The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an American think tank and public engagement nonprofit organization focused on global affairs located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1922 as the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, it is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a stated mission of "increasing knowledge of and engagement in global affairs through events and engagement experiences, leadership development programs, public opinion surveys, and research and analysis."
The Council has hosted numerous presidents prime ministers, and secretaries of state since its founding
The Council is home to the Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy. Since 1974, the Council has polled the American public to understand their views on US global engagement. The Chicago Council Survey focuses on American public opinions of foreign policy issues, highlighting trends and shifts in thinking over time. ÃÂ
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri was named president and CEO of the Council in 2025.
The Council hosts public events with international speakers, policymakers, business executives, journalists, and other experts. In 2014âÂÂ15, the Council disclosed that it held more than 200 public and private programs with approximately 41,600 attendees in person and online. It also has programs, such as the "Emerging Leaders" program.
In May 2015, the Council partnered with the Financial Times to host the Chicago Forum on Global Cities, a three-day international event exploring how global cities can address issues like education, inequality, security, and climate change.
The Council also hosts an annual Global Food Security Symposium, which it says is focused on the United States government's and international community's progress on addressing the problem of food insecurity. The event has drawn speakers such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and USAID administrator Rajiv Shah.
The Council's "Global Leadership Award" has been awarded to individuals, including former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs conducts research on food and agriculture, global cities, economics, energy, immigration, security, public opinion, and water. Among its recent publications, the Council released reports for initiatives in global hunger and arming Ukraine. According to Rajiv Shah, the Council's 2009 report, "Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty," served as a "road map" for the U.S. government's Feed the Future.
In February 2015, the Council partnered with the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Council to produce "Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do" a report urging the United States and NATO to provide lethal defensive assistance to preserve Ukraine's independence.
In March 2017, the Council released a report showing that immigration accounted for a large share of the population growth in the Midwest. In Chicago and Akron, immigrants accounted for more than half of the population growth. In the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, they accounted for at least a quarter of the population growth. In some Midwestern cities and towns, immigrants are staving off population decline.