International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres

The International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres (IFS) is a global network of locally rooted community organisations and the federations, associations and peak bodies that represent them. Its members include settlement houses, neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres, community centres and community organisations. Although members use different names and organisational models reflecting their own histories, cultures and local contexts, they share a commitment to community participation, inclusion, social justice and locally led action. IFS creates opportunities for members to build relationships across borders, exchange knowledge, strengthen practice and bring community perspectives into regional and international conversations. IFS has its roots in the international settlement-house movement, a tradition of neighbourhood-based organisations that work alongside communities to address poverty, inequality, exclusion and social change. As settlement houses and neighbourhood centres developed in different countries, their leaders recognised the value of sharing knowledge, building relationships and acting together across borders. In 1926, these international connections led to the establishment of a global federation. Today, IFS connects and strengthens this worldwide movement, and in 2026 it marks one hundred years of international cooperation. The organisation describes itself as locally rooted and globally connected. It connects locally rooted organisations and representative networks across six continents and 30 countries. Through IFS, local knowledge becomes part of a global conversation: members learn from one another, develop international relationships and bring community experience into regional and international advocacy. IFS also has consultative status with the United Nations, reflecting its role as a bridge between community-level practice and international policy conversations. IFS is not a single service provider or a commercial chain; it is a membership-based international federation. Its work centres on relationship-building, knowledge exchange, strengthening community-led practice and collective action on shared global challenges. The network publishes news and field updates from members, supports regional engagement and network development, and organises or participates in international conferences and exchanges. Its identity is closely tied to the settlement movement's longer tradition of locally rooted action, community participation and social change.

The story of the International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres predates the Federation itself. IFS grew from the settlement movement, an international tradition of neighbourhood-based organisations that work alongside communities to address poverty, inequality, exclusion and social change. As settlement houses and neighbourhood centres, or community centres, developed in different countries, their leaders recognised the value of sharing knowledge, building relationships and acting together across borders. In 1926, these international connections led to the establishment of a global federation. Today, IFS connects and strengthens this worldwide movement, and in 2026 it marks one hundred years of international cooperation while continuing the settlement movement's longer tradition of locally rooted action, community participation and social change. IFS frames its history as two connected stories. The first is the settlement movement itself: the wider international tradition from which settlement houses, neighbourhood centres and community-based organisations developed. The second is the IFS Global Network: the international federation established in 1926 to connect this movement across countries, strengthen cooperation and encourage shared learning and collective action. Together, these histories show how locally rooted organisations became part of a global movement for stronger, more inclusive and more equitable communities. The settlement movement emerged during the late nineteenth century. It was an international tradition of neighbourhood-based organisations working alongside communities through education, participation, practical support, advocacy and social action. As the movement spread across countries, leaders saw the benefit of cross-border relationships and shared learning. Those connections culminated in the founding of the global federation in 1926. Over the following century, IFS developed into a network that connects locally rooted organisations and representative networks across six continents and 30 countries. Its members use many locally recognised names, including settlement houses, neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres, community centres and community organisations, and they operate under a variety of organisational models. What unites them is a shared commitment to participation, inclusion, human rights, social justice and the belief that communities should have a voice in the decisions that affect them. IFS also emphasises the importance of language and context. It recognises that the word "settlement" has different meanings and associations across countries, cultures and political contexts. Within IFS, the term refers to the settlement-house movement and its history of neighbourhood-based community work; it does not refer to territorial settlement or colonisation. This clarification reflects the network's effort to honour the movement's heritage while remaining inclusive of diverse local traditions and names. In the present day, IFS describes itself as locally rooted and globally connected. It creates opportunities for members to build relationships across borders, exchange knowledge, strengthen community-led practice and act together on shared global challenges. Through IFS, local knowledge becomes part of a global conversation: members learn from one another, develop international relationships and bring community experience into regional and international advocacy. The network also holds consultative status with the United Nations, reinforcing its role as a bridge between community-level practice and international policy discussions. As it approaches its centenary in 2026, IFS continues to connect and strengthen the worldwide settlement and neighbourhood centre movement.

• 2026

  IFS marks one hundred years of international cooperation.

• 1926

  Establishment of the global federation that became IFS, connecting the international settlement movement across countries.

A global network connecting locally rooted settlement houses, neighbourhood centres and community organisations to share knowledge, strengthen locally led action and work together on global challenges.

• IFS Global Network membership

  Membership connecting settlement houses, neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres, community centres and community organisations with the federations, associations and peak bodies that represent them.

• Knowledge exchange and shared learning

  Opportunities for members to build relationships across borders, exchange knowledge and strengthen practice.

• Regional and international advocacy

  Bringing community perspectives into regional and international conversations, supported by UN consultative status.

1. 1The International Federation of Settlement Houses and Neighborhood Centers (IFS) – Global Issues – Local Solutionsifsnetwork.org
2. 2HISTORY – The International Federation of Settlement Houses and Neighborhood Centers (IFS)ifsnetwork.org
3. 3Who We Are – The International Federation of Settlement Houses and Neighborhood Centers (IFS)ifsnetwork.org
4. 4What Happens When We Listen – The International Federation of Settlement Houses and Neighborhood Centers (IFS)ifsnetwork.org
5. 5Wikidata – International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centreswikidata.org