What Illinois Housing Council does

Illinois Housing Council (IHC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership trade association founded in 2002 and headquartered at 310 S Peoria, Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois. The organization serves as the recognized industry voice for affordable housing in Illinois, connecting hundreds of member organizations and over 2,000 interdisciplinary leaders across the state — including developers, lenders, architects, contractors, tax accountants, attorneys, and policy advocates. IHC operates through six membership tiers ranging from $500 (Reduced Rate for small nonprofits, consultants, and government agencies) to $15,000 (Leadership Circle), generating the majority of its revenue via recurring annual dues plus event registration fees and sponsorships.

IHC's core offerings span three program areas. First, legislative advocacy at state and federal levels — including formal liaison relationships with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the City of Chicago Department of Housing, engagement on Qualified Allocation Plans, and a Government Liaison Committee — has produced measurable policy wins including a $225 million grant program (2021), $200 million in Rebuild Illinois capital funds (2019), and a 10-year extension of the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit. Second, member programming includes the annual Illinois Affordable Housing Forum at Navy Pier, year-round mixers, webinars, and committee meetings across Legislative, Programming, and Government Liaison functions. Third, workforce development through the Emerging Leaders Network and a 12-week paid Emerging Leaders Internship Program cultivates the next generation of industry professionals.

The organization is governed by a 30-member Board of Directors drawn from across the affordable housing value chain (banking, legal, accounting, development, syndicators, construction) and staffed by approximately 12 professionals led by Executive Director Allison Clements. Approximately 15% of membership dues are reported as allocated to lobbying activities. Technology infrastructure is limited to a YourMembership-powered member portal, a job board, e-newsletters, and a basic website — IHC does not operate as a technology company and has no proprietary software products.

Name

Illinois Housing Council

Legal name

Illinois Housing Council

Website

https://ilhousing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Illinois Housing Council is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership trade association that connects hundreds of member organizations and over 2,000 interdisciplinary leaders to advocate for affordable housing policy and industry collaboration across Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Advocacy & Industry Association Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Affordable housing advocacy
• Housing policy association
• Membership trade association
• Housing industry networking
• Nonprofit advocacy organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IHC generates revenue primarily through membership dues at various tier levels. Membership provides access to e-newsletters, event discounts, committee participation, job board access, and networking opportunities with affordable housing industry professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Illinois Housing Council is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership-based trade association and advocacy organization for the affordable housing industry in Illinois. It connects hundreds of member organizations and over 2,000 interdisciplinary leaders through tiered membership, the annual Illinois Affordable Housing Forum, year-round events, professional development programs, a job board, and legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels.

Product overview

Illinois Housing Council is a membership-based housing advocacy organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of membership programs with tiered levels (Leadership Circle at $15,000, Cornerstone at $6,000, Foundation at $3,500, Sustaining at $1,750, and Regular Member at $850), annual conferences (Illinois Affordable Housing Forum), professional development programs (Emerging Leaders Network, Emerging Leaders Internship Program), a job board, resources portal, case studies, and legislative advocacy services. These are organizational programs and services, not software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Emerging Leaders Network: A dedicated program for early career professionals in the affordable housing industry launched in 2020 to support a diverse pipeline of professionals for future leadership across Illinois' affordable housing development community.
• Emerging Leaders Internship Program
• Illinois Affordable Housing Forum

Products and services

• IHC Membership Program
• Illinois Affordable Housing Forum
• Emerging Leaders Network
• Emerging Leaders Internship Program
• IHC Job Board

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $225 million in grant program for federal Housing Credit developments through 2021 landmark legislation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHC serves as liaison between members and IHDA, working closely with leadership throughout the year to provide input on policies and procedures impacting affordable housing development and preservation. IHC engages with IHDA during open comment periods for Qualified Allocation Plans (QAP) governing the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
• City of Chicago Department of Housing (DOH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHC serves as liaison between members and the City of Chicago Department of Housing. Similar to IHDA engagement, IHC provides industry input during QAP open comment periods and advocates for policies affecting affordable housing development throughout Chicago.
• The Preservation CompactmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHC partners with The Preservation Compact on initiatives including the Portfolio Health Initiative, which provides data analysis and reports on affordable housing preservation needs in Illinois.
• Affordable Housing Tax Credit CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership providing updates on federal housing legislation including the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, and other federal policy matters affecting affordable housing tax credits.
• National Low-Income Housing CoalitionminorOthersNational advocacy organization whose research and reports (Out of Reach, The Gap) are referenced in IHC's affordable housing resources.
• Harvard Joint Center for Housing StudiesminorOthersAcademic research partner whose State of the Nation's Housing report is referenced in IHC's affordable housing resources.
• Federal Home Loan Bank of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHC connects members with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago's Affordable Housing Program (AHP), which provides forgivable grants for affordable housing development through member institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Home Builders: Large national trade association for the residential construction industry. Comparable membership-association structure and advocacy model, though focused on for-sale housing rather than affordable rental development.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Major national affordable housing developer, investor, and policy advocate. Already an IHC Leadership Circle member; competes for influence on federal housing-credit policy while operating a much larger direct development platform.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Large national community development financial institution with deep Illinois presence. Overlaps IHC's affordable housing mission through capital deployment, advocacy, and convening — but at far greater scale and with a broader community-development remit.

Direct peers

• Housing Action Illinois: Illinois-focused affordable housing advocacy coalition. Operates in the same state, addresses overlapping developer and policy issues, and competes for the same members, donors, and policy-maker attention.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: Federal-level affordable housing advocacy and policy organization. IHC already partners with NLIHC on shared research and federal legislation, and they operate the same membership-advocacy model one tier up (national vs. state).
• National Council of State Housing Agencies: Trade association representing state Housing Finance Agencies — the institutional counterpart IHC liaises with in Illinois. Convenes housing-credit policymakers and developers, paralleling IHC's role one level up.
• National Housing Conference: National nonprofit membership organization advocating for affordable housing through policy, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Closest national analog to IHC's trade-association-and-advocacy hybrid model.
• Chicago Rehab Network: Chicago-based affordable housing advocacy coalition with a strong preservation and community-development focus. Already represented on IHC's board; competes for relevance in the same state policy arena.

Others

• National Equity Fund: Leading Low Income Housing Tax Credit syndicator and an IHC Leadership Circle member. Adjacent ecosystem participant that depends on the same policy and tax-credit framework IHC helps shape.
• Bipartisan Policy Center: National policy think tank producing influential housing research and recommendations. Operates in the same housing-policy advocacy space IHC engages, but as a research/convener rather than a membership trade body.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/illinoishousing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Illinois Housing Council