LEDC is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1991. LEDC’s mission is to improve the wealth-building capacity of low- and moderate-income Latinos and other underserved communities in the Washington area.

 We achieve this mission by pursuing four objectives, which are to: 

• Increase the number and strength of small businesses;
• Increase homeownership;
• Preserve affordable housing and prevent tenant displacement; and
• Strategically target all of LEDC’s services to revitalize the economies and appearance of the neighborhoods where our target population lives and works.

 LEDC achieves these objectives through the following types of activities:

• Education
• Technical Assistance
• Advocacy
• Community Organizing
• Storefront Improvement
• Microloans and other access to capital
• Financial Literacy Training, including credit counseling and repair

Since 1991 LEDC has developed the organizational infrastructure and the unique capabilities that make it the premier community development corporation serving the District’s Latino population. LEDC is certified as a housing counseling agency by both HUD and Freddie Mac and is a US Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).