Community Engagement

At Lisciotti Development, we have long embraced the age-old notion that to whom much is given, much is expected. That is why we support the efforts of local organizations that serve the communities that support us and the reason we created our charitable foundation “A Hand Up”.

A Hand Up Charitable Foundation is a private foundation established to provide philanthropic and technical support to recognized charitable organizations that provide assistance to persons living in the North Central Massachusetts area. The Foundation’s strength lies in its innovative approach to grant making whereby donors and nonprofits address community needs together, identify board and donor prospects, and create application and distribution policies. This “needs up” approach ensures that the Foundation is informed and influenced by the leaders of grassroots agencies who are close to the issues and problems of the underserved. Therefore, the Foundation’s response to the community is relevant, allowing the donors and nonprofits an excellent forum for meaningful communication and problem solving.

A Hand Up Charitable Foundation seeks to encourage a wellspring of philanthropy and volunteerism with persons from all walks of life, age groups, and income levels who may not have responded to traditional models of giving or civic engagement

“A Hand Up” acknowledges the tremendous work of many foundations but seeks to be unique in response time, simplicity, and purpose. Most if not all services provided to the Foundation will be donated.

Sponsored by Lisciotti Development, the Harvard Business School REVC is a pitch competition, with $33,000 in cash prizes, hosting start-ups whose missions reflect innovative approaches to real estate investing, development, design or construction.

Teams present to a panel of judges with 15 minutes to pitch and 15 minutes to answer questions. The top teams will advance to the finals, where they will present to a live audience and the finalist judges. The judges will select the winning team immediately following the conclusion of presentations. Teams are judged in seven overall areas:

Impact: What will be the overall impact of the business on the industry?

Scale: How does the business seek to acquire customers and scale over time?

Competition: How does the business seek to navigate competition?

Financials: Are the financials and business model reasonable?

Solution: How well does the business solve a customer pain point?

Risk: Will the business face any substantial regulatory risks?

Team: How capable is the founding team?