OUR MISSION

The Institute for Community Empowerment is a nonprofit community organizing and leadership training institute that empowers Chicago residents to take the initiative and develop the trust and teamwork to meet their communities’ most pressing challenges.

For 38 years, ICE has taught residents the skills of "50%+1" organizing. Through door-to-door outreach, petitioning, and extensive community education on issues appearing on both advisory and binding referendums, residents have learned that majorities matter in the Chicago political world:

• For Guaranteed Home Equity Assurance in northwest and southwest side communities;

• For Expanded Mental Health Services in 8 broad communities throughout Chicago where residents have voted to pay for mental health services that are or will soon be available to more than 1 million Chicago residents; and

• For Affordable Homeownership in the south side’s Bronzeville community.

At the same time, the Institute trains aspiring community organizers to learn the skills, discipline, and imaginative use of local power and tactics that have defined the profession’s proud Chicago history dating back to Saul Alinsky.

The Institute's mission has been a constant one for almost four decades: to give all citizens in Chicago the ability and the right to initiate change, combat injustice, and empower themselves and their communities on the issues of most importance to them.