About IGEN

The Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) was formed in 2008 through an intergovernmental agreement with support from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Governor’s Office, and the Illinois Community College Board. Funds are utilized to support the consortium of all 39 Illinois community college districts (35 active members). A Presidents’ Steering Committee governs IGEN.

Mission:

Promote collaboration among all Illinois community colleges and their partners to drive the growth of the green workforce and the clean energy economy.

Vision:

Ensure that the Illinois community college system serves as a leader in transforming education and the economy for a sustainable future.

Strategic Goals:

  1. Grow the number of IGEN’s funding sources; increasing from two to four by FY 27, including at least one Federal or private source.
  2. Improve the transparency of IGEN’s grant review and award process beginning with the FY25 applications, with the following: a pre-bid conference, reviewing grant criteria; application questions directly linked to scoring rubric; increased diversity of the review team; and feedback available to college applicants who request it.
  3. Promote IGEN’s success stories with shared press releases, social media posts and photographs throughout the year and a single-page report prepared ahead of spring legislative sessions each year, starting in FY25.
  4. Develop a “toolbox” to support the work of liaisons at member colleges, including checklists of responsibilities, discussion forums and case studies by the start of FY26.

Our funds help support community colleges in eight focus areas: building sciences, energy, food, manufacturing, natural resources, transportation, waste, and water.

Presently, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency funds IGEN through a $2.5M grant. These funds were appropriated from the Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund through Public Act 100-0586. The purpose of these funds is to support education and training for renewable energy and energy efficiency technology, and for the operations/services of the network.

Impact of IGEN

Since 2009, working to promote collaboration among all Illinois community colleges and their partners to drive the growth of the green workforce and the clean energy economy.

IGEN is distributing over $1 million in FY25 grant funding for:

  • 3 Curriculum Development
  • 6 Energy Efficiency initiatives
  • 5 Renewable Energy projects

Providing colleges with technical assistance to find energy efficiency solutions on campuses, saving utility costs and reducing carbon footprints.

Woman showing plants to group of people.
Group of men having a discussion in a car shop.

Working with ICCB on Rev Up EVs program to assist in training automotive instructors, collaborating with industry leaders, and developing curriculum and pathways with community colleges.

Connecting colleges with each other and with valuable resources on monthly meeting calls and at the annual IGEN conference.

Man giving a presentation to a group of seated people.

2023 Highlights

  • 24 colleges created and/or expanded curricula for over 70 certificate and degree programs or courses to include energy efficiency and/or renewable energy, including career pathways into the energy industry.
  • 21 colleges installed renewable energy/solar projects on campus, totaling almost 2,000 kW, all including a component of demonstration, education, and/or training.
  • 17 colleges implemented energy efficiency or renewable energy-related capital, equipment, and installation/upgrade projects for campuses as living laboratories, including a component of demonstration, education, and/or training.
  • 16 colleges are increasing the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure by installing charging stations, including integration into campus automotive programs.
  • Six colleges offered over 30 campus and community outreach programs/trainings focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency topics.
  • Five colleges conducted energy-related feasibility studies and implemented recommendations.
  • Over 13,000 students trained in energy efficiency and renewable energy-related programs.
  • In FY2023, 31 colleges submitted 66 proposals totaling $5M resulting in 32 energy-related projects funded at 24 colleges.
  • From 2020-2022, five colleges participated in a U.S. DOE Cooperative Agreement for $1.25M to develop solar training curriculum.
  • More than 40 businesses engaged with the network to increase career pathways into the energy industry.
  • Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s formula, an estimated 120 jobs were retained because of this funding and because of IGEN supported projects.