Community Renewal Society

What Community Renewal Society does

Community Renewal Society (CRS) is a faith-based community organizing and public policy nonprofit founded in 1882 and headquartered at 111 W. Jackson Blvd in Chicago, Illinois. Operating as a registered 501(c)(3) (EIN: 36-2000728), CRS works with member congregations across the Chicago metropolitan area to address racism and poverty through five key issue areas: Police Accountability, Restoring Opportunities & Justice Reform, Just Economy & Reparations, LGBTQIA+ Faith Race & Equity, and Healing Justice & Reconciliation. The organization employs approximately 18-20 staff and operates through a coalition-based model that includes direct congregation engagement, policy advocacy, leadership training programs, and public events. CRS has documented legislative wins including advocacy for the Pretrial Fairness Act and HB4430 (PrEP/PEP access expansion), and it maintains active participation in coalitions such as the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, Coalition to End Money Bond, and the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago.

The organization houses The Chicago Reporter, an investigative journalism publication founded in 1972 that focuses on racial equality, criminal justice, affordable housing, economic development, jobs, and transportation issues in Chicago. CRS funds its operations through individual donations, foundation grants, and congregation membership dues, with no proprietary technology platform and no commercial product offerings. Its distribution channels include an online Take Action platform for digital advocacy, an email newsletter via Mailchimp, social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, and in-person training and events. The 2026-2027 Platform for Renewal formalizes its current multi-issue advocacy framework, developed through listening sessions with member congregations and coalition partners. CRS's go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on grassroots mobilization and interfaith coalition building rather than traditional sales or marketing infrastructure.

Name

Community Renewal Society

Legal name

Community Renewal Society

Website

https://communityrenewalsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Renewal Society is a faith-based Chicago nonprofit founded in 1882 that organizes member congregations around five social justice issue areas, including police accountability, reparations, and LGBTQIA+ equity. It also houses The Chicago Reporter, an investigative journalism publication, and is funded through donations and membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy and Community Organizing

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Faith-based advocacy
• Social justice organizing
• Policy advocacy services
• Racial justice nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CRS operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 36-2000728) primarily funded through donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters who share their mission of racial and economic justice.
2. Membership Dues: Congregations pay membership dues to join CRS and participate in organizing efforts. The organization offers membership with options to become a member, pay membership, and request membership information.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Renewal Society is a faith-based community organizing and public policy nonprofit that works with member congregations in and around Chicago to address issues of racism and poverty through advocacy, training, and coalition building across five issue areas (Police Accountability, Restoring Opportunities & Justice Reform, Just Economy & Reparations, LGBTQIA+ Faith Race & Equity, and Healing Justice & Reconciliation). The organization also houses The Chicago Reporter, an investigative journalism publication founded in 1972, and delivers leadership training, education workshops, and a Take Action platform for civic engagement.

Product overview

Community Renewal Society (CRS) is a faith-based, community organizing and public policy organization offering a suite of advocacy, organizing, and civic engagement programs. The organization operates its core organizing programs (Police Accountability, Restoring Opportunities & Justice Reform, Just Economy & Reparations, LGBTQIA+ Faith Race & Equity, and Healing Justice & Reconciliation) alongside The Chicago Reporter — an investigative journalism publication founded in 1972 — and provides membership, training, advocacy, and resource-sharing services to its member congregations and the broader public. The offering is not a software product but a collection of programs and publications organized under the CRS umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Chicago Reporter: An investigative journalism publication housed at Community Renewal Society, focusing on issues of inequality in criminal justice, affordable housing, economic development, jobs and transportation. Founded in 1972.

