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Become an Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC)

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) established an Equity Accountability System to expand access to the clean energy economy, including establishing an Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC) certification. Businesses/organizations registered as an Approved Vendor (AV) or Designee that are majority-owned by Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs) are eligible for the certification, which grants advantages for submitting projects in Illinois Shines. EEPs are individuals who graduated from or are current or former participants of a qualifying job training program funded by CEJA or the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), were formerly incarcerated, graduated from or are currently enrolled in the foster care system, or have primary residence in an equity investment eligible community (EIEC). For eligible individuals to register as EEPs, they must navigate to the  Energy Workforce Equity Portal.

Businesses/organizations that would like to apply for the EEC certification must first register as an AV or Designee referring to the guidance on the Become an AV or Designee page. Entities that qualify for the EEC certification and seek to participate in Illinois Shines but do not intend to participate as an AV, have a relationship with an AV yet, and/or have a customer-facing role for projects submitted to the Program may apply to certify as an EEC Subcontractor, which does not require registration prior to submission of the EEC Application.

To certify as an EEC, please review the information on this page and submit your EEC Application which can be found at the bottom of the page.  

AVs and Designees certified as EECs must comply with the Minimum Equity Standard (MES) by ensuring that their Illinois Shines project workforce is made up of an annually determined percentage of EEPs; more information about the MES can be found on the Equity Accountability System page.

The Illinois Power Agency launched the Small & Emerging Business Hub as an effort to centralize key resources, tools, and information in one place to help small businesses navigate the clean energy landscape seamlessly. A Small and Emerging Business’s Guide to Participating with Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All is available. Beginning June 1, 2026, businesses/organizations registered as AVs may also apply for the Small and Emerging Business (SEB) designation, which has different advantages for participating in Illinois Shines than the EEC certification. AVs may apply and certify for both EEC and SEB designations.

There are three different ways to participate in the Program as an EEC:

EEC Approved Vendors (AVs):

  • May submit applications into the EEC category, a  reserved block of project capacity available only to EEC AVs
    • Projects submitted into the Distributed Generation (DG) subcategory of the EEC category receive a $5 REC adder.
    • Projects submitted into the Community Solar (CS) subcategory of the EEC category are eligible to receive a $5 REC adder if they meet “self-performance” requirements.*
  • May request an Advance of Capital to the lesser of $750,000 or 50% of the REC contract value for projects with a REC contract value of $1.5 million or less

*More information about EEC CS “self-performance” REC adder can be found in Section 1.J of the Program Guidebook found on the Program Documents page. 

EEC Designees and Subcontractors**:

  • May utilize their EEC status to appeal to interested customers or AVs that wish to partner with EECs
  • Contribute points toward projects in the Traditional Community Solar and Community-Driven Community Solar categories (thus increasing the chance of moving forward and obtaining a REC contract)

**EEC Subcontractors must work with an Approved Vendor or Designee to participate in the Program, but may register prior to establishing such relationships. Any EEC Subcontractor that intends to interact with end-use customers on behalf of an Approved Vendor must register as a Designee before acting in that capacity. 

A dedicated EEC Sector Strategist is ready to support prospective and current EECs with:

Illinois Shines Approved Vendor, Designee, and/or EEC Subcontractor registration and renewal

Fulfilling required Program reporting

Submitting project applications, including accessing technical support

Supporting mentees in the Mentorship Program

Directing EECs to the Energy Workforce Equity Portal to connect with job seekers

and more!

A Become an Equity Eligible Contractor flyer is also available for download here.

Qualification for becoming an Equity Eligible Contractor

Qualification for EEC certification is assessed at the ownership/partner/proprietor level of a company (or board level in the case of non-profit organizations). The majority (at least 50%) of a company’s ownership must qualify as an Equity Eligible Person (EEP) by meeting one of the qualifications listed below:

  1. Persons who graduated from or are current or former participants in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program, Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program, and the solar training pipeline and multi-cultural jobs program created in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(3) of Section 16-108.21 of the Public Utilities Act;
    If you qualify with this eligibility criteria, you must provide a certificate of completion or written communication from the training program administrator confirming participation 
  2. Persons who are graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care system;
  3. Persons who were formerly incarcerated; or
  4. Persons whose primary residence is in an equity investment eligible community (“EIEC”), as defined by Section 1-10 of the Illinois Power Agency Act (20 ILCS 3855/1-10).
    If you qualify with this eligibility criteria, you must provide documentation that includes your address, such as your driver’s license, state ID, utility bill, pay stub, lease, mortgage agreement, or other similar documentation.

