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Catch up on IFF news, read stories about community development projects across the Midwest, and gain insight from our team.

  1. October 01, 2022

    September 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  2. September 23, 2022

    $6 Million Rehab of Historic Facility Drives Change in Louisville’s West End
    Category: Stories
    An architect's rendering of the interior of the AMPED Innovation Center
  3. September 23, 2022

    New IFF Loan Program Reduces Barriers to Capital for BIPOC-Led Nonprofits on Chicago’s South and West Sides
    Category: Stories
  4. September 23, 2022

    Photo Tour: An Alternative Day School for Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Combines Quality Education and Therapeutic Services in New Space
    Category: Stories
  5. September 23, 2022

    Leveraging National Presence and Scale to Drive More Solutions for Local Challenges: Q&A with Momentus Capital President & CEO Ellis Carr
    Category: Stories
    Photo of Momentus Capital President and CEO Ellis Carr
  6. August 31, 2022

    August 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  7. August 23, 2022

    St. Louis Nonprofit’s Capacity Expands in New Headquarters Amid an “Exponential Increase” in Demand for Behavioral Health Services
    Category: Stories
    Interior of Places for People's headquarters
  8. August 23, 2022

    $2 Million IFF Loan Provides New CDFI in Akron with Flexible Capital to Accelerate Impact
    Category: Stories
  9. August 23, 2022

    Detroit Charter School Overcomes Start-Up Challenges to Find a Trajectory-Changing Facility of Its Own
    Category: Stories
  10. August 23, 2022

    At the Intersection of Equity and Early Childhood Education: Q&A with Erikson Institute President Dr. Mariana Souto-Manning
    Category: Stories
  11. August 01, 2022

    July 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Architect's rendering of Detroit Public Theatre's new facility
  12. July 20, 2022

    Construction Begins on World’s Largest Ronald McDonald House – Increasing Access to Pediatric Health Care in Central Ohio
    Category: Stories
    A groundbreaking for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio's facility expansion project
  13. July 19, 2022

    Corktown Health Embraces Continuous Adaptation to Expand Access to Stigma-Free Health Care for Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Community
    Category: Stories
    A billboard advertising Corktown Health's service offerings
  14. July 19, 2022

    Virtual Tour: Historic Building in the “Cradle of Rhythm and Blues” Reborn as an Incubator for BIPOC and Women Entrepreneurs
    Category: Stories
    A networking event for entrepreneurs in the Mox.E coworking space at Entrenuity's headquarters in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood
  15. July 18, 2022

    Building a More Sustainable Future While Lifting Up Businesses on Chicago’s South and West Sides: Q&A with 548 Development Founder & CEO A.J. Patton
    Category: Stories
    548 Development Founder and CEO A.J. Patton
  16. July 01, 2022

    June 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    An architect's rendering of the Lillian Marcie Center
  17. June 21, 2022

    Chicago’s Academy for Global Citizenship Anchors New State-of-the-Art Learning, Sustainability, and Wellness Hub Catered to Community Needs
    Category: Stories
    Architect's rendering of the Academy for Global Citizenship at the Cultivate Collective hub
  18. June 21, 2022

    ‘It’s Been a Really Great Year of Growth’: A Conversation with Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Participant Consuelo Lockhart, Founder of the Latinas Welding Guild
    Category: Stories
    Consuelo Poland, Founder of Latinas Welding Guild
  19. June 21, 2022

    Meeting the Moment: 3 Nonprofit Leaders Reflect on Serving More, Serving More Effectively, and Serving More Equitably
    Category: Stories
  20. June 20, 2022

    Recorrido de Fotos: Proveedores de educación infantil en Grand Rapids mejoran sus edificios a través del programa Learning Spaces
    Category: Stories
  21. June 20, 2022

    Photo Tour: Grand Rapids Early Childhood Education Providers Enhance Facilities Through Learning Spaces Program
    Category: Stories
  22. June 01, 2022

