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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. February 21, 2026

    Hoodline: SNAP Squeeze Hits Chicago Heights as Respond Now Pantry Roars Back
    Category: Press
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  2. February 05, 2026

    Webinar Recaps: Achieving Readiness for Nonprofit Community Development Projects
    Category: Resources
    Street view with a modern building labeled "LATINOS PROGRESANDO" and nearby brick storefronts.
  3. February 03, 2026

    Crain’s Chicago Business: These Institutions Already Deliver What Public Banks Only Promise
    Category: Press
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  4. February 02, 2026

    Block Club Chicago: Historic Roseland Church, Once on Verge of Demolition, to Become Black-Women-Led Medical Center
    Category: Press
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  5. January 16, 2026

    Press Release: IFF Receives $85 Million New Markets Tax Credit Allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund
    Category: Press
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  6. January 02, 2026

    Affordable Housing Finance: Treasury Officials Announce $10 Billion in NMTC Awards
    Category: Press
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  7. January 01, 2026

    December 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
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  8. December 15, 2025

    Reflecting on a Career Spent Strengthening Nonprofits and the Communities They Serve: Q&A with IFF CEO Joe Neri
    Category: Stories
    A man in a suit and tie speaks at a transparent podium with a microphone in a dimly lit room with a geometric patterned background.
  9. December 09, 2025

    Crain’s Chicago Business: Public Banks Are An Old Idea Gaining New Currency
    Category: Press
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  10. December 01, 2025

    November 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
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  11. November 22, 2025

    Chicago Sun-Times: Green Era’s Food Waste Processor Creates Compost and Renewable Energy in Auburn Gresham
    Category: Press
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  12. November 19, 2025

    Three IFF-Sponsored Projects Awarded Grant Funding Through FHLBank Chicago’s Affordable Housing Program
    Category: Stories
    A digital rendering of a modern two-story building with a mix of brick and beige horizontal siding. The front left corner features a red brick facade with a flat canopy above a glass entrance door. The building's facade includes several rectangular windows with red panels between them. The surrounding landscape is neatly maintained, featuring green grass, shrubs, and a small tree. In the background, part of the side wall displays a colorful mural. Two silhouetted figures are walking along the sidewalk in the foreground, with a detached house visible further to the left against a bright blue sky.
  13. November 01, 2025

    October 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A single-story building with a green metal roof and white exterior sits in a park-like setting. A curving driveway and pathway lead to the entrance. Cloudy sky above.
  14. October 30, 2025

    Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago: FHLBank Chicago Awards $5.9 Million for Developer Program to Empower Emerging Leaders in Affordable Housing
    Category: Press
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  15. October 27, 2025

    Crain’s Chicago Business: Development in Chicago Still Looks Lopsided. Can the City Even It Out?
    Category: Press
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  16. October 23, 2025

    IFF CEO Joe Neri Honored with Opportunity Finance Network’s 2025 Executive Leadership Award
    Category: Stories
    Two men in suits standing together, one holding an award, against a backdrop reading "THE OPPORTUNITY HONORS."
  17. October 14, 2025

    Crain’s Chicago Business: 95th Street’s Long-Awaited Revival May Finally Be Underway
    Category: Press
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  18. October 01, 2025

    September 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A group of nine adults standing outside a building with yellow bricks, behind a green sign that says, "Brickton Montessori School."
  19. September 05, 2025

    Party in the Garden: Celebrating the Close-out of the Chicago’s Cultural Treasures Initiative
    Category: Stories
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  20. September 01, 2025

    August 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
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  21. August 27, 2025

    From Vacant to Vibrant: A Revitalized Community Asset Sets the Stage for Austin’s Next Chapter
    Category: Stories
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  22. August 27, 2025

    With Real Estate Support from IFF, Chicago Makes a Transformational Investment in the City’s Shelter System
    Category: Stories
    A diverse group of thirteen people posing in front of a "Saint Leonard's Ministries" banner.
  23. August 27, 2025

    Chicago Defender: Meet the Standout Nonprofit Leaders Changing Chicago and the Chicagoland Area
    Category: Press
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  24. August 06, 2025

    The Overhead Wire: Technical Assistance for Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
    Category: Press
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  25. August 01, 2025

    July 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Aerial view of a school campus in a suburban area with houses and a distant city skyline.
  26. July 31, 2025

    Press Round-up: Culture Forward Chicago’s Funding for Arts and Culture Organizations
    Category: Press
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  27. July 29, 2025

    Chicago Business Journal: IFF CEO Joe Neri to Retire
    Category: Press
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  28. July 29, 2025

    Crain’s Chicago Business: IFF CEO Joe Neri Stepping Down at the End of 2025
    Category: Press
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  29. July 29, 2025

    Press Release: IFF Announces Upcoming CEO Transition
    Category: Press
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  30. July 24, 2025

    Chicago Defender: Chicago’s Shelter System to Get Historic Upgrade – What It Means for the Community
    Category: Press
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  31. July 09, 2025

    Block Club Chicago: Amid Trump Cuts, Local Lender Gifts $3 Million to Chicago Arts and Culture Nonprofits
    Category: Press
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  32. June 25, 2025

