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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. April 24, 2023

    Navigating ‘an Incredible Time of Transition’: A Conversation with ACLF Program Participant Jeannie Lukow, Executive Director of Porchlight Music Theatre
    Category: Stories
  2. April 19, 2023

    Press Release: IFF Expands Senior Leadership with First-Ever Chief Equity and Diversity Officer and New Vice President, Resource Development
    Category: Press
  3. April 10, 2023

    Crain’s Chicago Business: Chicago community lenders among recipients of grants announced by VP Kamala Harris
    Category: Press
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  4. April 01, 2023

    March 2023 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Two people in a workshop glassblowing, with one holding a rod and the other assisting.
  5. March 24, 2023

    Ideastream Public Media: State officials visit Cleveland to explore funding for improving early child care facilities
    Category: Press
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  6. March 23, 2023

    Commentary: State initiative is a leap forward for early childhood facilities and those they serve
    Category: Thought Leadership
  7. March 22, 2023

    Estimating the Cost of Facility Projects: A Real Estate and Construction Checklist for Nonprofit Leaders
    Category: Resources
  8. March 22, 2023

    A $30 Million Mixed-Use Development Provides a Fresh Start for Kenosha’s Uptown Neighborhood
    Category: Stories
  9. March 22, 2023

    Celebrating 10 Years of Impact in Indiana and Doubling Down on Statewide Solutions
    Category: Stories
    At the Paramount Cottage Home school, a photo of the 10-year celebration of IFF's work in Indiana
  10. March 21, 2023

    WOOD-TV: Construction underway on ‘front porch’ of Boston Square neighborhood
    Category: Press
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  11. March 10, 2023

    Mid-Michigan Now: 16 organizations to receive $2.4 million to expand access to low or no-cost childcare
    Category: Press
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  12. March 01, 2023

    February 2023 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  13. February 21, 2023

    The ABCs of Borrowing Money: 30 Debt-Related Terms Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know
    Category: Resources
  14. February 21, 2023

    Long-term Partnership with IFF Sees Chicago Arts Nonprofit Through Multiple Phases of Growth to First Owned Facility
    Category: Stories
  15. February 21, 2023

    100 Years After Breaking New Ground, Milwaukee’s Garden Homes Neighborhood Gets a New Lease on Life as an Anchor for Community Revitalization
    Category: Stories
  16. February 20, 2023

    From Scarcity to Inspiration: Rethinking the Value of Nonprofit Facilities
    Category: Thought Leadership
  17. February 15, 2023

    BadCredit.org: IFF Builds on a Legacy of Helping Midwestern Nonprofits Purchase and Modernize Facilities
    Category: Press
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  18. February 10, 2023

    Crain’s Chicago Business: A city-owned bank draws skepticism — not just from usual suspects
    Category: Press
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  19. February 01, 2023

    January 2023 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  20. January 26, 2023

    Press Release: Amandula Anderson New Executive Director for IFF’s Indiana Region
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  21. January 20, 2023

    Crain’s Detroit Business: MacKenzie Scott has given more than $226 million to Michigan nonprofits
    Category: Press
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  22. January 19, 2023

    The ABCs of Facilities Projects: 27 Real Estate and Construction Terms Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know
    Category: Resources
  23. January 19, 2023

    IFF’s Continuum in Practice: Going Deep in Place in Chicago’s North Lawndale Neighborhood
    Category: Stories
  24. January 19, 2023

    Arts and Culture Community Celebrates Chicago’s Cultural Treasures as Initiative Embarks on Its Next Phase
    Category: Stories
  25. January 19, 2023

    IFF Loan Clears the Way for Indianapolis Nonprofit to Open City’s Second Respite House for Children with Emotional Disabilities
    Category: Stories
  26. January 18, 2023

    Inside Indiana Business: Glick Philanthropies awards $1.4M in grants
    Category: Press
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  27. January 17, 2023

    Press Release: Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Returns to Chicago, Addressing Barriers Leaders of Color Face in Accessing Resources
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  28. January 12, 2023

    Press Release: Executive Director for IFF’s Southern Region, Stephen Westbrooks, among the recipients of the 2023 St. Louis Titan 100
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  29. January 10, 2023

    Press Release: IFF Receives $75,000 Grant from Glick Philanthropies to Further Support Indianapolis Nonprofits Through Leadership, Programming, and Real Estate Coaching
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  30. January 01, 2023

    December 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  31. December 30, 2022

    Austin Weekly News: A look at what’s ahead for the West Side in 2023
    Category: Press
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  32. December 21, 2022

    St. Louis Business Journal: Construction starts on Green Street’s new $81M apartment complex in Forest Park Southeast
    Category: Press
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  33. December 19, 2022

    Aeris Announces 45 New CDFI Ratings and 2 New Subscribers
    Category: Press
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  34. December 19, 2022

    Together We Build More Vibrant, Equitable Communities
    Category: Stories
  35. December 18, 2022

    MLive: ‘Generations of new housing:’ Leaders have big hopes for $17.5M Kent County housing fund
    Category: Press
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  36. December 01, 2022

    November 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  37. November 24, 2022

    Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County approved $33.5 million in ARPA funds for 24 projects. Here’s what passed
    Category: Press
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  38. November 23, 2022

