investment Collaborative ative (CIC).

Ephraim met with Executive Directors Ryan Hall, M.S. of SCCF & Stephen Davis of CIC as well as visiting a small businesses across the Shenandoah valley. Both organizations have received grant funds from Rural LISC through our partnership with Mastercard Strive to support capacity building and enhance services provided to small businesses in rural Virginia.

This trip is part of a series of site visits under the Rural LISC Mastercard rd Strive partnership to grow, build and support our national network of Rural BDO partners across the United States and its territories.

Our Virginia partners illustrate the importance of this work at a regional level. SCCF plays a critical role in serving entrepreneurs across the Shenandoah Valley by delivering intensive, cohort-based programming paired with ongoing coaching and capital access support, helping rural businesses move from early-stage development to sustainable growth.

Similarly, CIC serves as a key entrepreneurial hub in the Charlottesville region, providing structured training, mentorship, loans and ecosystem connections that are often otherwise inaccessible to small business owners. Together, these organizations demonstrate how community-based BDOs act as essential infrastructure, expanding opportunity, strengthening local economies, and ensuring that rural entrepreneurs have the resources needed to start, grow, and thrive.

05/14/2026

The next stop on the brings us to Youngstown, a city shaped by its industrial past and ongoing economic transition. Once a major center for steel production, Youngstown reflects the realities many legacy communities face - adapting to workforce shifts while working to create new pathways for growth and stability.

This stop highlights the work of The National Center for Urban Solutions and its service arm, NCUSolutions. NCUSolutions is a mission-driven organization focused on equipping individuals and organizations with the tools for long-term success.
Through tailored workforce training, financial education, and leadership development, NCUSolutions aligns career pathways with employer needs - offering certifications, job placement, and ongoing support. Its partnerships with nonprofits, businesses, and educational institutions help ensure that individuals are not only prepared for employment, but positioned to grow within their careers.
While based in an urban setting, this work contributes to a broader regional ecosystem supporting economic mobility and workforce development strategies that extend into surrounding communities.

This stop reflects how targeted workforce and financial capability efforts can help communities navigate change and build toward a more stable future.
See snapshots of the entire virtual roadtrip at the homepage of the Rural FOC network, https://www.lisc.org/rural/our-work/workforce-development/financial-opportunity-center/