    May 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    People standing inside a Volunteers of America Michigan thrift store
  23. May 18, 2022

    Photo Tour: $15 Million Adaptive Reuse of Historic Church Campus Enables Chicago Charter School’s Expansion
    Category: Stories
  24. May 18, 2022

    The Role of Cultural Assets in Community Development: A Q&A with Floating Museum Co-Director Faheem Majeed
    Category: Stories
    Photo of Chicago artist and educator Faheem Majeed
  25. May 18, 2022

    Madison Nonprofits Team Up on Affordable Housing and Early Childhood Education in a Win-Win for Everybody
    Category: Stories
  26. May 18, 2022

    New Neal Math and Science Academy on Track for November 2022 Grand Opening
    Category: Stories
    Architect's Rendering of the new Neal Math and Science Academy
  27. May 18, 2022

    IFF’s 2021 Annual Report | Meeting the Moment: Change, Equity, Impact
    Category: Stories
    Cover of IFF's 2021 Annual Report
  28. May 01, 2022

    April 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Architect's rendering of Galleria 89 in South Chicago
  29. April 19, 2022

    Nonprofit BUILD Moves Quickly to Disrupt the Status Quo with a Bold Investment in Community Infrastructure on Chicago’s West Side
    Category: Stories
    An architect's rendering of the new BUILD Chicago campus
  30. April 19, 2022

    Photo Tour: A Repurposed School Begins Its Second Act as a Building Block for Revitalization in North St. Louis
    Category: Stories
  31. April 19, 2022

    A Collaborative Approach to Community Building and a Newly Renovated Facility Create a Platform for Transformation in Grand Rapids’ Third Ward
    Category: Stories
    Members of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation stand outside of the group's facility
  32. April 01, 2022

    March 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  33. March 15, 2022

    Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s New 3333 Facility Provides a “Creative Sandbox” for St. Louis’ Arts Community
    Category: Stories
    Paintings in Sophie's Artist Lounge at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation's 3333 facility in St. Louis' Grand Center neighborhood
  34. March 15, 2022

    Patient Capital and “CDFI Plus” Support Provide Indianapolis Charter School with On-ramp to Achieve Growth Goals
    Category: Stories
    Exterior of ACE Prep Academy in Indianapolis
  35. March 15, 2022

    Photo Tour: New Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Creates an Arts-Centric Gateway for a Local Business District
    Category: Stories
    Exterior Shot of The 801 in Oak Park, IL
  36. March 15, 2022

    Establishing Mutually Beneficial Bank-CDFI Referral Relationships: A Q&A with First Bank of Highland Park Senior Vice President Courtney Olson
    Category: Stories
    Headshot of First Bank of Highland Park Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Business Banking Courtney Olson
  37. March 01, 2022

    February 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A team of people dressed in purple shirts and hats holds shovels, posing together in a sunny outdoor setting.
  38. February 16, 2022

    Built from Within: PODER Begins Construction of Chicago’s First Immigrant Integration and Job Center
    Category: Stories
    Ceremonial groundbreaking taking place at PODER's future headquarters in the Gage Park neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side
  39. February 16, 2022

    Facility Turnaround in Detroit Helps Nonprofit Focus on “The Right Work at the Right Time in the Right Place”
    Category: Stories
    A photo of the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center in Detroit
  40. February 16, 2022

    Virtual Tour: Two model homes on Chicago’s West Side demonstrate proof of concept for a bold community revitalization strategy
    Category: Stories
    Model homes developed by Lawndale Christian Development Corporation as part of a community revitalization strategy designed to build generational wealth through homeownership
  41. February 16, 2022

    Building a Dream Incubator: 5 Questions for baso Founder and President Claudette Soto
    Category: Stories
    A headshot of baso Founder and President Claudette Soto
  42. January 31, 2022

    January 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A group of staff and volunteers from Star Farm Chicago standing in front a van the nonprofit uses to distribute locally grown organic produce in and around Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood
  43. January 18, 2022

