Skip to main content

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

  1. July 12, 2021

    “Not Here, Not Yet” – When Is the Right Time and Place for Nonprofit Facility Projects?
    Category: Resources
  2. July 12, 2021

    Profile: Sakura Takano, CEO, Rotary Charities of Traverse City
  3. June 30, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

    Long-term Relationships and Trust Underpin COVID-19 Vaccination Success in Homan Square
    Category: Stories
  9. June 02, 2021

    U.S. News & World Report: MacKenzie Scott’s No-Strings Gifts Extend Beyond Grantees
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  10. June 02, 2021

    Bloomberg: MacKenzie Scott’s Donations Touch Charities Far Beyond the Original Grantees
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  11. June 02, 2021

    Associated Press: MacKenzie Scott’s no-strings gifts extend beyond grantees
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  12. June 01, 2021

    The Chronicle of Philanthropy: MacKenzie Scott’s No-Strings Giving Reverberates Way Beyond the Direct Beneficiaries
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  13. June 01, 2021

    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bria Grant studied this building’s development potential for a class project. Now, she’s renovating it for a restaurant and other uses.
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  14. June 01, 2021

    Press Release: Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Launches in St. Louis, 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
  15. May 31, 2021

    May 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  16. May 05, 2021

    How Learning Spaces Expansion to Grand Rapids Addresses Inequity and Shapes Children’s Futures
    Category: Thought Leadership
  17. April 29, 2021

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

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

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

    Commongrounds Cooperative Puts Community First in Traverse City
    Category: Stories
  21. April 07, 2021

    Five Ways That Lenders Can Interrupt Racism and Provide Restorative-Justice Capital in Our Communities
    Category: Thought Leadership
    map of redlined neighborhoods
  22. April 05, 2021

    Chicago Architect Magazine: Home First
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  23. March 31, 2021

    March 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  24. March 30, 2021

    Impact Alpha: Five ways that lenders can interrupt racism and provide restorative-justice capital in our communities
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  25. March 23, 2021

    The Lakeshore West Michigan: GHACF invests $1.5M to provide low-cost loans to community nonprofits
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  26. March 04, 2021

    Doubling Down on IFF Commitments to Further Impact Midwest Communities
    Category: Thought Leadership
  27. February 28, 2021

    February 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  28. February 25, 2021

    Model D: This faith-based nonprofit helped spark a revival in Detroit’s Regent Park
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  29. February 22, 2021

    OFN & Twitter announce first Finance Justice Fund loans
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  30. February 01, 2021

    USA Today: They’ve nurtured our babies through COVID-19 horrors; now, child care workers aren’t sure when they’ll get vaccinated
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  31. February 01, 2021

    Bridge Detroit: Cradle-to-career program at Marygrove campus serves Detroit’s littlest people
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  32. February 01, 2021

    IFF and JPMorgan Chase’s Stronger Nonprofit Initiative Assisting Milwaukee Nonprofit Leaders of Color
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  33. January 31, 2021

    January 2021 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  34. January 29, 2021

    Milwaukee Courier: IFF and JPMorgan Chase’s Stronger Nonprofit Initiative Assisting Milwaukee Nonprofit Leaders of Color
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  35. January 29, 2021

    St. Louis Business Journal: Here’s when construction will start on Green Street’s $40M housing project in The Grove
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  36. January 27, 2021

    Impact Investors and CDFIs Can Partner to Create Greater Impact
    Category: Thought Leadership
  37. January 26, 2021

    Next STL: Union At The Grove to Break Ground
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  38. January 26, 2021

    WILX Lansing: Children’s Book Provides Practical Tips for Returning to In-Person Learning
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  39. January 22, 2021

    The News-Gazette: With homes filled and park open, Bristol Place ‘a really great community’
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  40. January 12, 2021

    Starbucks Press Release: Starbucks expands initiatives to advance opportunity, equity and inclusion in the communities it serves
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  41. January 08, 2021

    Weekly Citizen: New initiative provides for BIPOC arts and culture organizations
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  42. January 05, 2021

    “How My School Fights a Virus:” IFF publishes children’s book with practical tips on returning to school
    Category: Thought Leadership
  43. December 17, 2020

    Media Advisory: $16.5 million Initiative for BIPOC Arts & Culture Organizations Launched in Chicago
    Category: Press
  44. December 16, 2020

    Crain’s Detroit: MacKenzie Scott donates millions of her Amazon wealth to nonprofits in Michigan
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  45. December 15, 2020

    MacKenzie Scott: 384 Ways to Help
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  46. December 11, 2020

    WTMJ-TV Milwaukee: Increasing racial diversity among nonprofit leadership starts with achieving financial literacy
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  47. November 19, 2020

    Citi Foundation Provides $15 Million in Support to 30 Community Development Financial Institutions Across the U.S.
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  48. November 06, 2020

    Lake County News-Sun: Renovation will essentially create new 5-story North Chicago middle school
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  49. October 26, 2020

    Matrix Human Services: L.A.C.C. Child Care Academy Transforms After Renovations
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  50. October 23, 2020

    Press Release: Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Launches in Detroit and Milwaukee, Providing Free Financial Resources for Leaders of Color
    Category: Press
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  51. October 12, 2020

    Partnerships, Equity & the CDFI Way: How 159 Midwest nonprofits received PPP loans through IFF
    Category: Stories
  52. October 12, 2020

    Press Release: $22 million financing package closes to support cutting edge early childhood center on Marygrove campus
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  53. October 08, 2020

