IFF

10/21/2026

Meet the full team of volunteers from IFF who participated in last week's event led by Habitat for Humanity Chicago! 🔨

Team Stud Finders and Team Pain in the Glass met bright and early in the West Pullman neighborhood on Chicago's South Side to help build a permanent and affordable home for a dynamic, woman-led family. Check out the video below for a before and after highlighting the work of both teams, which are still fundraising for the project:

To support Team Stud Finders: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/StudFinders
To support Team Pain in the Glass: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/PainInTheGlass

10/15/2026

A team from IFF is out in the community today participating in Habitat for Humanity Chicago's , including our Marketing Director, Paula Kubo. Paula is volunteering for Women Build because she wants to live in a world where home ownership is within reach for more women facing financial barriers.

To help Paula and the rest of team Pain in the Glass reach their fundraising goal: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/PainInTheGlass

10/13/2026

When nonprofits have the resources to grow, they can reach more people, strengthen their communities, and deepen their impact.

With support from JPMorganChase and other collaborators, IFF has been able to expand its impact and create more opportunities for the people and communities we serve through the Stronger Nonprofits Initiative (SNI).

SNI is designed to help nonprofits build financial strength, navigate real estate decisions, and access the capital needed to scale. Since its launch in 2017, around 100 mission-driven organizations across the Midwest, including 40 Chicago-based nonprofits, have benefited from the program. One of those nonprofits is BUILD Chicago, which completed a feasibility study in 2018 through its participation in SNI, then used a $5.65 million loan from IFF and a $6 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation to develop a new headquarters campus on Chicago’s West Side.

We’re proud to see this story featured in JPMorganChase’s new Chicago Impact Brief alongside other organizations working to strengthen neighborhoods, expand opportunity, and support Chicago's future.

Learn more here: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/communities/chicago/investing-in-chicagos-future

10/09/2026

Next week, IFF's Director of State Government Affairs, Megan Adamczewski, is trading policy papers for a tool belt! 🛠️ Megan is taking part in Habitat for Humanity Chicago's alongside her IFF colleagues to build affordable housing in the Chicago community she loves so much.

Help Megan and team Stud Finders reach their fundraising goal: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/Member/MyPage/10559936/Megan-Adamczewski

10/08/2026

Congratulations to The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture on earning national accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums! NMPRAC is now one of just 15 accredited museums in Chicago and only the fourth Latine museum in the nation to receive this honor.

Members of our team were excited to attend NMPRAC's 2026 Raíces Gala last month, where they got to celebrate Puerto Rican excellence, culture, and community!

To learn more about IFF's work with the Latine community: https://iff.org/services/capital-solutions/support-for-latine-led-orgs/

10/02/2026

Farah Ansari is a senior underwriter on IFF's Structured Finance team, and she's excited to participate in Habitat for Humanity Chicago's upcoming ! Joining her IFF colleagues, Farah will help build affordable homes that create homeownership opportunities for local families.

Support Farah and team Pain in the Glass here: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/FarahA

10/01/2026

In an op-ed published by Crain's Chicago Business, IFF CEO Kirby Burkholder and the leaders of seven other community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in Chicago argue that using $57 million in the Chicago Community Catalyst Fund to close a short-term budget gap will sacrifice a permanent source of capital for catalytic neighborhood investments.

Instead, the authors advocate for the funding to be invested in local CDFIs that have a track record of deploying public funding to strengthen communities. With competitive standards for selecting CDFI partners, firm deployment goals, and regular public reporting, the Catalyst Fund can preserve the city’s principal and produce reasonable returns while supporting small businesses, affordable housing, community facilities, and other priorities in neighborhoods that need capital most.

Click here to learn more:

The City Council should preserve the Catalyst Fund and give it a new mandate to invest through CDFIs.

09/29/2026

IFF's full staff gathered in the Chicago area last week for our annual retreat, bringing together more than 150 colleagues from across the Midwest to learn from one another, clients, board members, and IFF's founder, Trinita Logue. It was also a great opportunity to connect in person for team building, with plenty of activities like trivia, line dancing, awards, and more!

To learn about joining our team before next year's retreat: https://iff.org/contact-us/careers/

09/24/2026

Zoe Clemmons is IFF's Internal Communications Manager, and she is getting ready to participate in her first Women Build with Habitat for Humanity Chicago in October. Zoe is excited to work alongside colleagues at IFF to build affordable housing and learn how to use power tools.

To help Zoe and team Stud Finders reach their fundraising goals: https://my.habitatchicago.org/WomenBuild2026/Member/MyPage/10563944/Zoe-Clemmons

09/23/2026

Congratulations to Global Preparatory Academies, which recently opened a new middle school campus in Indianapolis equipped to serve up to 325 students in grades 6-8! Across its two campuses, Global Prep offers the only free bilingual immersion Spanish-English school in the State of Indiana, and IFF was thrilled to support the K-8 charter system's growth by providing a credit enhancement on the bonds that financed the new middle school campus.

To learn more about the new campus and Global Prep's model: https://mirrorindy.org/global-prep-academy-middle-school-opening-indianapolis-public-education-summer-2026/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=An%20Indy%20charter%20school%20expands%20while%20others%20shrink&utm_campaign=ITM%2008%2F12%2F2026