Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Program

Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Program is sponsored by LISC Indianapolis. This pilot program provides funding to community-based organizations, community development corporations, and other similarly situated nonprofit organizations to assist farmers operating in urban areas with land acquisition.

Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund | LISC Indianapolis NFL Foundation Grassroots Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Economic & Small Business Development Income and Wealth Building Place-Based Community Development Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund NFL Foundation Grassroots Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Economic & Small Business Development Income and Wealth Building Place-Based Community Development Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Cities across the country have tried to find ways to clean up and improve vacant lots.

Vacant lots have been related to increased crime rates, illegal dumping, and environmental hazards, which contribute to unsafe conditions in neighborhoods. In Indianapolis, the concentration of vacant properties is predominantly in neighborhoods where we have seen historical disinvestment and lack of resources.

Because land is a precious resource in the growing in Indianapolis community, vacant lots represent a missed opportunity and a potential risk to the quality of life for those living in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Urban agriculture is a proven way that cities have re-purposed vacant lots.

This type of re-use provides “third” spaces for residents to come together, learn, generate income, access fresh foods for their families, improve environmental health and climate resilience, and ultimately beautify the neighborhood. While urban agriculture and small-scale farming already exist in Indianapolis, the wholesale and retail demand for locally grown food far exceeds the current production volume of local urban farms.

One of the biggest challenges to scaling production to meet demand for urban farmers is access to land, particularly for under-resourced urban farmers. In response to this need, LISC Indianapolis launched the Vacant Lot Acquisition Fund Program.

This pilot program provides funding to community-based organizations, community development corporations, and other similarly situated nonprofit organizations to assist farmers operating in urban areas, with a particular focus to assist farmers operating in urban areas who have lacked access to the capital needed to acquire land in their efforts to stay and operate in their neighborhoods, expand their operations, and ultimately own their land.

This will not only benefit the businesses operated by such farmers, but will also benefit the community through providing job opportunities, resident engagement, increasing the local production of nutritious fresh food available to residents, and beautifying the neighborhood.

LISC Indianapolis will select one to two community-based organizations, community development corporations, or other similarly situated nonprofit organizations to receive up to $110,243 in total competitive grant awards. The anticipated grant period is February 2025 – March 2026. The RFP is closed and partner(s) will be announced in Spring 2025.

Kelsi Coe, Senior Program Officer, Health & Housing