Elgin Math and Science Academy in Elgin, IL

Improving communities through financing and real estate services for quality schools

IFF’s Capital and Real Estate Solutions for Schools

IFF champions nonprofits across the Midwest to shape more equitable and vibrant communities through community-centered lending, development and real estate solutions. We have been a leader in the education sector since we established the nation’s first revolving loan fund for charter schools. For more than 35 years, IFF has been bringing educational opportunity to low-income neighborhoods and expanding choices through financing and real estate services for charter and private schools. In 2023, our team helped create more than 1,300 student seats across our footprint by partnering with our education clients to finance projects and consult on facility projects.

 

IFF provides a full breadth of services:


Facility Planning, Evaluation and Financing

Project Management and Research

Support throughout Growth Cycle
Learn More

Facility Planning, Evaluation and Financing

  • Evaluate and plan for current and future facility needs, including feasibility and financial implications.
  • Find, evaluate, and secure the right site.
  • Finance facility repairs, furnishings, equipment, and vehicles.
  • Finance acquisition, rehabilitation, leasehold improvements, and new construction.
  • IFF’s financing options for schools include loans, New Markets Tax Credits, and US Department of Education Credit Enhancement.

Project Management and Research

  • Manage construction projects to ensure they are completed on time and within budget.
  • Conduct research for foundations, school districts, and state education agencies to identify impactful neighborhoods for new quality schools, increased resources, and public policy changes.

Support throughout Growth Cycle

  • Partner with schools from launch through early growth, expansion, and replication.
Client Spotlight ·

The Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago, IL

The Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago, IL, is developing a six-acre learning, wellness, and sustainability hub that will achieve Living Building Challenge certification, anchored by K-8 public charter school Academy for Global Citizenship. The campus will also include an ECE center, Federally Qualified Health Center, a community produce market and café, and more. IFF provided financing through a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation.

Read Story
Client Spotlight ·

KIPP KC Legacy High School in Kansas City, MO

KIPP KC Legacy High School in Kansas City, MO recently completed the construction of a new facility that will serve as the permanent home for the public charter school. IFF provided real estate support to help guide the organization through the construction.

Read Story
Client Spotlight ·

Detroit Achievement Academy in Detroit, MI

Detroit Achievement Academy in Detroit, MI has partnered with IFF for more than ten years to finance the founding and expansion of a diverse-by-design charter school whose expeditionary learning model encourages students to learn by doing, while also focusing on students’ social-emotional development and the role of school culture in the learning process.

Read Story
Client Spotlight ·

Menlo Park Academy in Cleveland, OH

Menlo Park Academy (MPA) in Cleveland, OH purchased an abandoned industrial facility in 2015 and has been renovating it into a school building capable of seating 800 students – more than double the number of students in the charter school’s previous leased facility. MPA is the only tuition-free school focused on “gifted learners” in Ohio.

Read Story
Client Spotlight ·

Springville Community Academy in Springville, IN

Springville Community and Rural Foundation used an IFF loan to renovate and furnish its 44,000-square-foot facility.

Read Story
Client Spotlight ·

The Downtown Montessori Academy (DMA) in Milwaukee, WI

The Downtown Montessori Academy (DMA) in Milwaukee, WI, recently developed an 11,456-square-foot, $3.85 million addition to the pre-K-8 charter school’s existing building. The addition will house six classrooms and a gym/multi-purpose room. The project enabled the high-performing, mixed-income school to expand its existing enrollment of 314 students by adding 40 student seats and improving ADA accessibility by adding an elevator to the facility. IFF provided a loan to DMA to help finance the project.

Read Story

Our School Clients

View our clients

Below is a list of a few of IFF’s many school clients – click through to read their stories.

Illinois

Indiana

  • Discovery Charter School – Porter, IN
  • Herron High School – Indianapolis, IN
  • KIPP Indy – Indianapolis, IN
  • Phalen Leadership Academy – Indianapolis, IN

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Ohio

  • Menlo Park Academy – Cleveland, OH
  • Noble Academy of Columbus and Cleveland – Columbus and Cleveland, OH

Wisconsin

Contact Us

Would you like to learn more about how an IFF loan can help your organization? Let’s talk.

Fill out the form below or call us at 312 629 0060.

Our Regional Offices

IFF is headquartered in Chicago and has regional offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and St. Louis.

To connect with our regional teams, click here.