    Interested in Racial Justice? Invest in Early Childhood Education.
    Category: Thought Leadership
  54. September 15, 2020

    10 Steps to Creating a Nonprofit Budget
    Category: Resources
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  55. September 02, 2020

    Learning to Change: Reflections of the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  56. September 01, 2020

    Racial Equity in Times of Crisis: Let’s Interrupt History (Part 2)
    Category: Thought Leadership
    3 paper silhouettes of people hold hands with one reaching across a gap as if to hold hands with 3 other paper silhouettes.
  57. July 15, 2020

    Traverse City Record-Eagle: Plot twist: Horizon Books isn’t closing
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  58. July 14, 2020

    The Columbus Dispatch: Apartments to rise on ‘Cargominium’ site on East Side
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  59. July 01, 2020

    WBEZ: Community Groups Push A Bold Idea To Revitalize Some Chicago Neighborhoods
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  60. June 12, 2020

    Chicago Tribune: Designs for new North Chicago middle school in final stages
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  61. June 12, 2020

    The Hill: Community Development Financial Institutions funding in HEROES Act is key to helping economic fallout
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  62. June 05, 2020

    Letter: Community Reinvestment Act Addresses Racism
    Category: Thought Leadership
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  63. June 04, 2020

    Medium: The Fed and Main Street: The Value of Community Voices During the Pandemic
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  64. June 03, 2020

    A message from IFF CEO Joe Neri and IFF Board Chair Guadalupe Preston
    Category: Thought Leadership
  65. May 27, 2020

    2019 Annual Report
    Category: Stories
  66. May 27, 2020

    Nonprofit Quarterly: Study: Black-Owned Businesses Closed at 2X the Rate of Total COVID Closures
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  67. May 21, 2020

    Next City: This Nonprofit Helps Small Business Aid Go Where it Usually Doesn’t
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  68. April 30, 2020

    Nonprofit Quarterly: A Moment of Choice: Racial Equity, CDFIs, and the PPP Lending Fiasco
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  69. April 30, 2020

    ShelterForce: Let’s Interrupt History: Racial Equity in a Time of Crisis
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  70. April 29, 2020

    Reuters: Minority businesses worry they are locked out of payroll lending program
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  71. April 23, 2020

    New York Fed: The Fed and Main Street During the Coronavirus Pandemic
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  72. April 15, 2020

    Racial Equity in Times of Crisis: Let’s Interrupt History
    Category: Thought Leadership
    3 paper silhouettes of people hold hands with one reaching across a gap as if to hold hands with 3 other paper silhouettes.
  73. April 08, 2020

    Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): IFF’s Letter to Comptroller Otting and Chairman McWilliams
    Category: Thought Leadership
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  74. March 30, 2020

    Chronicle of Philanthropy: Financing During a Pandemic: How to Adapt to a Crisis
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  75. March 06, 2020

    Architectural Digest: Inside a Historic Detroit Charter School That Takes Cues From Wes Anderson
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  76. March 02, 2020

    Profile: Denise Smith, Hope Starts Here Implementation Director
    image of Denise Smith
  77. 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
  78. March 02, 2020

    The Ticker: Local Child Care Study Outlines Shortcomings
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  79. 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
  80. 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
  81. February 27, 2020

    Affordable Housing Finance: Housing and Finance Organizations Receive Capital Magnet Funds
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  82. February 27, 2020

    WGN: Lightfoot announces $6 million investment in West Side community health improvements
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  83. February 26, 2020

    Chicago Tribune: There’s a 16-year gap in life expectancy between Chicago’s West Side and the Loop. Here’s what local hospitals are doing about it.
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  84. February 14, 2020

    You, Me, and Your Top Three Podcast: Becoming a Multiplier with Chris Uhl, Executive Director – Eastern Region
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  85. February 12, 2020

    Can we finally change our sexist funding policies for early care and education?
    Category: Thought Leadership
  86. 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
  87. February 03, 2020

    Chicago Construction News: Affordable housing replaces vacant lots in Maywood
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  88. February 03, 2020

    Village Free Press: New Handicap Accessible Affordable Housing Completed In Maywood, 12 More Units Coming
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  89. February 03, 2020

    Advancing Communities Podcast: IFF CEO Joe Neri
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  90. January 29, 2020

    CEOs of Four National CDFI Loan Funds Comment on CRA Rulemaking
    Category: Thought Leadership
    a Black girl and an Asian boy playing with a water table at the Chicago Children's Museum
  91. January 27, 2020

    St. Louis Post-Dispatch: YouthBridge to commit 25% of endowment to local investments
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  92. January 24, 2020

    St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Treasury awards $4.4 million in funds to help St. Louis organize low-income banking services
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  93. January 06, 2020

    Traverse City Record Eagle: Dann’s House doubles up
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  94. January 06, 2020

    St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis CDFI’s Awarded $4.4M in Federal Grants
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  95. December 24, 2019

    The Ticker: Women’s Resource Center, Dann’s House Expanding
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  96. December 12, 2019

    Chalkbeat: Researchers say Detroit could become a national leader in pre-K
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  97. December 02, 2019

    Part 2: Reaching more leaders of color with the financing tools they want
    Category: Thought Leadership
  98. November 26, 2019

    Forest Park Review: New housing for those with disabilities opens soon
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  99. November 22, 2019

    Associated Press: New state-of-the art Early Childhood Education center breaks ground on Marygrove campus
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon
  100. November 22, 2019

    Crain’s Detroit Business: $15 million Early Childhood Education Center breaks ground on Marygrove campus
    Category: Press
    IFF Media Icon