Community Allies

What Community Allies does

Community Allies is a Chicago-based, woman-owned professional services firm founded in 2016 by Ellen Shepard, operating as Community Allies LLC under Illinois jurisdiction. The firm specializes in community engagement facilitation, collective impact strategy, and equitable local economic development consulting for government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and foundations. Its core methodology centers on facilitation techniques including World Café, stakeholder mapping, community empowerment design, and strategic planning processes aimed at redistributing decision-making authority to historically marginalized populations.

The firm delivers four interconnected service offerings: Collective Impact Services (coalition design, communities of practice convening, strategic planning facilitation), Community Empowerment Services (community meeting design, facilitation, stakeholder mapping), Equitable Local Economies Services (small business ecosystem design, local first advocacy, neighborhood commercial district revitalization), and Speaking & Expertise (keynotes, trainings, workshops on community empowerment and economic localism). Beyond services, Community Allies authored Main Street America's official 'Community Engagement for Main Street Transformation' guidebook, establishing itself as a recognized thought leader in the community development field. The core team comprises approximately five employees, supplemented by a curated network of eight featured collaborators and strategic partners (including LifeSpring Consulting, Katrina Goins Consulting, Jamee Haley Consulting, Lewis & Associates, and Next Street) who are engaged on a project basis.

The business model is project-based professional services consulting with custom engagements, no publicly disclosed pricing, and revenue derived from direct sales to enterprise clients across the nonprofit, government, CDFI, and foundation segments. Notable outcomes include the San Antonio Small Business Ecosystem Coalition securing over $4M in initial funding with buy-in from 70+ business support organizations, Common Pantry scaling to more than twice pre-pandemic capacity during COVID-19, and 100% satisfaction metrics across convening engagements. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates as an independent LLC with Ellen Shepard serving as CEO and Principal.

Name

Community Allies

Legal name

Community Allies LLC

Website

https://communityallies.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Allies is a Chicago-based, woman-owned consulting firm that facilitates collective impact strategy, community empowerment design, and equitable local economic development for government agencies, nonprofits, CDFIs, and foundations across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Consulting

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAC

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYEDALAOAI

Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

Keywords

• Community development consulting
• Collective impact facilitation
• Community empowerment design
• Equitable economic development
• Small business ecosystem strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, IL

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Professional Services: Strategy consulting, coalition-building, facilitation, and community empowerment services provided to government agencies, nonprofits, CDFIs, and foundations. Projects include strategic planning, organizational development, community engagement, and equitable economic development advisory work.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Allies is a woman-owned consulting firm that provides strategy, facilitation, and coalition-building services to help nonprofits, government agencies, CDFIs, and foundations achieve collective impact, community empowerment, and equitable local economies. Engagements cover strategic planning, organizational development, community meeting design, stakeholder mapping, small business ecosystem design, and speaking/training. Each project is staffed with a customized team assembled from a core group and a network of allied practitioners.

