State Farm is the leading personal lines property/casualty company by premiums in the U.S. With 68,000 employees and 17,000 agents in all 50 states and Canada, State Farm is ranked No. 22 on the Fortune 500 list. This vast network extends to State Farm's leadership in revitalizing low-income communities across the country, improving public school education and raising awareness of safety issues. LISC is proud to be one of State Farm's national partners in many of these efforts. In 2006, State Farm committed a third $8 million, three-year grant to LISC in support of comprehensive community development activity in targeted communities across the country. With this grant, State Farm has now provided LISC with more than $24 million in grants since 2000, making it the third largest all-time grantor to LISC. In addition, State Farm has also invested $37 million in loans for housing and economic development projects; the most recent loan of $10 million will support our rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Region. Moreover, LISC has benefited from the advice and counsel of local State Farm executives who work with our local programs and Stan Ommen, President and CEO of State Farm Bank, who serves on LISC's national board of directors.

Edward Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO, State Farm Insurance Companies

Edward Rust, Jr. has headed State Farm since 1987 and is an ardent supporter of LISC's work, stating: "We see our partnership with LISC as a vital component of our support for community development." The impact of our partnership since 2000 has been truly extraordinary: Close to 1,200 businesses have been attracted, retained or expanded; 11,800 jobs created or retained; 2,000 apartments and homes built or rehabilitated; 3.5 million square feet of commercial and community space developed; and more than 3,800 students served by service-learning and other educational programs.

State Farm support and funding has been instrumental in LISC's growth, enabling us to be innovative and expand into new areas of community development. For example, in 2000, State Farm provided LISC with the resources to significantly increase economic development activities throughout our national and local program network and to expand our work in commercial corridor revitalization. What began as a pilot initiative in six cities has grown into a full-fledged national program serving more than 35 business districts in 15 cities. State Farm-supported activities include storefront renovations in cities across the country; retail marketing campaigns in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Kansas City and Los Angeles; and resources to help strengthen minority-owned businesses in the Twin Cities, Detroit and Oakland.

Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland, California

These investments have brought new vitality to many low-income neighborhoods, which have attracted weekly farmers' markets, arts and music festivals and other dynamic events as well as more capital resources to expand the scope and scale of economic development. For instance, The Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland, California, a $60 million mixed-use development, has been the catalyst for additional nearby development and investment—a new health care center will break ground this summer. State Farm funding to these and other projects has leveraged nearly one-half-billion dollars to support economic community development across the nation.

Similarly in 2003, State Farm's commitment spurred LISC to deepen its efforts on behalf of youth development and education and to go beyond facilities financing to help support what occurs inside the classroom. Mr. Rust is a renowned supporter of improving public school education. He has been a leader who has encouraged the business community to become more involved in education excellence and served on President Bush's Transition Advisory Team committee on education. He has brought the same vigor and inspiration to LISC's partnership. With State Farm's leadership and funding, LISC in collaboration with the National Service-Learning Partnership launched a school-based service-learning initiative in four cities: Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Participating students work with community development corporations to address local issues such as lead poisoning awareness, immigrant rights to affordable housing, and recreation facilities development as part of their school curriculum. Additionally, with State Farm support, LISC has also worked to address other educational issues that may impede educational achievement; for example, teacher retention in Chicago and parental engagement programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and Milwaukee. Over the coming years, LISC will continue to expand our engagement in education and strengthen our partnership with State Farm.

Partnership Report 2006 (PDF, 824 KB)

Each year, LISC and State Farm produce a Partnership Report that showcases the vast array of programs and projects that we do together. State Farm's significant commitment to LISC is a prime example of a valuable private-nonprofit partnership that sparks new businesses, homes, jobs and educational opportunities that improve the quality of life of all residents. State Farm and LISC help neighbors build and sustain communities.

More information about State Farm is available at www.statefarm.com.