The IFC was founded in 1996 as the result of a vision shared by two organizations to help people experience genuine community where they live and work.

Why IFC?:
Since the beginning of the Baby Boom, technology and time pressures have isolated many of us. We live in one town, work in another, and shop in another. According to a front page article in The Chicago Tribune: "The pressures of modern day life scatter us about and cause us to retreat from one another. We are turning into a 'nation of strangers' (Dec. 26, 1995)

The demand for more meaningful relationships where we live and work continues to increase.
The popular TV shows of the 80's and 90's and today (such as "Cheers", "Seinfeld", "Friends", "The Office", and many others) are built around relational storylines of characters who live and work closely together.
In politics, the word "community" transcends party lines.
The growth of the small group movement: 40% of Americans are part of a weekly group that meets for support, encouragement, shared interests.
"What people hunger for most is not more goods or great power, but a manner of life, a restoration of the bonds between people that we call community." - from New Rules: Searching for self-fulfillment in a World Turned Upside Down. by Daniel Yankelvich..

The Institute For Community is dedicated to building quality relationships where people live and work, through the power of genuine community.

The IFC works to solve problems of social isolation in neighborhoods, creating value for residents, municipalities, and community businesses. The IFC pursues relationships with organizations that share the cause of restoring relationships and fulfillment to life in towns across America.