Product overview

Community Allies is a consulting services firm that does not offer a traditional software product or platform. Their portfolio consists of four interconnected professional service offerings: Collective Impact Services (coalition design, strategic planning, communities of practice facilitation), Community Empowerment Services (community engagement design, meeting facilitation, stakeholder mapping), Equitable Local Economies Services (small business ecosystem development, local first advocacy, neighborhood revitalization), and Speaking & Expertise (keynotes, trainings, workshops). Additionally, they authored the 'Community Engagement for Main Street Transformation' guidebook as intellectual property for Main Street America. All services focus on facilitating collective impact, empowering communities in decision-making, and supporting locally-owned and BIPOC-owned businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• San Antonio Small Business Ecosystem Coalition secured over $4M in initial funding with buy-in from nearly 70 business support groups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LISC San AntoniocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity Allies partnered with LISC San Antonio on a multi-phase project to facilitate small business support entities in coordinating efforts, building a strong local ecosystem, and creating more effective support for small business owners of color. The partnership resulted in the San Antonio Small Business Ecosystem Coalition securing over $4M in initial funding.
• Jamee Haley ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Allies and Jamee Haley Consulting partnered to develop parameters for the City of San Antonio's 'Shop Local First' initiative. Both pioneers of the Local First movement brought over three decades of combined experience in building local economies.
• LifeSpring ConsultingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrought in by Community Allies to provide deep CDFI-specific analysis and assessment for Chicago Community Loan Fund strategic planning engagement.
• Katrina Goins ConsultingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Community Allies on strategic plan for Chicago Community Loan Fund and organizational development for California Community Investment Collaborative.
• Prospera PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Allies partnered with Prospera Partners on multiple projects including Wallace Center Good Food Network Training, Foodlab Detroit strategy sessions, and Lowcountry Local First training engagement.
• Lewis & AssociatessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Allies and Lewis & Associates partnered to lead community engagement for an eight-city study of small business support ecosystems for business owners of color. Tracy Lewis served as project co-lead for San Antonio Small Business Ecosystem Coalition support.
• Main Street AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Allies wrote Main Street America's official 'Community Engagement for Main Street Transformation' guidebook and has provided leadership training at their annual conference.
• Common FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on small business ecosystem assessment in seven U.S. cities (Atlanta, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Richmond, San Antonio, St. Louis) to identify gaps in resource accessibility for businesses owned by people of color.
• Next StreetsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Community Allies and Lewis & Associates on comprehensive small business ecosystem assessment in seven cities, focusing on access to business support services and flexible capital.
• Love & OrdersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Allies collaborated with Love & Order (founded by Eliza Yvette Esquivel) to design and facilitate board retreats including the Urban Manufacturing Alliance strategic planning retreat that led to the transition to Mechanism.
• Argyle Advising (Martin Sorge)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartin Sorge, CEO of Argyle Advising, collaborated with Community Allies on Uptown United strategic retreats and other economic development projects.
• International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)supportingOthersEllen Shepard is a member of IAP2, an international professional association advancing the practice of public participation.
• International Association of FacilitatorssupportingOthersEllen Shepard is a member of the International Association of Facilitators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Living Cities: Living Cities is a cross-sector collaborative of philanthropic and financial institutions advancing racial equity in urban economies — comparable to Community Allies in mission, cross-sector coalition facilitation, and CDFI/funder client base.
• FSG: FSG is one of the leading global consultancies dedicated to collective impact, strategic philanthropy, and equitable evaluation — directly competing with Community Allies for foundation, nonprofit, and cross-sector coalition engagements using shared methodology language.
• Next Street: Next Street is a mission-driven advisory firm supporting small businesses and underserved entrepreneurs with capital, advisory, and ecosystem building — directly overlapping Community Allies' small business ecosystem practice and BIPOC-owned business focus.
• Urbane Development: Urbane Development is a community economic development consulting firm serving nonprofits, governments, and foundations on commercial district revitalization — directly comparable to Community Allies' equitable local economies and neighborhood commercial district services.
• Prospera Partners: Prospera Partners is a consulting firm supporting equitable local food systems and small business ecosystems, and has co-delivered projects with Community Allies for clients including Wallace Center Good Food Network and Foodlab Detroit.
• TCC Group: TCC Group is a management consulting firm serving foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies on strategy, evaluation, and capacity building — directly comparable to Community Allies on services, client base, and small-team consulting model.
• The Democracy Collaborative: The Democracy Collaborative focuses on community wealth building, equitable local economies, and anchor institution strategy — directly overlapping Community Allies' equitable local economies practice and small business ecosystem work.
• Common Future: Common Future is a network advancing locally rooted, equitable economies and previously partnered with Community Allies on the seven-city small business ecosystem assessment — directly comparable in practice area and client segment.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a large national CDFI and community development organization that both partners with Community Allies (e.g., San Antonio Small Business Ecosystem Coalition) and competes for similar CDFI, foundation, and municipal contracts across multiple U.S. cities.

Emerging players

• Build Healthy Places Network: Build Healthy Places Network supports cross-sector partnerships at the intersection of community development and health — comparable to Community Allies in cross-sector facilitation, equity focus, and foundation/CDFI client base, but with a narrower health lens.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-allies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Allies