Welcome to the Civic Federation website!
Our website is designed with the goal of increasing the accessibility of our research with resources such as an updated library that allows visitors to search through Federation and IIFS research and commentary quickly and easily, as well as expanded blogs.
Our blogs, written by Federation staff, will focus on research, events in the news, and other topics on government finance.
All published Civic Federation and Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability (IIFS) research dating back to 1993 is available free of charge via this library. Older research is avalible in the archives.
Search results can be customized by selecting any number of options through the filters. Search by government, issue, publication type, date, or budget fiscal year. In addition to published reports, results can be filtered to include blog posts and special information pages. Identify IIFS research as results with blue headings.
Welcome to civicfed.org, the digital voice of the Civic Federation. Here you can find our publications, as well as blog and multimedia content, all available free of charge. All Federation content is easily searchable by date, issue, content type and many other categories in the Library section of the website. This website also features a separate section for the Federation’s State of Illinois-oriented research institute, the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability (IIFS).
On June 30, 2009 the Chicago City Council passed a resolution asking the Civic Federation to conduct a review of the financial projections made by Chicago 2016 for the City’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Specifically, the resolution asked the Federation to deliver a report and recommendations to the City Council on Chicago’s financing of the 2016 games and any financial impact on taxpayers. Click here to download a copy of the resolution.
The Civic Federation has redesigned its site.
Please click here for the new Civic Federation homepage.
Click here for more information on the site upgrade and an explanation of all the new features.
The Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation provides timely policy analysis and recommendations to assist Illinois’ decision-makers with regard to the state's operating and capital budgets, public employee pensions, capital investment, debt, Medicaid, and state employee and retiree health care.
Please select one of the following topics to read the latest IIFS research and commentary on that subject.
The Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation (IIFS) is an initiative of the non-partisan Civic Federation. The Institute's mission is to improve the State's decision making process by providing timely fiscal policy analysis and recommendations to State officials, the media, and the public through education and digital outreach.
In 1894 a group led by several of Chicago’s most prominent citizens, including Jane Addams, Bertha Palmer and Lyman J. Gage, coalesced around a serious issue: the need to address deep concerns about the city’s economic, political and moral climate at the end of the 19th century. The resulting organization, called the Civic Federation, evolved during the 20th century to become a leading advocate for governmental fiscal responsibility and an effective champion of rational tax policy.
The Civic Federation researches and provides commentary on a wide range of issues affecting local governments in Northeast Illinois. Click on one of the categories below to read about our latest research, information, and action on topics ranging from pensions to property taxes.
Welcome to the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation, made possible by a generous grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability is an initiative of the non-partisan Civic Federation. The Institute’s mission is to improve the state’s decision making process by providing timely fiscal policy analysis and recommendations to state officials, the media, and the public through education and digital outreach.
