Comparison · 13 material differences
ACG vs Urban Land Institute
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
What the records say
- Industry restriction: ACG: No published industry restriction; Urban Land Institute: Open to professionals across the real estate and land use industry.
- Annual dues: ACG: Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule.; Urban Land Institute: $1,332 a year.
Side by side
| ACG | Urban Land Institute | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1954 | 1936 (Founded 14 December 1936; the Urban Land Institute name was adopted in 1939 per Wikipedia's history of the organisation.) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | Washington, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 61 local markets worldwide, grouped into seven regions (Canada, Central, Europe, Great Lakes, Northeast, Southeast, West); most chapters are in North America, with chapters in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom | Members in 80+ countries; district councils across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with separate ULI Europe and ULI Asia Pacific regions |
| Members | 14,000as of September 2026 | 45,000as of August 2026 |
| Chapters | 61 | 57 |
| Primary audience | Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals: private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers, plus PE-backed CEOs | Professionals across the land use and real estate industry: developers, investors, lenders, architects, planners, public officials and academics |
| Typical member | Members come from corporations, private equity firms, lenders and professional service firms working on middle-market transactions. ACG reports that 75% of members say they have done business with another member. Specialist networks exist for corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, women and young professionals. | ULI's own materials describe a cross-disciplinary membership of developers, investors, designers, builders, buyers, sellers, urban planners and public officials. Wikipedia's breakdown of the membership puts developers at 28 percent, capital sources at 13 percent, service providers at 10 percent and the public sector at 10 percent. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and underApplies to discounted categories only (for example ACG New York's Forward membership, available for a maximum of two years); standard membership has no age limitverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Under 35 qualifies for a reduced dues rateULI's membership FAQ states it offers 50–75 percent savings for individuals under age 35, for professionals in non-profit organisations, government or academia, and for students. Under-35 members are also the constituency for the Young Leaders Group. This is a discount band, not a barrier to joining.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Open to professionals across the real estate and land use industryULI describes itself as "a diverse network of private and public professionals spanning the real estate and land use industry, including developers, investors, designers, builders, buyers, sellers, urban planners, and public officials". No revenue, seniority or wealth test is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants pick a chapter using ACG's chapter locator and join or renew through the central portal at my.acg.org. There is no published interview, sponsorship or committee review; payment of chapter dues completes membership. A member referral programme exists but referral is not required. | Applicants create a ULI account and join online, or join by email, phone or post using a printed application with payment. Membership is open on application; ULI's published materials describe no sponsor, interview or committee review. Dues can be paid in one annual payment, on annual auto-renewal, or in twelve monthly instalments, which require a twelve-month commitment. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: ACG publishes no acceptance criteria or rejection data, and membership appears to be open to anyone working in middle-market M&A who pays chapter dues | Not publicly disclosed; ULI publishes no acceptance rate and its published joining route is open enrolment rather than selection. Invitation-based selection applies within ULI to product councils, not to membership itself. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule. | $1,332 a yearFull membership, United States standard rate ($111 per month on the instalment plan). From ULI's own US individual membership application; the form states rates were valid for payments received by 30 June 2023, so the current rate may differ.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed: no separate initiation fee was found; the first-year rate is higher than the renewal rate at some chaptersverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Local chapter dues | $725 a yearACG New York standard membership, first yearverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. District council participation is included in national dues in ULI's published materials; no separate district council fee is advertised.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual, renewed through the chapter | 12 months, expiring on the last day of the anniversary month; annual renewal, with auto-renewal and monthly instalment options |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | More than 1,200 events a year across the network; individual chapters typically run monthly or more frequent programmes, plus national conferences including DealMAX | District council events year-round plus ULI Spring Meeting and Fall Meeting; ULI cites 2,900+ events worldwide each year across in-person and online formats |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters and seven cross-chapter specialist networks (corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, Women of ACG, young professionals) | ULI Forums and Product Councils are topic-specific member groups that meet regularly; district councils run local committees and a Young Leaders Group |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found | Not publicly disclosed as a general membership rule; ULI publishes a Code of Ethics rather than a confidentiality regime |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: ACG · Urban Land Institute