    IFF’s Flex Loan Program Expands to Increase Nonprofits’ Access to Capital Across the Midwest
    Category: Stories
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  33. June 25, 2025

    FOX 32 Chicago: Chicago Arts and Cultural Organizations Awarded $3 Million
    Category: Press
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  34. June 21, 2025

    WGN Radio: Supporting Chicago’s Arts Nonprofits, Guiding Chicago’s Youth Toward Entertainment Careers
    Category: Press
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  35. June 12, 2025

    Crain’s Chicago Business: JPMorgan Chase Commits $18 Million to Chicago Nonprofit Lender
    Category: Press
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  36. June 12, 2025

    Chicago Business Journal: JPMorgan Chase Injects $18 Million into IFF to Boost Nonprofit Real Estate Projects in Midwest
    Category: Press
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  37. June 12, 2025

    Press Release: JPMorganChase Commits $18 Million to IFF to Increase Access to Capital For Nonprofits in Chicago and the Greater Midwest
    Category: Press
  38. June 12, 2025

    Block Club Chicago: Meet the Finalists for the $10 Million Chicago Prize to Revitalize South, West Sides
    Category: Press
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  39. June 12, 2025

    548 Development Breaks Ground on Chicago’s Largest Building Incorporating Passive House Design Standards
    Category: Stories
    A large crowd gathers at an outdoor groundbreaking ceremony with speakers, cameras, and a yellow excavator in the background.
  40. June 05, 2025

    The Herald-News: Public Housing in Joliet Transformed Again with New Senior Apartments
    Category: Press
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  41. June 01, 2025

    May 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
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  42. May 27, 2025

    TCA Health Develops the Recipe for a Healthier Community with New Nutrition, Innovation, and Wellness Center
    Category: Stories
  43. May 23, 2025

    Block Club Chicago: $65 Million United Yards Development Now Open in Back of the Yards
    Category: Press
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  44. May 21, 2025

    IFF’s 2024 Annual Report: Investing in People, Places, and Possibilities
    Category: Stories
  45. May 15, 2025

    Achieving Greater Impact with an Ecosystem Approach to Community Development Technical Assistance
    Category: Thought Leadership
  46. May 01, 2025

    April 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    Five people in helmets participating in a groundbreaking ceremony with shovels.
  47. April 28, 2025

    Planning Future Places: Across the Midwest, Nonprofits Level Up with Facility Feasibility Analyses
    Category: Stories
    A group of nine people smiling and posing in front of a colorful wall with the text "YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH."
  48. April 28, 2025

    Austin Weekly News: A New Arts Hub for Austin
    Category: Press
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  49. April 28, 2025

    Press Release: 77 Chicagoland Arts and Culture Organizations Receive Gift through Culture Forward Chicago
    Category: Press
  50. April 21, 2025

    Aurora Beacon-News: VNA Clinic Officially Opens in Bloomhaven on Near East Side of Aurora
    Category: Press
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  51. April 16, 2025

    Press Release: New Loan Funds for Select Cook County Nonprofits Will Help Ensure Remaining Federal COVID Recovery Funding Stays in the Region
    Category: Press
  52. April 03, 2025

    Press Release: IFF Announces New Board Chair, Sakura Takano, CEO of Rotary Charities of Traverse City
    Category: Press
    A woman with long, dark hair styled smoothly over one shoulder, wearing a light-colored blazer and a dark top. They are smiling, looking slightly towards the right. The background consists of a wall made of bricks in various shades of brown and beige, providing a neutral and textured backdrop.
  53. April 01, 2025

    March 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A building with beige and red brick facades, featuring the Jane Pauley Community Health Center logo on the right. A mural of a Native American headdress is on the adjacent red brick wall.
  54. March 24, 2025

    Home Sweet Homan Initiative Gains Momentum as First Five Modular “Smart” Homes Are Sold
    Category: Stories
    Aerial view of a community gathering near modern townhouses with a food truck and a tent set up, people are assembled in small groups outdoors.
  55. March 12, 2025

    MacArthur Foundation: Investing in Arts and Culture Organizations’ Financial Resiliency
    Category: Press
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  56. March 01, 2025

    February 2025 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
    A group of people standing behind weaving looms in a room with textile samples on the wall.
  57. March 01, 2025

    WGN Radio: Bridging the Wealth Gap in Chicago, Supporting Local Nonprofits
    Category: Press
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  58. February 27, 2025

    Block Club Chicago: Chicago BIPOC Arts Nonprofits Can Get Up To $60,000 In Funding With New Grant
    Category: Press
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  59. February 26, 2025

    “L”-evating Chicago Neighborhoods Through Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
    Category: Stories
  60. January 01, 2025

    December 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  61. December 06, 2024

    Austin Weekly News: From Grassroots to Corporate Support – Highlighting the Partnerships Making the Aspire Center Possible
    Category: Press
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  62. December 06, 2024

    Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Concludes Latest Chicago Cohort
    Category: Stories
    SNI Chicago cohort members pose in front of sign reading "Stronger Nonprofits Initiative Chicago"
  63. December 01, 2024

    November 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  64. November 19, 2024