Products and services

• 2026-2027 Platform for Renewal A multi-issue advocacy framework organized around five key areas (Police Accountability, Restoring Opportunities & Justice Reform, Just Economy & Reparations, LGBTQIA+ Faith Race & Equity, and Healing Justice & Reconciliation) developed through listening sessions and policy analysis with member congregations and coalition partners, for faith-based communities and marginalized groups seeking collective action on systemic injustice.
• The Chicago Reporter An investigative reporting publication housed at Community Renewal Society since 1972, focusing on issues of racial equality in Chicago across criminal justice, affordable housing, economic development, jobs, and transportation, for Chicago-area readers and policy stakeholders.
• Member Congregation Network A network of congregations in and around Chicago affiliated with CRS, spanning North, South, and West regions, that participate in organizing, advocacy, and collective action on racial justice and social equity issues, for faith-based communities including UCC, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and Unitarian churches.
• CRS Training Programs Leadership training and education workshops offered to member congregations and community partners, focused on faith-rooted community organizing, civic engagement, and advocacy skills, for member congregations and community organizers.
• Online Take Action Platform A free online platform for District Council membership, Reparations Pledge signing, legislative advocacy, voter registration, and community engagement, for individuals and advocates seeking to participate in CRS's organizing efforts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for Pretrial Fairness Act implementation eliminating money bond in Illinois
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Chicago ReportercoreOthers · 1 January 1972Founded in 1972 by John A. McDermott to measure Chicago's progress toward racial equality. The Chicago Reporter has been housed at Community Renewal Society since its inception, serving as a critical investigative journalism publication focusing on inequality issues rarely examined by mainstream media. The publication covers criminal justice, affordable housing, economic development, jobs, and transportation.
• Coalition to End Money BondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRS works as part of this statewide coalition advocating for elimination of wealth-based pretrial incarceration. Coalition activities include text banking, rally organizing, legislative advocacy, and community court watching to ensure successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act.
• Illinois Network for Pretrial JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 400 organizations participate in this network working to reform pretrial justice in Illinois. CRS has signed onto amicus briefs and joined rallies organized by this coalition to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act.
• Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago (CRLMC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRS is a member of CRLMC, participating in interfaith collaboration for social justice. CRLMC issues joint statements on matters of community concern, including responses to violence and hate crimes.
• Rainbow PUSH CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in celebrating the legacy of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Both organizations share commitment to uplifting communities and civil rights advocacy.
• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRS partners with Sabeel for international solidarity work, including the 142nd Annual Membership Assembly and interfaith delegations to Jerusalem focused on Palestinian liberation theology.
• Free2Move CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working to end pretextual stops. CRS participated in Juneteenth Village Fest to support the coalition's campaign and petition.
• Faith for EqualityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on LGBTQIA+ rights and equality advocacy, including work on the Equality Act.
• Illinois Conference United Church of ChristmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in annual celebrations, conferences, and collaborative events including the Annual Celebration and A Gathering of Communities conference.
• Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030. CRS has supported appropriations and advocacy for this initiative.
• Elmhurst UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Out and Faithful: A Multifaith Celebration of Queer Spirituality and Call to Advocacy event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sojourners: Nationally recognized faith-based social justice advocacy organization with policy, media, and mobilization arms spanning racial, economic, and LGBTQIA+ justice — broader scope than CRS but highly comparable mission and constituency.
• National Council of Churches: Large-scale ecumenical body coordinating Protestant and Orthodox denominations on justice initiatives; broader institutional scope but operates as the upstream convening structure that member congregations of CRS affiliate through.
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): Quaker-affiliated nonprofit running faith-rooted organizing, immigrant rights, and racial justice programs nationally and globally; comparable mission framing and longer-tenured programmatic breadth than CRS.

Others

• Chicago Community Trust: Major Chicago-area community foundation funding racial equity and justice initiatives across the region; comparable as a peer civic-institution in the same regional ecosystem, though operating as a grantmaker rather than a direct organizer.
• Bread for the World: Faith-based advocacy organization mobilizing congregations for federal policy change; adjacent peer that demonstrates how CRS could scale from regional organizing to national legislative advocacy using similar coalition infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Communities United: Chicago racial-justice coalition organization driving local and state policy campaigns on equity issues; directly comparable on issue agenda, Chicago geography, and coalition-driven organizing model.
• Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network): National faith-based community organizing network that trains congregations in power building and civic engagement around racial and economic justice — directly mirrors CRS's model of member congregations driving policy advocacy, but at national scale.
• Faith in Place: Chicago-area interfaith organization working with congregations across Illinois on environmental and justice advocacy; highly comparable geographic footprint and faith-rooted organizing methodology to CRS.
• Rainbow PUSH Coalition: Chicago-based faith-rooted civil rights organization founded by Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.; comparable as an interfaith, multi-issue civil rights organizing body and is itself an active CRS coalition partner.
• Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN): Chicago-based faith-rooted organization mobilizing across race, faith, and place for criminal justice reform, health equity, and community healing — a direct local peer to CRS's Police Accountability and Healing Justice pillars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRSchicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Renewal Society