The Polk Bros. Foundation has supported IFF’s Real Estate Consulting program for many years. Thanks to a special grant from the Foundation, IFF is pleased to make available three opportunities to assist Polk Bros. grantees with planning for new or renovated space.

Real estate projects are a major undertaking and a significant milestone for a nonprofit, yet often outside the scope of expertise of senior management or boards of directors. IFF’s team of real estate professionals guide and assist nonprofits to achieve their real estate goals and avoid costly pitfalls, while allowing organizations to remain focused on their mission.

IFF is pleased to offer subsidies of 40% of the service cost, up to $3,000, for the following services to organizations that have received a Polk Bros. grant in the past five years. Please call Nyla Diab at 312 629 0060 for details.

Feasibility Study
To help an organization determine whether a real estate development project is financially and operationally feasible, IFF staff will:

• Interview key senior management and board members to understand the organization’s current space needs and long-term goals,
• Evaluate current facility to understand space constraints and challenges,
• Perform a financial assessment to determine whether a project is viable, and
• Present to agency leadership a range of options (type of space, location and/or cost) and the level of feasibility for each.

IFF’s fee for a feasibility study typically ranges from $7,500 to $10,000.

Site Search, Evaluation, and Due Diligence Services
To ensure an organization ultimately secures the right facility at the right price under the best possible terms, IFF staff will:

• Identify site search parameters including size, cost, target location(s), and other requirements based on current needs and long-term goals,
• Identify and evaluate sites for programmatic, structural, and cost fit,
• Rank each site across identified parameters and recommend best options, and
• Manage all due diligence related to site control including: conduct final inspection, prepare preliminary architectural drawings, and negotiate lease or purchase contract.

IFF’s fee for site search, evaluation, and due diligence is typically $15,000.  

Energy Performance Program (E2P) Evaluation Services
To help nonprofits significantly lower monthly energy costs through E2P, IFF staff will:

• Work with an energy efficiency engineer to complete a thorough facility energy analysis,
• Prepare an energy use report after a review of electricity, gas, and water bills for past 24 months,
• Present energy cost reduction recommendations, including payback projections, and
• Prepare implementation plan and manage retrofits for selected energy cost reduction measures.

 IFF’s fees for energy performance evaluation and other E2P services are based on facility size and scope of project. Visit iff.org/e2p for more information.

If your organization is planning a facility project, IFF would enjoy the opportunity to learn more about your project and provide a proposal for services to help ensure your project’s success—please call Nyla Diab at 312 629 0060 to discuss your project.