IFF

06/02/2026

Join our Real Estate Services team for two virtual webinars designed for shelter staff and leadership working on facility projects.

* June 5: From Feasibility to Occupancy. Learn how to navigate zoning, land use, community engagement, and project planning to open or expand shelter facilities.

* June 12: Trauma-informed Design for Shelter. Explore how layout, lighting, privacy, and noise impact safety and well-being in shelter spaces.

To register for the workshops: https://illinois.webex.com/webappng/sites/illinois/webinar/webinarSeries/register/0630e3bc31ac4718bae63a961a7969c1

05/28/2026

Dedicated predevelopment financing is critical for affordable housing developers, helping them advance their projects from concept to reality with fewer out-of-pockets costs for property acquisitions, architectural fees, and environmental testing, among other examples.

In Chicago, a $1.5 million predevelopment loan from IFF helped 548 Development reach the groundbreaking last May for Humboldt Park Passive Living, which will provide 48 affordable apartments, 12 market rate apartments, and 9,000 square feet of commercial and community space in a facility that will be the largest building in the City of Chicago to incorporate Passive House design standards.

To learn more about the project and the importance of predevelopment loans to catalyze the development of affordable housing in the Midwest, click here for our 2025 annual report: https://iff.org/2025-annual-report/our-impact/

05/27/2026

Earlier this month, several members of our Chicago team attended Latinos Progresando's MEX talks event, an annual speaker showcase designed to give Mexican and Mexican American leaders the platform to reflect on a shared identity and tell stories to inspire positive change.

An IFF client, Latinos Progresando's mission is to elevate the well-being of the Mexican community through a broad spectrum of programming, and our team was thrilled to attend MEX talks and continue to support the organization’s work! To learn more: https://www.latinospro.org/

05/26/2026

IFF closed nine loans in Indiana last year, providing nearly $7.5 million to nonprofits and affordable housing developers to strengthen communities across the state. Our Real Estate Solutions team also executed 30 projects statewide in 2025, providing nonprofits with the support needed to transform their ideas, passion, and vital work into lasting solutions that strengthen communities.

This work helped to create/preserve 608 units of quality housing, facilitated 10,800 new patient visits at health care centers, and resulted in the development of more than 644,000 square feet of community-driven real estate.

To learn more about IFF's work in Indiana and across the Midwest, check out our interactive 2025 annual report: https://iff.org/2025-annual-report/

05/22/2026

Five years ago, Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) was a niche planning concept. Today, it’s a powerful framework shaping housing, planning, and public investment across Chicago.

As a proud Elevated Chicago partner, we’re thrilled to share their new report, "The State of ETOD in Chicago," which several members of our team helped co-author.

Although significant progress has been made to build stronger, more connected communities, there remains more work to do to accelerate ETOD on the city's Far South Side and Southwest Side while preventing displacement city wide.

📖 Read the full report here to learn more:

Read The State of ETOD in Chicago, a new report on five years of progress advancing equitable transit-oriented development, policy change and investment.

05/20/2026

It is always great seeing IFF partners' hard work in the spotlight - like Emmet Pierson, president and CEO of Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC), and IFF board member. Focusing its work on Kansas City's east side, CBKC builds ecosystems holistically where housing, jobs, and community spaces work together to create self-sustaining neighborhoods.

Learn more about CBKC in this article by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition NCRC: https://ncrc.org/from-vacancy-to-vitality-rebuilding-kansas-city-neighborhoods-into-economically-vibrant-communities/?utm_campaign=35248977-26%20Views&utm_content=376916535&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-935524

05/19/2026

A big thank you to Quad Communities Development Corporation for hosting our first Propel event of the year! We were excited to meet and talk with Bronzeville nonprofits about our lending and real estate services.

IFF hosts Propel events throughout the year in all of our regions to connect with nonprofits and learn about their needs. Whether you can stay for 15 minutes or you can stay longer, we would love to chat with you about how we can help advance and scale your nonprofit organization.

Up next are Grand Rapids and Cleveland in June! To see upcoming Propel events and register: https://iff.org/services/capital-solutions/propel/

05/18/2026

In 2025, IFF provided Praxis Fiber Workshop with a $347,000 loan that enabled the nonprofit to acquire its headquarters facility in Cleveland, OH, which the organization had rented for more than a decade.

Located in the Waterloo Arts District, Praxis focuses on building an international network of fiber artists and makers through classes, workshops, residencies, and collaborative projects that teach the art form and demonstrate how fiber art can be used to build healthy, resilient, and inclusive communities.

As the property owner, and with additional space now available for its work, Praxis is moving forward with its plans to create a campus for fiber arts, which will include its existing studio, a textiles dye lab, and a 1,200-square-foot gallery for rotating exhibitions; a retail store for sustainable textiles; and three apartments for artists in residence.

To learn more about Praxis, read this story first published in May 2025: https://iff.org/praxis-fiber-workshop-strengthens-fabric-of-cleveland-waterloo-arts-district/

To learn more about IFF's work in Ohio last year, check out our recently released 2025 annual report: https://iff.org/2025-annual-report/

05/18/2026

IFF closed 11 loans in Ohio last year, putting more than $17 million in flexible capital in the hands of community changemakers across the state. The result?

The development of community-driven facilities totaling more than half a million square feet and the creation/preservation of 368 housing units that provide quality, affordable places for Ohioans to live!

To learn more about IFF's impact in Ohio and across the Midwest last year, click here for our 2025 annual report: https://iff.org/2025-annual-report/

05/15/2026

Founded in 2013 by a teacher whose school cut its performing arts programs, BandWith Chicago has connected more than 700 young people with arts instructors and mentors while providing them with the performance opportunities and support they need to succeed.

As the organization expanded, it became clear that it needed a facility all its own to continue growing and evolving to deepen its impact. Last year, with support from IFF's lending and real estate teams, BandWith celebrated the grand opening of a new facility in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood that has transformed the way the organization is able to engage young people in the community.

To hear about BandWith's journey to a new facility, watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQGqyLKsw-4&t=190s

And to learn more about IFF's work last year with mission-driven organizations like BandWith, read our recently released 2025 annual report: https://iff.org/2025-annual-report/E20

📷credit: Sarah Elizabeth Larson