    Photo Tour: North Lawndale Employment Network’s First Permanent Campus
    Category: Stories
  44. January 18, 2022

    Photo Tour: The Paddocks Bring Affordable Workforce Housing to Rural Indiana Community
    Category: Stories
  45. January 18, 2022

    Photo Tour: Seeds of Health’s Tenor High School Opens New Campus in Historic Milwaukee Location
    Category: Stories
  46. January 18, 2022

    Photo Tour: The Marygrove Early Education Center Puts Young Learners at the Center of Community Revitalization
    Category: Stories
  47. December 31, 2021

    December 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  48. December 14, 2021

    Grand Avenue Market: A 20-Year Quest to Re-establish a Local Grocery Store in Rural Kansas
    Category: Stories
    Grand Avenue Market sign in Plains, Kansas
  49. December 14, 2021

    Full Circle Communities and Christian Community Health Center Take on Link Between Health and Housing in South Suburban Chicago
    Category: Stories
  50. December 14, 2021

    Indianapolis Social Enterprise Begins Construction of $13 Million Workforce Development Complex for Returning Citizens
    Category: Stories
    RecycleForce Groundbreaking
  51. December 14, 2021

    “If you want better, you have to change your narrative”: A Q&A with Dr. Nicole Howell-Scott, Founder and CEO of the American Association of Single Parents
    Category: Stories
    Headshot of Dr. Nicole Howell-Scott, Founder of the American Association of Single Parents
  52. December 01, 2021

    November 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  53. November 16, 2021

    Birth Detroit Reimagines Maternal and Infant Care with Plan for Community-Based, Black-led Birth Centers
    Category: Stories
    A child plays at the Birth Detroit Care facility while a staff member watches him
  54. November 16, 2021

    Financial Literacy and Career Readiness Come to Life in Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City’s New Facility
    Category: Stories
    Sign outside Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City's Youth Learning Lab
  55. November 16, 2021

    Understanding that we are a collective: How vision became reality for the Chatham Education & Workforce Center
    Category: Stories
    A multi-purpose room at the Chatham Workforce Education & Workforce Center
  56. November 16, 2021

    Bridging the Gap Between Communities of Color and the Health Care System: A Q&A with UniteWI Founder and Executive Director Bria Grant
    Category: Stories
    UniteWI Founder and Executive Director Bria Grant sitting for a posed photo
  57. October 31, 2021

    October 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  58. October 13, 2021

    Family Christian Health Center Responds to Pandemic by Leaning Further into Its Mission
    Category: Stories
    Ribbon Cutting for Family Christian Health Center's Maternal Health Clinic
  59. October 13, 2021

    The Night Ministry’s “The Crib” Designed with Both Its Clients and Community in Mind
    Category: Stories
  60. October 13, 2021

    Transforming the Emergency Food System with an Eye on Equity: A Q&A with Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Nicole Robinson
    Category: Stories
    Nicole Robinson Greater Chicago Food Depository
  61. October 13, 2021

    XS Tennis Hosts Venus Williams, WTA for Chicago Tennis Festival – A Historic First
    Category: Stories
    XS Tennis' facility with the Chicago skyline in the background
  62. October 01, 2021

    September 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    RecycleForce Groundbreaking
  63. September 15, 2021

    Trailblazing Early Learning Center Opens Doors on Marygrove Campus in Detroit
    Category: Stories
    Marygrove Early Education Center
  64. September 15, 2021

    Equitable Community Development in Action: The Redevelopment of North Chicago’s Neal Math and Science Academy
    Category: Stories
    Neal Math and Science Academy External Rendering
  65. September 15, 2021

    Paramount Schools of Excellence Charts New Path in Indiana with Statewide Expansion
    Category: Stories
  66. August 31, 2021

    August 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A table reading at the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company in Chicago, IL
  67. August 16, 2021

    Transformational New Facility Unlocks Potential for Early Childhood Learners in Kansas City
    Category: Stories
  68. August 16, 2021

