Comparison · 12 material differences
ACG vs ILPA
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 ACG
Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals — private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers…
Professional association
ILPA
Institutional limited partners — pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions — that invest in…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — ACG: Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and under; ILPA: No published maximum age at joining.
- Annual dues — ACG: Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule.; ILPA: $4,410 a year.
Side by side
| ACG | ILPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1954 | 2002 (ILPA describes its origins as an informal networking club of a few dozen limited partners more than two decades ago; secondary sources date its formal establishment as a trade association to 2002) |
| 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 50-plus countries; roughly 60% US-based and 40% in Europe, Canada and elsewhere. Offices in Toronto, Washington DC and London. |
| Members | 14,000as of September 2026 | 600as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 61 | Not applicable — no chapters. ILPA runs 20-plus regional gatherings across 12-plus countries |
| 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 | Institutional limited partners — pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions — that invest in private market funds |
| 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. | Members are institutions rather than individuals: public and corporate pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices, insurance companies, investment firms, development finance institutions and sovereign wealth funds. Around 7,000 individual professionals sit under those institutional memberships. Service providers, consultants and general partners are excluded. |
| 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 ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| 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. | An institution submits a membership application request form — a separate form exists for associate membership — and ILPA checks it against the three eligibility tests. Fees are then assigned from the four-tier AUM schedule for a 12-month term. Questions go to membership@ilpa.org. |
| 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 — ILPA publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance or rejection data |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule. | $4,410 a yearTier 1 — total AUM under $1.5 billion. Fees rise about 5% year over year.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 | Fees are institutional, cover a 12-month term, and are banded by total AUM in USD. |
| Local chapter dues | $725 a yearACG New York standard membership, first yearverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Fees are institutional, cover a 12-month term, and are banded by total AUM in USD. |
| Membership term | Annual, renewed through the chapter | 12-month term, renewed annually |
| 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 | Annual Summit, Legal Conference, Members' Conference and Forum EMEA, plus more than 20 regional gatherings across 12-plus countries and a webcast programme |
| 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) | No standing peer forums; members convene at conferences, regional gatherings and through the ILPA Connect platform |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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