What kinds of projects does Iff finance?

IFF finances school facilities, affordable housing, early childhood education centers, community development projects, and some arts and culture organizations. The recent grants list shows awards for middle school rehab, equipment and facilities rehab, and financial management support for organizations.

Does Iff support early childhood education facilities?

Yes. Its active programs include Streamlined Flex Loan, Joyful Spaces, Learning Spaces, and ECE Support, all tied to facility repairs, renovations, equipment, and capital access for early childhood education providers.

How large are Iff’s typical grants?

The grant-size distribution is p25 $24,935, median $46,608, and p75 $74,989. The recent portfolio also includes much larger financing awards, including multimillion-dollar school capital support.

Which state receives the most grants from Iff?

Michigan receives the most grants by count. The recent grants list includes many recipients in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Ypsilanti, Jackson, and other Michigan locations.

Iff

Name: Iff — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveCommunity ImprovementMakes PRIs

Chicago, ILWebsite3126290060

About Iff

IFF strengthens nonprofits and the communities they serve by providing leadership, capital, and real estate solutions.

Focus Areas

Affordable housingHealth careEducationEarly childhood educationArts and cultureCommunity developmentHuman servicesWorkforce developmentDisability housingFood access

Who They Fund

middle schools (students / school facilities)small business owners / entrepreneurs

Funding Style

About Iff

IFF’s recent grant record is dominated by facility finance for schools and early childhood education providers, including a $21,404,857 award to North Chicago School District 187 to rehab a middle school. That kind of large capital support sits alongside a broader lending and financing platform that also serves affordable housing, community health, and arts organizations. The foundation’s work is not limited to grants in the usual sense: it provides financing, development support, lines of credit, and technical assistance, and it makes program-related investments. The same pattern shows up in smaller awards. IFF gave $900,000 to Garrison Frazier Investments Inc for equipment and/or facilities rehab costs, and it provided a series of capital-oriented awards to child care and school operators across the Midwest. The organization’s own description says it strengthens nonprofits and the communities they serve by providing leadership, capital, and real estate solutions. In practice, that means helping organizations finance buildings, upgrade campuses, and keep projects moving while permanent financing is assembled. Its latest 990 year on file is 2025, and annual grants totaled $81,397,072.

What Iff Funds

Education facilities are a central part of Iff’s grantmaking. Beyond the large school rehabilitation work, it awarded $150,000 to Grand Rapids Christian Schools in Rockford, Michigan, for equipment and/or facilities rehab costs, reflecting a consistent emphasis on campus and building support. Early childhood education is another major lane. IFF gave $299,999 to Phoenix Child Care & Academy in Jackson, Michigan, for equipment and/or facilities rehab costs, and it awarded $150,934 to Creative Hearts Childcare LLC in Detroit for the same general purpose. Its programs also include direct facility-improvement support, technical consulting, and capital access for ECE providers. The foundation also backs financial infrastructure for organizations. It gave $726,000 to Bdo Fma LLC in Pittsburgh for third-party consultants who help educate and train business owners on financial management, and it provided a similar award to Bdo Fma LLC in Grand Rapids. Arts and culture organizations are served through a line-of-credit program administered by IFF.

How Iff Gives

Typical grant size sits at a p25 of $24,935, a median of $46,608, and a p75 of $74,989, which points to a mix of mid-sized awards with some much larger capital transactions. The recent list shows repeat recipient patterns: North Chicago School District 187 received two large awards in 2023 and 2024, and Bdo Fma LLC appears in both Pittsburgh and Grand Rapids. Iff is a regular funder with program-related investments and a regional scope, so its support is structured around financing, lending, and technical assistance rather than a simple open application grant model. Several active programs accept unsolicited inquiries, including ACLF, Streamlined Flex Loan, Learning Spaces, and Bridge Loans for Capital Campaigns.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$4.3M

Total Assets

$828.3M

Total Revenue

$62.5M

Total Expenses

$61.5M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $25K and $75K, with a median of $47K.

25th Percentile

$25K

Median

$47K

75th Percentile

$75K

Geographic Reach

Regional10 states funded

About 13% of grants go to recipients in MI.

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

Joe Neri

Accepts unsolicited proposals

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
Refugee Education Center	Kentwood, MI	$297,441	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Oakdale Early Learning Center LLC	Grand Rapids, MI	$99,400	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Wolverine Building Group	Grand Rapids, MI	$89,387	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
American Indian Center	Chicago, IL	$75,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
BD Meats Inc Yonder Meats	Yoder, KS	$75,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
B's Hometown Market	La Crosse, KS	$71,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Technical Assistance Corporation	StLouis, MO	$70,028	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Paula Lampley Four Seasons Early Learn	Milwaukee, WI	$55,917	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Prairieland Market Inc	Salina, KS	$55,100	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Black Girls Dance	Chicago, IL	$52,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Folded Map Project NFP	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Alt Space Chicago	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Chinese Fine Arts Society	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Water People Theater Group	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Heritage Museum of Asian Art	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Muddy Waters MOJO Museum Inc	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
BandWith Music Ltd (dba BandWith Chicago)	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Skyart NFP	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
773 Dance Project	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian	Evanston, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
The Obsidian Collection Archives	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
ISPro Academy LTD	Flossmoor, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Black Lunch Table	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
South Side Jazz Coalition	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Raices Chicago Story Coalition	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Chicago Multicultural Dance Center	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Ayodele Drum and Dance NFP	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Territory NFP	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Chicago Mobile Makers	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Prison and Neighborhood ArtsEducation Project	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Yin He Dance	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Making A Difference Dancing Rhythms Org	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Era Footwork Foundation Inc	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
True Star Foundation Inc	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Front Porch Arts Center	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Liberated Arts Movement	Westchester, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Lucky Jefferson	Berwyn, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Sisters in Cinema NFP	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Kuumba Lynx	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Najwa Dance Corps	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Chicago Latino Theater Alliance	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Circles and Ciphers	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Chinatown Museum Foundation	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Hyde Park Jazz Festival	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Mezcla Media Collective	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
The Miracle Center Inc	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Free Street Theater	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
D-Composed	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant
Albany Park Theater Project	Chicago, IL	$50,000	2026	Costs for acquiring equipment and/or facilites rehab costs as part of the grant

Recipient

Location

Amount

Year

Purpose

Refugee Education Center

Kentwood, MI

$297,441

2026