History
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 work of the Federation continues to evolve in the 21st century as a greater emphasis is placed on working with government officials to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of Chicago-area governments.
Mission
Today, The Civic Federation remains true to the non-partisan mission established by its founding members. That mission is to work with Chicago area governmental bodies to help them reduce their costs and improve the quality of government services by:
- Promoting opportunities to reform local tax structures;
- Guarding against wasteful expenditure of public funds; and
- Serving as a technical resource to public officials and opinion leaders through non-partisan tax and fiscal research.
The Civic Federation is a member of the Governmental Research Association.