Project Forward

What Project Forward does

Project Forward is a non-profit community development firm based in Chicago that operates as a professional services and advisory organization. It develops and strengthens community wealth building ecosystems supporting urban revitalization, primarily in Chicago's south and west side neighborhoods including Bronzeville. The firm works with neighborhood real estate developers, small business support organizations, small business financiers, government economic development agencies, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and philanthropy organizations.

The firm delivers three core service lines: (1) Commercial Corridor Services — advisory and strategic management plans for business improvement districts (BIDs), business improvement zones (BIZs), special service areas (SSAs), and anchor real estate development projects; (2) Back Office Support — connecting small businesses and organizations to legal, marketing, and management services to improve sustainability and enable access to integrated capital; and (3) Speaking and Training — trainings, facilitation, workshops, and conferences on community wealth building, equitable real estate development, anchor institutions in emerging markets, and integrated access to capital. Project Forward is not a technology company; it builds no proprietary software or AI systems and has no API or digital product surface.

The business model is professional services: revenue is generated through direct advisory engagements with government, nonprofit, and institutional clients. The go-to-market approach is sales-led through direct consulting relationships and strategic engagements. The firm operates with 11–50 employees, is privately held (non-profit), and is regional in scope (Midwest USA). Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no funding rounds, M&A, or institutional capital events are evidenced. The firm cultivates partnerships with aligned community organizations (Urban Juncture, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Elevated Chicago) to extend its reach within the community development ecosystem.

Name

Project Forward

Legal name

Project Forward

Website

https://yourprojectforward.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project Forward is a Chicago-based non-profit advisory firm that helps neighborhood real estate developers, small business support organizations, CDFIs, and government agencies build community wealth building ecosystems through consulting, back-office support, and training in underserved urban neighborhoods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Advisory Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

Keywords

• Community development advisory
• Commercial corridor management
• Community wealth building
• Equitable real estate development
• Small business support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Project Forward generates revenue through providing analytical, strategic, and tactical guidance to clients. Services include research, strategic planning, commercial corridor management, back office support, and professional training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Project Forward is a community development consulting firm that develops and strengthens community wealth building ecosystems for urban revitalization. It provides analytical, strategic, and tactical guidance to small businesses, property owners, government economic development agencies, business support organizations, community development financial institutions, philanthropy, and financial intermediaries. Core offerings include Commercial Corridor Services (advisory and strategic management plans for business improvement districts, zones, special service areas, and anchor real estate development), Back Office Support (connecting small businesses to legal, marketing, and management resources to scale), and Speaking and Training (workshops, facilitation, and conferences on community wealth building, equitable real estate development, anchor institutions, and integrated access to capital).

Product overview

Project Forward is a community development consulting firm offering a portfolio of advisory and support services. The company provides three core service offerings: Commercial Corridor Services (strategic planning and management for business improvement districts and real estate development), Back Office Support (connecting small businesses to legal, marketing, and management resources), and Speaking and Training (educational programs on community wealth building and equitable development). These services are delivered directly to clients including small businesses, property owners, government agencies, business support organizations, community development financial institutions, and philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Corridor Services

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Urban JuncturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Forward collaborates with Urban Juncture, a Bronzeville community development organization, on community revitalization efforts. Urban Juncture leads the Forum restoration project while Project Forward provides strategic guidance on integrated community wealth building approaches.
• Lugenia Burns Hope CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with community organization focused on affordable housing initiatives and rent control advocacy in Bronzeville area.
• Elevated ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of organizers and researchers partnering to support equitable, transit-oriented developments. Project Forward works within this ecosystem for urban revitalization initiatives.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Smart Growth America: Smart Growth America advocates for and advises on equitable, transit-oriented, and mixed-use urban development, closely aligned with Project Forward's equitable transit-oriented development and commercial corridor work.
• Reinvestment Fund: Reinvestment Fund is a CDFI that uses data-driven analytics and capital deployment to support equitable community development, mirroring Project Forward's blend of analytical advisory and integrated capital strategy.
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC): ICIC is a non-profit research and advisory organization focused on urban revitalization and inner-city business growth, with comparable advisory and strategy mandates to Project Forward's commercial corridor and small business work.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC): NCRC is a coalition that works to eliminate discriminatory lending and expand fair access to credit, sharing Project Forward's focus on equitable community development and small business capital access.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a national CDFI and community development intermediary that finances and advises real estate developers, small businesses, and nonprofits in underserved urban neighborhoods — directly overlapping Project Forward's CDFI, developer, and small business support work.
• Urban Institute: Urban Institute conducts research and policy analysis on housing, community development, and economic mobility in U.S. cities — directly comparable in providing analytical and strategic guidance to government and community development clients.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise is a large national community development organization that combines real estate development, lending, and policy advisory to support affordable housing and equitable urban revitalization, operating at a much larger scale than Project Forward but in the same space.
• National Urban League: The National Urban League is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization delivering economic empowerment programs and policy advocacy in underserved urban communities, comparable in mission and client base to Project Forward.
• Brookings Institution (Metropolitan Policy Program): Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program produces influential research and policy recommendations on urban economic development and equitable growth, operating as a broader institutional incumbent in the same analytical and advisory space.

Others

• Opportunity Finance Network: OFN is the national membership association for CDFIs, providing training, advocacy, and capacity-building services to community development lenders — adjacent to Project Forward's ecosystem-building and training offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YourProjectForward
• Instagraminstagram.com/yourprojectforward
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yourprojectforward

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Project Forward