    Columbus Nonprofit Revives Community Asset as Permanent Facility for Teen Mentorship
    Category: Stories
  69. August 16, 2021

    Q&A with BDO FMA Managing Director Dana Britto: Building Financial Capacity Post-Pandemic
    Category: Stories
    Dana Britto BDO FMA
  70. August 16, 2021

    CDFI Friendly Bloomington a Prototype for Successful Community Development in Small Markets
    Category: Stories
  71. July 31, 2021

    July 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  72. July 14, 2021

    Red Clay Dance Company Brings “Artivism” to Chicago’s Woodlawn Community
    Category: Stories
  73. June 30, 2021

    June 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  74. June 28, 2021

    2020 Annual Report
    Category: Stories
  75. June 14, 2021

    A New Facility in Milwaukee Has Eco-Friendly Blue Skies Landscaping Seeing Green
    Category: Stories
  76. June 14, 2021

    $2.5 Million in IFF Loans Strengthen CDFI Industry and Support Small Businesses in the Midwest
    Category: Stories
  77. June 14, 2021

    Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Spotlight: InsideOut Literary Arts Executive Director Suma Karaman Rosen
    Category: Stories
  78. June 14, 2021

    Long-term Relationships and Trust Underpin COVID-19 Vaccination Success in Homan Square
    Category: Stories
  79. May 31, 2021

    May 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  80. April 29, 2021

    Muncie’s 8twelve Coalition – Building Community One Cup of Coffee at a Time
    Category: Stories
  81. April 28, 2021

    IFF and Children’s Home & Aid Bolster East St. Louis Child Care Providers with COVID-19 Relief Grants
    Category: Stories
  82. April 28, 2021

    Covenant House Illinois Doubles Down on Ending Youth Homelessness with More Beds and Services in East Garfield Park
    Category: Stories
  83. April 13, 2021

    Commongrounds Cooperative Puts Community First in Traverse City
    Category: Stories
  84. March 31, 2021

    March 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  85. February 28, 2021

    February 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  86. January 31, 2021

    January 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  87. October 12, 2020

    Partnerships, Equity & the CDFI Way: How 159 Midwest nonprofits received PPP loans through IFF
    Category: Stories
  88. May 27, 2020

    2019 Annual Report
    Category: Stories
  89. March 02, 2020

    Detroit breaks ground on $15 million early education center that will serve as national model
    Category: Stories
    Image of groundbreaking ceremony at Marygrove College
  90. March 02, 2020

    Detroit Prep revives century-old school building to serve up to 500 students in Pingree Park
    Category: Stories
    Interior image of Detroit Prep classroom with children
  91. March 02, 2020

    Experienced child care provider expands to serve 6x more children on Detroit’s east side
    Category: Stories
    Interior image of Blessed Beginnings Learning Center classroom
  92. February 04, 2020

    What does $1 billion in community lending look like?
    Category: Stories
    Montage of images from projects contributing to the $1 billion of loans
  93. November 11, 2019

    United Methodist Community House reimagines itself — and Grand Rapids’ Southeastern Community
    Category: Stories
  94. October 09, 2019

    IFF clients give advice on how to spread awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month
    Category: Stories
  95. October 08, 2019

    New YMCA in Kentucky’s west Louisville neighborhood reimagines public health through an equity lens
    Category: Stories
  96. September 04, 2019

    Lincoln Park Community Services triples its capacity to serve Chicagoans experiencing homelessness
    Category: Stories
  97. September 04, 2019

    Chicago’s North Lawndale Employment Network to transform former bank building into community hub
    Category: Stories
  98. August 06, 2019

    Eight standout arts organizations complete MacArthur Foundation-funded workshop series on financial management
    Category: Stories
  99. August 06, 2019

    Small health care center in rural Indiana steps up to meet big community need
    Category: Stories
  100. August 06, 2019

    Photo Tour: A ‘cathedral to youth tennis’ on Chicago’s South Side
    Category: Stories