Catholic Conference of Illinois

What Catholic Conference of Illinois does

The Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization founded in 1969 that represents the Catholic bishops of Illinois' six dioceses — Archdiocese of Chicago, Diocese of Belleville, Diocese of Joliet, Diocese of Peoria, Diocese of Rockford, and Diocese of Springfield — before the Illinois General Assembly. Headquartered at 108 E. Cook St, Springfield, IL, CCI employs approximately six staff members and functions as the unified lobbying and public policy arm of the Illinois Catholic Church, coordinating advocacy across the six dioceses on issues including life, marriage, family, education, immigration, religious freedom, social services, and social justice. The organization was actively involved in the 2011 abolition of the Illinois death penalty and continues to file testimony, amicus briefs, and public statements on pending legislation.

CCI's operational deliverables are advocacy services rather than commercial products. Its portfolio includes the Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN), a grassroots mobilization network integrated with VoterVoice for constituent-to-legislator communication; the Illinois Catholic Prison and Jail Ministry Network, a statewide coordination program for clergy and laity ministering to inmates; the CCI Radio Hour, a monthly podcast hosted by Executive Director Bob Gilligan; and a Legislative Action Center enabling constituent contact with state legislators. The organization also files public testimony, press releases, bishops' statements, and amicus briefs — including a January 2026 joint amicus brief with Becket law firm and interfaith partners in federal court.

CCI's business model is non-commercial and institutionally funded. The organization receives contributions from its six member dioceses and does not engage in revenue-generating activity. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and anchored in episcopal authority: CCI coordinates with bishops, issues formal statements through diocesan channels, and mobilizes Catholic laity through grassroots networks built into parish and Catholic school infrastructure. This makes CCI a mission-driven advocacy body rather than an investable commercial entity, with revenue scale that is small and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Catholic Conference of Illinois

Legal name

Catholic Conference of Illinois

Website

https://ilcatholic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Catholic Conference of Illinois is a nonprofit founded in 1969 that represents the Catholic bishops of Illinois' six dioceses in state-level public policy advocacy before the Illinois General Assembly, employing approximately six staff in Springfield, IL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Advocacy Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Religious News, Talk & Commentary Channels (MPABALAL)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy services
• Legislative lobbying
• Faith-based advocacy
• Public policy representation
• Grassroots advocacy network

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Diocesan Contributions: As an organization representing the six Catholic dioceses in Illinois, CCI is funded through contributions from member dioceses. The organization does not engage in commercial revenue-generating activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Catholic Conference of Illinois provides public policy advocacy and lobbying representation before the Illinois General Assembly on behalf of the state's six Catholic dioceses. CCI coordinates legislative testimony, grassroots mobilization through the Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN), legislative analysis aligned with Catholic social teaching, amicus brief filings, and a statewide Prison and Jail Ministry Network. Its work spans issues including life, marriage, education, immigration, religious freedom, and social justice.

Product overview

The Catholic Conference of Illinois is a policy advocacy organization representing Illinois Catholic bishops before the state government. Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of advocacy services including the Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN) grassroots platform, the Prison and Jail Ministry Network coordination program, the CCI Radio Hour podcast series, and a Legislative Action Center powered by VoterVoice. These products work together to enable Catholic advocacy engagement with Illinois state government on issues including life, marriage, education, immigration, and social justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN)
• Illinois Catholic Prison and Jail Ministry Network Statewide network coordinated by CCI that brings together clergy and laity from each of Illinois' six dioceses to minister to prisoners and inmates in state, federal, and local correctional institutions.
• CCI Radio Hour Monthly radio program/podcast hosted by Executive Director Bob Gilligan featuring guests who discuss Catholic social teaching, public policy issues, and advocacy topics relevant to Illinois Catholics.
• Legislative Action Center Online platform enabling Illinois constituents to find and contact their legislators, view current legislative alerts, and take action on key policy issues through the VoterVoice constituent engagement system.

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 and minor.

• Illinois Catholic Health AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025CCI and the Illinois Catholic Health Association jointly filed an Amicus Brief in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Treto, explaining Illinois' mandate requiring referrals as well as pointing out the benefits of abortion strikes at the heart of America's long tradition of giving religious speech special protection.
• Orthodox Church in AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025CCI joined with the Orthodox Church in America and Serbian Orthodox Diocese to file an amicus brief protecting conscience rights of faith-based healthcare providers in federal court.
• Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gračanica-Midwestern AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025CCI joined with Orthodox partners to file an amicus brief protecting conscience rights of faith-based healthcare providers, arguing that Illinois' law demands pro-life healthcare professionals speak messages contrary to their faith.
• BecketcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025Becket law firm filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging a federal appeals court to stop Illinois from forcing pro-life healthcare professionals to promote and make referrals for abortion, in partnership with CCI and other faith-based organizations.
• Illinois Environmental CouncilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 April 2018CCI joined the Illinois Environmental Council, Sierra Club, and Faith in Place in hosting an Environmental Lobby Day at the Illinois Capitol to celebrate Laudato Si' and advocate for environmental legislation.
• Sierra ClubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 April 2018CCI partnered with Sierra Club and other organizations for Environmental Lobby Day at the Illinois Capitol, advocating for environmental legislation consistent with Catholic social teaching.
• Faith in PlaceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 April 2018CCI partnered with Faith in Place and other organizations for Environmental Lobby Day, celebrating Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' and advocating for environmental legislation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pennsylvania Catholic Conference: Public policy arm of the Pennsylvania Catholic bishops. Engages in state-level lobbying on life, family, education, and social services, and runs grassroots action networks parallel to CCI's I-CAN.
• New Jersey Catholic Conference: New Jersey's statewide Catholic policy advocacy organization representing the state's dioceses before the legislature. Mirror of CCI in structure, scope, and issue priorities.
• Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops: Advocates on behalf of Texas Catholic dioceses before the state legislature. Closely mirrors CCI's structure of unifying bishop voices on social and moral legislation.
• Massachusetts Catholic Conference: Represents Massachusetts Catholic bishops in state-level public policy advocacy. Functionally equivalent to CCI with comparable scope across life, family, education, and social justice issues.
• Indiana Catholic Conference: Indiana's state-level Catholic policy advocacy body. Operates on a comparable model with similar diocese-driven funding, small staff, and grassroots mobilization focus.
• Wisconsin Catholic Conference: Wisconsin's Catholic bishops' lobbying arm, organized around state legislative advocacy and grassroots mobilization. Same diocese-supported non-profit advocacy model as CCI.
• California Catholic Conference: Represents the Catholic bishops of California before the state government on public policy matters. Operates the same diocesan-collective advocacy model as CCI, with comparable products around legislative alerts, position statements, and grassroots mobilization.
• New York State Catholic Conference: State-level public policy advocacy arm of the New York Catholic bishops, lobbying the state legislature on life, family, education, and religious liberty issues. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and funding model to CCI, just at larger scale.

Others

• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: National religious-liberty legal organization that partnered with CCI on the 2025 NIFLA amicus brief. Comparable as a faith-based advocacy/legal ally rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): National-level Catholic policy and advocacy body. Comparable in mission and constituency, but operates at federal scope with significantly larger staff and budget; CCI's advocacy complements rather than competes with USCCB.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-conference-of-illinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Catholic Conference of Illinois