    Photo Tour: IFF Loan “Opens the Door” for St. Louis Nonprofit to Create a State-of-the-Art Launch Pad for Careers in Tech
    Category: Stories
    A photo of the inside of LaunchCode. Launch Code is written on the wall.
  39. November 23, 2022

    South Bend Sustainability Program Helps Nonprofits Reduce Utility Costs and Shape a Greener Future for the Midwest
    Category: Stories
  40. November 23, 2022

    IFF’s Home First Project Integrates Health and Housing for Residents with Disabilities
    Category: Stories
  41. November 23, 2022

    Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Q&A with Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust
    Category: Stories
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  42. November 23, 2022

    Press Release: 40 BIPOC-led Arts & Culture Organizations from Across Chicago Come Together as Chicago’s Cultural Treasures Grantees
    Category: Press
  43. November 17, 2022

    Urbanize Chicago: Schiller Place Apartments celebrate ribbon cutting
    Category: Press
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  44. November 17, 2022

    Students to start Nov. 28 at new North Chicago middle school; ‘This will empower our students to do so much more’
    Category: Press
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  45. November 16, 2022

    Press Release: North Chicago’s New Neal Math and Science Academy Opens, Funded by a Donation from AbbVie
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  46. November 11, 2022

    October 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  47. November 03, 2022

    Press Release: Gov. Whitmer Announces Application is Now Live for $50M in Grants to Open and Grow Child Care Facilities in Michigan
    Category: Press
    Children playing at an ECE center in Detroit. One child never the center is balancing, with arms outstretched, on a board curved like the foot of a rocking horse.
  48. October 27, 2022

    Developer To Build 20 More Affordable Apartments In Maywood
    Category: Press
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  49. October 26, 2022

    Much Ado About Something New: Detroit Public Theatre’s Performance Space in Midtown
    Category: Stories
  50. October 26, 2022

    A Nonprofit and a Health System in Rural Indiana Team Up to Solve Two Community Challenges with One Repurposed Facility
    Category: Stories
  51. October 26, 2022

    10 Key Takeaways from the Stronger Nonprofits Initiative’s First Five Years
    Category: Stories
  52. October 01, 2022

    September 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  53. September 27, 2022

    Press Release: IFF Receives Top Aeris® Ratings, Maintained Since 2013
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  54. 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
  55. September 23, 2022

    New IFF Loan Program Reduces Barriers to Capital for BIPOC-Led Nonprofits on Chicago’s South and West Sides
    Category: Stories
  56. 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
  57. 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
  58. September 21, 2022

    Stronger Together: Health Care Systems Investing in Early Care & Education
    Category: Thought Leadership
  59. September 13, 2022

    New accessible, affordable housing development nearly complete in Maywood
    Category: Press
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  60. August 31, 2022

    August 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  61. 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
  62. August 23, 2022

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

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

    At the Intersection of Equity and Early Childhood Education: Q&A with Erikson Institute President Dr. Mariana Souto-Manning
    Category: Stories
  65. August 19, 2022

    Crain’s Chicago Business 2022 Notable Leaders in Community Development
    Category: Press
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  66. August 01, 2022

    July 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Architect's rendering of Detroit Public Theatre's new facility
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. July 15, 2022

    Crain’s Chicago Business 2022 Notable Executives of Color in Finance
    Category: Press
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  72. July 08, 2022

    Crain’s Chicago Business: Auburn Gresham sets itself up for a revitalization
    Category: Press
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  73. July 01, 2022

    June 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    An architect's rendering of the Lillian Marcie Center
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. June 21, 2022

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

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

    Photo Tour: Grand Rapids Early Childhood Education Providers Enhance Facilities Through Learning Spaces Program
    Category: Stories
  79. June 13, 2022

    Commercial Observer: How JPMorgan Chase Works with CDFIs to Provide Resources for Underserved Communities
    Category: Press
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  80. June 01, 2022

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

    Photo Tour: $15 Million Adaptive Reuse of Historic Church Campus Enables Chicago Charter School’s Expansion
    Category: Stories
  82. 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
  83. May 18, 2022

    Madison Nonprofits Team Up on Affordable Housing and Early Childhood Education in a Win-Win for Everybody
    Category: Stories
  84. 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
  85. May 18, 2022

    IFF’s 2021 Annual Report | Meeting the Moment: Change, Equity, Impact
    Category: Stories
    Cover of IFF's 2021 Annual Report
  86. May 16, 2022

    Press Release: Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Launches in Kansas City, MO, Addressing Barriers Leaders of Color Face in Accessing Resources
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  87. May 01, 2022

    April 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Architect's rendering of Galleria 89 in South Chicago
  88. 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
  89. April 19, 2022

    Photo Tour: A Repurposed School Begins Its Second Act as a Building Block for Revitalization in North St. Louis
    Category: Stories
  90. 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
  91. April 19, 2022

    Ask a Nonprofit Lender: Why Should a Nonprofit Consider Debt for a Facility Project?
    Category: Resources
  92. April 01, 2022

    March 2022 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. 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
  96. 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
  97. 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.
  98. 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
  99. February 16, 2022

    Nonprofit Facility Planning Myths, Misconceptions, and Red Flags: Takeaways from The Columbus Foundation’s Nonprofit Forum
    Category: Resources
  100. 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