Explore French businesses and organizations in Illinois serving your community. Find law firms, medical practices, restaurants, retail stores, nonprofits, cultural organizations, and community services owned by or dedicated to serving the French community. Connect with establishments that understand your cultural values and provide services in your language.
The Consulate General of France protects the interests of French residents and tourists in the 13 States of of jurisdiction (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin).
This office performs a number of administrative services on behalf of the local French community: It keeps records of vital statistics, provides identification cards, passports... The French Consulate also offers notary and limited legal services.
As a relay for the French Embassy on Washington, the French Consulate also contributes to developing ties and advancing partnerships between France (national and local institutions, companies, civil society...) and the Midwestern United States.
We are a chapter of the cultural and educational not-for-profit Alliance Française organization, a worldwide network of chapters that seek to educate members about francophone cultures, language, history and literature.
The mission of the Alliance Française du North Shore is to inspire and foster an appreciation and enjoyment of French language and francophone cultures through educational, intellectual, artistic, charitable and social endeavors.
In 2015, the Alliance Française du North Shore was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Illinois; in 2016, our chapter was granted tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Today, the Alliance Française du North Shore offers opportunities for French speakers to enjoy conversation groups, programs with speakers, a movie club, two French courses, book groups, an annual trivia night and more, all in a convivial and welcoming ambiance. Laughter usually abounds at many of these events.
Alliance Française DuPage members come from all over the Western suburbs of Chicago and beyond. Since March 2020, we have migrated all our programming online (using Zoom) due to the Coronavirus.
Take a moment to look through our website at our wide variety of AF DuPage events and activities: French conversation groups, Language Workshop, Book Club, Ciné Club, and Special Events.
We would be delighted to see you online! We’re a vibrant, diverse group and we’re eager to welcome new members. Whether you are a fluent French speaker or just enjoy French culture, you are sure to find an event that engages your desire for French language and cultural programming.
In normal times, we move our feast of activities throughout DuPage County and the Fox River Valley region, from Naperville to Wheaton to Downers Grove to Geneva and Saint Charles. After the pandemic, we hope to be able to join together again with fellow AF DuPage members at our annual signature events – Bastille Day Pique-Nique, Soirée Crêpes, Fête de Noël, and wine tastings. Until then, we have reimagined many of these activities into online formats.
The Alliance Française de Chicago is over 120 years old and is part of an international network of over 1,100 Alliances and affiliated cultural centers worldwide. It is the second oldest Alliance Française in the US and second largest after the Alliance Française in New York City.
There are 111 Alliances in the US alone. Our history includes a long list of prominent Chicagoans, dating from our founding in 1897, who serve on our Board of Directors and Woman’s Board. Our home is two renovated vintage buildings at Dearborn Street and Chicago Avenue, connected by a garden - and we are open to the public. We are an independently financed 501(c)(3) non-profit institution and are not a French government agency. As such, we must raise nearly half our operating budget from donations and fundraising activities.
The Chicago Chapter of Albertine Foundation is committed to fostering connection between the City of Chicago, the Midwest region of the United States, and France.
This program supports numerous projects in on three main cultural fields: Art, Education, and Architecture. Through these initiatives, we initiate and strengthen exchanges between French and Chicago artists, creators, academics, curators, urban planners, architects and institutions. Our main objective is to bring communities together and inspire future long-term and solid collaborations between the two countries.
