Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC) is an independent, nonprofit research and consulting resource founded in 1990 and based in Chicago, Illinois.

MCIC was founded in 1990 by a consortium of business and philanthropic leaders at the Commercial Club of Chicago to regularly collect demographics and baseline data on social policy and human needs for the 6-county metropolitan Chicago region. While MCIC does not advocate specific public policies or policy choices, it provides the data necessary to support public policy and social program development.

Custom Research

MCIC provides custom research data in a variety of ways, from getting quick answers through a Help Desk line to large scale research projects. For example, Metro Chicago Facts OnLine, available through www.mcic.org, aggregates data and information for geographic boundaries within the 6-county metropolitan Chicago region and then produces custom-made reports and maps. Findings are typically used in fundraising, advocacy, and policy making. MCIC specializes in difficult to reach and underserved populations.

Arts, Culture, and Tourism

MCIC works with museums, performing arts organizations, government arts agencies, park districts, libraries, public gardens, the media, zoos, and related tourism and trade organizations to inform visitor and audience development; member and subscriber development; exhibit and program development, design, and evaluation; facility evaluation; market profiling and positioning; strategic planning; needs assessment, and funding.

Community and Economic Development

MCIC has developed specific research and consulting services to address the needs of this increasingly sophisticated industry. Services include comprehensive community assessment, program evaluation and impact analysis, market studies, strategic planning, web-based information systems, community development grants and incentive application consulting, financial impact analysis, and geographic analysis.

Financial Institutions

MCIC provides a variety of research and consulting services for branch site analysis, and strategic market planning. GIS/mapping technology, merged with unique databases like HMDA or U.S. Census information, provides in-depth analysis of delineated market areas, individual branch markets, or new site locations.

Government and Education

MCIC works with municipal and township governments and departments; agencies at the federal, state, county, and municipal level; universities; colleges; community colleges; and local school districts to assess awareness, access, and use of programs and services; determine optimum locations for new facilities; identify unmet needs; and inform strategic planning decisions.

Health and Human Services

MCIC provides research and consulting services to foundations, community health centers, public health agencies, social service organizations, education and government organizations and agencies, and related groups and associations. Services include patient and client satisfaction assessments; assessment of health behaviors within a designated population or service area; service area market profiles; evaluation; and comparative analysis of service access among population groups.

U.S. Census Information Center (CIC)

MCIC is one of a select group of national and community-based organizations that serve as auxiliary census data distribution centers. As a result, MCIC is granted priority access to a wide variety of U.S. Census datasets, including the American Community Survey (ACS) and deep-drill analysis of decennial census data.

IDEA

Founding member of the Illinois Data Exchange Affiliates (IDEA), a voluntary coalition of government agencies and nonprofit organizations working to improve and facilitate public access to public data through web-based XML data transfer.

NNIP

The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) is a collaborative effort by the Urban Institute in Washington D.C. and 28 local partners around the country who work to further the development and use of neighborhood-level information systems in local policymaking and community building. MCIC is the only NNIP partner in the metropolitan Chicago region.

Community Indicators Consortium

The CIC promotes communication among various networks, organizations and individuals involved in community indicators work in the U.S. and around the world, as well as helping to integrate their individual efforts.