ACOG Awarded Grant from Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

ACOG Receives $30,000 Grant from LISC: Increasing Its Capacity to Provide Technical Assistance to Small Businesses in Four County Region

ACOG has been awarded a $30,000 invitation-only grant from the Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to help ACOG kickstart its planned initiatives described in the 2021 CEDS Update. This grant funding will also allow ACOG to effectively connect with local resources in order to offer needed community support as our regional economy navigates the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1995, LISC, a community development support organization working in metropolitan areas across the country, launched Rural LISC, a national program created to expand LISC’s reach beyond urban areas to include rural communities. Today, Rural LISC partners with 92 rural community-based organizations, including five financial intermediaries, delivers the most appropriate support to meet local needs. Together they are working to transform communities in more than 2,200 counties across 45 states.

This nine-month grant will be used to support ACOG’s Community and Economic Development staff as they proactively engage with minority-owned, women-owned, and small business organizations in an effort to achieve the following objectives:

• Promote supplier diversity
• Identify a variety of resources and incorporate them into the new CEDS dashboard design and development
• Evaluate the pandemic impact on small businesses through a targeted survey study
• Provide educational workshops, webinars, and other critical resources designed for small and minority-owned business development

These four types of activities will help ACOG increase its capacity to provide technical assistance to small businesses in our service area. However, the ultimate measure for our success will be in the implementation and use of the new CEDS dashboard.

In addition, ACOG believes that not only consumers and companies, but also governments can support minority-owned businesses by contributing their different resources to the larger ecosystem. By training and exposing city leadership to diverse partnership practices and implementing its Updated CEDS, ACOG can help bolster economic success in the region.