For Immediate Release

Contact: Stephanie Roon, 312-552-2777 sroon@fhlbc.com

CHICAGO, March 15, 2017 – The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (Bank) is pleased to announce the first recipient of its 2017 Community First Awards today at its member meeting in O’Fallon, Illinois. The awards recognize outstanding achievements of the Bank’s member institutions and their local partners as they work together to strengthen their communities through affordable housing and economic development initiatives. Award categories include partnership, project or program, pioneer, and emerging leader. Award winners identify a nonprofit organization to receive up to $10,000.

Partnership Award
Housing Action Illinois (HAI) is the recipient of a $10,000 partnership award recognizing the Organizational Leadership Development Initiative it created with Midland States Bank (www.midlandsb.com) in 2015. The initiative offers a specific Organizational Leadership workshop track at HAI’s annual Housing Matters! conference for housing advocates and practitioners, and it provides scholarships for nonprofit leaders throughout Illinois – especially those in non-metropolitan areas – to attend.

“Midland States Bank and Housing Action Illinois believe that to create positive, long-lasting change in the affordable housing sector, there must be high-functioning nonprofit organizations led by effective, dynamic, well-trained leaders, and we agree with them,” said Suzi Thackston, FHLBC Community Investment Officer. “The Organizational Leadership Development Initiative invests in the human capital necessary to advance the social goals of our member institutions and the communities they serve.”

Later this month, the Bank will announce three more Community First Award winners at its member meetings in Oak Brook, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Bank also supports the community investment activities of its members by offering:

• Forgivable grants for eligible projects through its competitive Affordable Housing Program
• Down payment and closing cost assistance through its Downpayment Plus® Programs
• Favorably priced loans and credit products through its Community Investment Cash Advances
• Lower-interest-rate, longer-term financing for community development organizations through its Community First Fund
• Grants to grow and strengthen nonprofit lenders through its new Community First Capacity-Building Grant Program
• Direct relief funding to members’ communities through the Community First Disaster Relief Program

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
For more information on the FHLBC and its full range of Community Investment programs, please visit www.fhlbc.com or @FHLBC. “Community First” and “Downpayment Plus” are registered trademarks of the FHLBC.