Comparison · 12 material differences
Angel Capital Association vs CCIM 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.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 Angel Capital Association
Individual accredited angel investors, organised angel groups, angel funds, family offices investing in private companies, equity crowdfunding platforms, and ecosystem…
Professional association
CCIM Institute
Commercial real estate practitioners — brokers, investors, asset managers, lenders, appraisers and developers — pursuing or holding the CCIM designation
What the records say
- Accredited-investor status — Angel Capital Association: Individual membership is aimed at accredited angel investors; online equity marketplace platform members must be comprised of accredited investors; CCIM Institute: No published accredited-investor status.
- Industry restriction — Angel Capital Association: No published industry restriction; CCIM Institute: Candidate membership is open to commercial real estate practitioners; no prior designation or advanced degree is required.
- Annual dues — Angel Capital Association: $310 a year; CCIM Institute: $695 a year.
Side by side
| Angel Capital Association | CCIM Institute | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 2004 (Formed out of four Angel Organization Summits convened by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2002 and 2003. One business directory gives 2005; 2004 is the date recorded on Wikipedia and in ACA's own account of its origins.) | 1967 (CCIM's own designation page states "Since 1967, more than 20,000 professionals have completed the CCIM Designation program"; its homepage says the Institute has operated for more than 56 years.) |
| Headquarters | Overland Park, United States | Chicago, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with some international members; ACA also serves as the US representative to the World Business Angels Association | Members in more than 30 countries; chapters across the United States plus Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, Korea and Taiwan |
| Members | 15,000as of September 2026 | 13,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | ACA has no chapters. Its 250+ member angel groups and platforms are independent organisations that join as institutional members. | 59 |
| Primary audience | Individual accredited angel investors, organised angel groups, angel funds, family offices investing in private companies, equity crowdfunding platforms, and ecosystem organisations such as accelerators and universities | Commercial real estate practitioners — brokers, investors, asset managers, lenders, appraisers and developers — pursuing or holding the CCIM designation |
| Typical member | Individual members are accredited angel investors, most of whom belong to one of ACA's member angel groups and are automatically included through that group's membership. Institutional members are angel networks, funds, family offices and platforms. | Members are working commercial real estate practitioners rather than a wealth or seniority cohort. Candidate members are practitioners studying for the designation; designees have completed the curriculum, submitted a portfolio of qualifying experience and passed a comprehensive exam. |
| Qualification | ||
| Accredited-investor status | Individual membership is aimed at accredited angel investors; online equity marketplace platform members must be comprised of accredited investorsACA states that membership is available to individual angels, accredited platforms, angel group investors and family offices. It does not publish a separate verification procedure for individual members.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Candidate membership is open to commercial real estate practitioners; no prior designation or advanced degree is requiredPractitioners who are not pursuing the designation may also join in order to take courses.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants complete an online application, agree to the ACA Member Code of Conduct and pay annual dues for the relevant category. Online equity marketplace platforms are asked to contact the membership team rather than self-serve. Individual investors who belong to a member angel group are enrolled through that group. | Practitioners join online as candidate members and pay annual dues, then work through the designation curriculum at their own pace. Applications for the special designee categories — life membership, retirement, leave of absence — are reviewed twice a year, with a spring deadline of 27 March 2026 for the current cycle. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Admission is by application and code-of-conduct agreement rather than by selection; ACA publishes no rejection or acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed as an acceptance rate. Membership itself is open; the filter is the designation, which requires curriculum completion, a qualifying-experience portfolio and a comprehensive exam. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $310 a yearIndividual Investor membership, "starting at $310". Members of ACA angel groups are automatically included.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $695 a yearCandidate membership, United States. Dues prorate in the shopping cart for members joining after 31 January.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Local chapter dues | Dues are published as starting rates; the tiering above those floors is not detailed publicly. | Not publicly disclosed; chapter dues are not listed on the national membership pages.verified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | Dues are published as starting rates; the tiering above those floors is not detailed publicly. | Not recorded here. The designation curriculum is priced separately from dues under CCIM's "Designation Program: Time & Cost" schedule, which was not read for this record.verified September 2026 |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. ACA's annual summit carries a registration fee that is not published on the membership pages.verified September 2026 | Candidate dues are published; the standard designee rate is not. Course fees for the designation curriculum are separate from membership dues. |
| Membership term | Annual | Calendar year, with dues prorated for members joining after 31 January |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Annual summit held in a different city each year, plus webinars and education programming through the year | Chapter events year-round plus national Spring and Fall Forums |
| Peer forums | Peer group syndication channels rather than confidential peer forums | Local chapters organised across 13 regions; no confidential facilitated peer forum is published |
| Confidentiality | Members agree to the ACA Member Code of Conduct; no separate confidentiality regime is published | Not publicly disclosed; CCIM publishes a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Chapter-based, Cohort-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Angel Capital Association · CCIM Institute