Comparison · 17 material differences
Family Business Network (FBN) vs Family Firm Institute (FFI)
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
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Business Network (FBN)
Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business
Professional association
Family Firm Institute (FFI)
Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises, plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate
What the records say
- Minimum age: Family Business Network (FBN): Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34; Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published minimum age.
- Minimum ownership stake: Family Business Network (FBN): The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic direction; Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published minimum ownership stake.
- Accredited-investor status: Family Business Network (FBN): No published accredited-investor status; Family Firm Institute (FFI): Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separately.
- Geographic restriction: Family Business Network (FBN): Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membership; Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues: Family Business Network (FBN): S$7,000 a year; Family Firm Institute (FFI): $975 a year.
Side by side
| Family Business Network (FBN) | Family Firm Institute (FFI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Professional association |
| Founded | 1989 (Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, per FBN's own About page.) | 1986 (FFI's history page states the organisation was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1986 with 22 founding members. It is now headquartered in Boston.) |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | A federation of 34 member associations covering 65 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East | Global membership; the annual Global Conference moves between cities and the 2026 edition is scheduled for New York |
| Members | 25,000as of September 2026 | Could not be independently verified: secondary sources describe "nearly 2,000 individuals and organizations from more than 80 countries", but FFI's own about, membership and contact pages do not publish a member or country count. |
| Chapters | 34 | FFI has no chapters. It organises members through virtual study groups, the Global Education Network and the annual conference. |
| Primary audience | Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business | Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises, plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate |
| Typical member | Members are individuals from families that own and control an operating business that has reached at least the second generation of family ownership, management or involvement. Membership is typically taken out in the name of the family or family company and then extends to family members including spouses and next-generation members from age 18. | The core membership is professional: lawyers, accountants, wealth managers, family business consultants, psychologists and academics working with family firms and family wealth. FFI also admits family enterprise members, educators and researchers, and students, and sells organisational memberships to advisory firms, universities and associations priced by headcount. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum age | Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34FBN Asia terms. FBN International describes its NxG community as covering members aged 18 to 40.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum age |
| Minimum ownership stake | The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic directionStated as a qualitative test; no numeric ownership percentage is published. Criteria published by FBN Asia, the member association that discloses them most fully.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum ownership stake |
| Accredited-investor status | No published accredited-investor status | Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separatelyverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | Applicants approach the FBN member association for their country or region rather than FBN International. At FBN Asia, the published route is to review the eligibility criteria, complete and submit an application form, then be contacted by the association to work through the remaining steps. Membership is normally taken in the name of the family business, with a principal member plus alternate, next-generation and supplementary family members nominated afterwards. FBN International's central contact address is connect@fbn-i.org. | Applicants select a membership category on FFI's membership page and pay the published rate. There is no published sponsorship, interview or committee stage. Organisational memberships are bought by the firm, institution or association and cover a stated number of named people. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: FBN publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance rate or applicant volume. | Not publicly disclosed: FFI describes membership categories and prices but no screening or acceptance process. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | S$7,000 a yearFBN Asia corporate (family) membership, covering all members of the business family including spouses; FBN Asia states the rate drops to SGD 5,000 a year from year three. This is one member association's price, not a network-wide fee.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $975 a yearIndividual membership: Professional and Family Enterprise members each pay this rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Dues are fully published by category. Organisational members receive 15% off Global Conference registration; conference fees themselves are separate from dues. |
| Programme fee | FBN International publishes no network-wide dues. Fees are set by each member association and vary by country; the FBN Asia schedule above is recorded because it is published openly and gives an order of magnitude. | Not publicly disclosed: the FFI Global Education Network certificate fees are not published on the membership page.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual, renewed through the local member association | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Local member-association events year-round plus FBN International global and regional summits; FBN Ireland reports roughly 750 member activities a year across the network | Annual Global Conference plus virtual study groups and learning sessions through the year |
| Peer forums | Not a facilitated-forum organisation in the peer-advisory sense; FBN organises members into thematic communities (Next Generation, Impact, Now Gen, Entrepreneurs, Family Office, Large Families) alongside national associations | Virtual study groups organised by topic; no confidential peer-forum structure |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Virtual, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | Yes | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Yes | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Business Network (FBN) · Family Firm Institute (FFI)