In April 2008, IGEN (formerly known as the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network, or ICCSN) received a $490,000 start-up grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). With this funding, Heartland Community College,  Kankakee Community College,  Lewis and Clark Community College, and  Wilbur Wright College created pilot college Sustainability Centers to provide sustainability resources to administration, faculty, staff, students and the community. In early 2009, IGEN received another $245,000 from DCEO to create additional Sustainability Centers at the College of Lake County  and Southwestern Illinois College.

With six centers successfully underway and a growing vision for centers on all 48 campuses in the Illinois Community College system, the IGEN founding presidents pressed for both state and federal funding to increase the number of Sustainability Centers across the state.

In November 2009, Governor Quinn committed to supporting the next stage of IGEN development by providing almost two years of state funding totaling $1.7 million through two DCEO grants. In addition to this state funding support, Illinois Congressional Representatives secured support on a federal level. Congresswoman Halvorson secured a congressionally-directed appropriation from the U.S. Department of Energy for $250,000 and Congressman Hare secured a congressionally-directed appropriation from the U.S. Department of Education for $600,000

This funding support has enabled the Illinois Community College System to: Pilot green technologies Increase green campus initiatives Expand sustainability in the curriculum Grow green workforce training programs Engage local communities in sustainability and energy use reduction initiatives