    Crain’s Chicago Business Recognizes IFF’s José Cerda III as 2024 Notable Latino Leader
    Category: Stories
  65. November 01, 2024

    October 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  66. October 29, 2024

    Negocios Now: JPMorganChase Invests Nearly $11M in Chicago’s South and West Sides for Economic Growth
    Category: Press
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  67. October 25, 2024

    It Takes a Village Family of Schools Celebrates Expansion to New Campus on Chicago’s South Side
    Category: Stories
  68. October 08, 2024

    Coming Soon: Home First’s Access South Cook
    Category: Stories
  69. October 01, 2024

    September 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  70. September 30, 2024

    News is Out: Ambitious Arts Initiative Uncovers ‘Treasures’ Created by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Chicagoans
    Category: Press
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  71. September 18, 2024

    Black Entrepreneur Experience Podcast: Grantmaking to Preserve Cultural Heritage with Victoria Lakes-Battle and Dr. Jeffreen Hayes
    Category: Press
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  72. September 18, 2024

    Windy City Times: Ambitious Arts Initiative Uncovers ‘Treasures’ Created by BIPOC Chicagoans
    Category: Press
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  73. September 04, 2024

    Chicago Defender: It Takes a Village Leadership Academy’s Bronzeville Campus Celebrates Successful First Day of School
    Category: Press
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  74. August 30, 2024

    IFF Joins FHLBank Chicago, Illinois Housing Development Authority, and Rep. Sean Casten for Discussion Focused on Housing Solutions for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District
    Category: Stories
  75. August 29, 2024

    Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago: FHLBank Chicago Convenes IFF, Illinois Housing and Development Authority and Rep. Sean Casten to Discuss Housing Solutions for Illinois 6th District
    Category: Press
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  76. August 01, 2024

    July 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  77. July 16, 2024

    Foundation for Homan Square Celebrates Past, Present, and Future Housing Opportunities
    Category: Stories
    A gathering of people are standing outside in front of two homes. There is a tent and balloons and it looks to be a celebration.
  78. July 12, 2024

    Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Panel Discussion: Child Care Innovations from the 7th District
    Category: Stories
  79. July 10, 2024

    Weekly Citizen: Celebrating Community Champions – LISC Chicago Announces Winners of the 30th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards
    Category: Press
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  80. July 09, 2024

    City of Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson Announces Major Accomplishments Since Launch of Cut the Tape Initiative
    Category: Press
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  81. July 08, 2024

    Newcity: Chicago Cultural Treasures Receives $3 Million Funding
    Category: Press
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  82. July 01, 2024

    June 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  83. June 28, 2024

    IFF’s Home First Celebrates the Completion of 20 Units of Accessible, Scattered-Site Supportive Housing
    Category: Stories
  84. June 26, 2024

    Home Sweet Homan: Affordable, Single-Family Smart Homes Offer Wealth-Building Opportunities on Chicago’s West Side
    Category: Stories
  85. June 06, 2024

    The Ark Celebrates the Reopening of a Human Services Hub for Chicago’s Jewish Community
    Category: Stories
  86. May 20, 2024

    The Chicago Community Trust: CDFIs Bring Development to Disinvested Communities
    Category: Press
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  87. May 15, 2024

    Creating an Inclusive Space for the Blind and Visually Impaired Community in Northwest Indiana
    Category: Stories
  88. May 14, 2024

    Crain’s Chicago Business: North Lawndale Getting New Factory-Built Affordable Homes
    Category: Press
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  89. May 10, 2024

    Chicago Defender: Pullman and Roseland Communities Celebrate Latest Milestone in their Revitalization
    Category: Press
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  90. May 07, 2024

    IFF’s 2023 Annual Report: A Historic Investment in Local Changemakers
    Category: Stories
  91. April 24, 2024

    How Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is Championing Chicago’s Neighborhoods by Shining a Light on Underappreciated History
    Category: Stories
  92. April 11, 2024

    Chicago Tribune: Former NFL Player Opens Englewood Small Business Incubator to Encourage South and West Side Youths
    Category: Press
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  93. April 10, 2024

    Male Mogul Initiative Celebrates Grand Opening of Small Business Incubator on Chicago’s South Side
    Category: Stories
  94. April 10, 2024

    Crain’s Chicago Business: Small Business Incubator Backed by Former NFL Player Set to Open in Englewood
    Category: Press
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  95. April 08, 2024

    WTTW-TV’s Whitney Reynolds Show: Forgotten City
    Category: Press
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  96. April 01, 2024

    March 2024 Loan Round-up
    Category: Stories
  97. March 27, 2024

    “This is where you start a straight A student”: Quality Facilities for All Supports Early Childhood Education in Illinois
    Category: Stories
  98. March 26, 2024

    ImpactAlpha: Impact(ed): An Introduction to CDFIs and Equitable Community Lending
    Category: Press
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  99. March 26, 2024

    The Real Deal: Which Developers Won Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in Chicago?
    Category: Press
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  100. March 24, 2024

    Chicago Sun-Times: Affordable Housing Developments in Edgewater, West Pullman Among Those Awarded Low-Income Housing Tax Credits
    Category: Press
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