IFF is a mission driven lender and real estate consultant that offers support to nonprofit organizations throughout the Midwest.
Grounded in equity and deep sector expertise, IFF champions nonprofits to shape more equitable and vibrant communities through community-centered lending, development, and real estate consulting.
Since 1988, we have been working at the intersection of facilities and finance to help nonprofits serving a variety of sectors increase their financial stability and programmatic offerings, and achieve their missions. We do that by bringing together a powerful combination of financial solutions, real estate and development expertise, sector knowledge, and research and evaluation capacity to accelerate positive social impact and systems change.
Headquartered in Chicago, with regional offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, we serve nonprofits and communities throughout the Midwest.
IFF is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and one of only a few nationally to hold the top-ranked Aeris four-star rating for impact management and AAA rating for financial strength and performance.
Funded by the McKinney Family Foundation and the Indianapolis Foundation and administered through a partnership between IFF and the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, Thriving Nonprofits provides mission-driven organizations with energy-focused building assessments of their facilities and matching grants up to $10,000 to facilitate building upgrades that reduce energy usage and monthly utility bills while advancing environmental resilience.
Eligible participants:
- Applicants can be headquartered anywhere, but the facility in which the energy assessment and facility project is completed must be located in Marion County, IN.
- Nonprofits
- Schools
- Early childhood education centers,
- Public libraries
- Medical facilities
- Grocery stores in communities identified as food deserts
- Houses of worship, provided they are a 501c3 organization or demonstrate a community service component within their missions such as a food pantry, classroom, counseling space, or youth programming.
If you have any questions while completing this application, please email us at programs@iff.org or visit the Thriving Nonprofits website for more information.
This application will close at 11:59PM ET on May 29, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Program Notices
- Please note the energy assessment that is provided to Thriving Nonprofits participants has a value of $4,000.00 in labor by IFF staff. If a Thriving Nonprofits participant does not complete a project while participating in the program, the participant shall repay the value of the assessment to IFF within 30 days of IFF receiving notice that the participant does not intend to continue in the Thriving Nonprofit program. If said repayment is not received within 30 days, IFF will have the right to collect this payment through any legal and/or equitable means available.
- Utility benchmarking allows organizations to track their energy use and continue to pursue energy efficiency. If selected to participate in the Thriving Nonprofits program, your organization will be required to benchmark your utility usage for 2026 and 2027. As part of the Thriving Nonprofits program, at least one representative from your organization will be trained to benchmark utility data.