All applicants seeking EEC certification must attest to their qualifications and will have the option to mark any of the information provided as confidential on the attestation portion of the EEC application. All EECs and their preferred contact information will be publicly listed on the Find an Approved Vendor or Designee page.

EECs may renew their certification annually beginning one year after their registration in tandem with AV or Designee renewal or through the EEC Subcontractor renewal process. The EEC must continue to meet their qualifying criteria to maintain certification. As part of that process, Equity Eligible Persons that serve as the majority-owner of an EEC and qualify as an EEP based on residency will be required to re-certify their primary residency in an EIEC. For EECs that qualify based on one of the other criteria, this re-certification will only require confirmation of continued majority-ownership by the EEP(s). 

Clarifications on

  • “Formerly Incarcerated” means any individual who (i) was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, not including juvenile detention, after the disposition of one or more misdemeanor or felony charges; and (ii) has completed their sentence.
  • For the purposes of EEP eligibility or EEC certification, a “graduate or enrollee” of the foster care system refers to an individual who is currently or was formerly a youth in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, or the equivalent agency in another state.

Job Training Programs

The following job training programs qualify for Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC) status if the majority-owner(s) or natural person(s) is currently enrolled or has graduated from one of these programs. Please note the applicant must provide the required proof of eligibility documentation outlined in the section above with their application for consideration.  

Information on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) CEJA Workforce Training Programs can be found on the new CEJA Website. You can also access a spreadsheet of CEJA and FEJA grantee awards, amounts, locations, and contact information on the DCEO funding website.  Please note that some of the organizations listed provide multiple trainings and only the specific CEJA or FEJA funded training programs included in the lists below are eligible for EEC certification. 

If you are a graduate of or are enrolled in a training program and are unsure whether it is a qualifying program or require assistance in completing your EEC registration application, please reach out to the Program Administrator at [email protected]. 

Graduates and current enrollees of job training programs made available by the Climate and Equity Jobs Act (CEJA or P.A. 102-0662), passed in 2021, are eligible for EEC certification. More information about CEJA-funded workforce training programs available to workers and contractors can be found below. You may also refer to this spreadsheet to access contact information of these CEJA-funded workforce training programs.

  • Connect with a Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program here. 
  • Connect with a Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program here. 

Graduates and current enrollees of the Solar Training Pipeline Program or the Multi-Cultural Jobs Program made available by the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA or P.A. 99-0906), passed in 2017, are also eligible for EEC certification. Information about FEJA-funded workforce training programs, locations, and credentials available to workers and contractors can be found below. You may also refer to this spreadsheet to access contact information of these FEJA-supported workforce training programs. 

Documents required to apply to become an EEC

Before starting your EEC Application, please have the following documents and information ready to upload to your application: 

AV or Designee ID number if you are certifying as an EEC AV or EEC Designee; an organization/entity certifying as an EEC Subcontractor will be issued an ID number should they be approved as an EEC

A copy of a Certificate of Good Standing from The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, which must include your organization/entity’s name and date of issuance. You can find information about registration and purchasing a Certificate of Good Standing at this website 

A complete and hand-signed EEC Attestation completed by your EEP majority-owner(s)

Proof of eligibility documentation for the majority-owner EEP(s) of the organization/entity if seeking qualification through one of the two qualifications noted in the section above that requires this documentation

A complete and hand-signed Management and Control Attestation completed by your EEP majority-owner(s) if you are certifying as an EEC AV

Management and Control documentation if you are certifying as an EEC AV; this includes either 1.) a certificate showing status as a certain designated business type* or 2.) documentation showing corporate ownership structure, documentation showing role(s) of the EEP majority owner(s) plays in the business** 

*Designated business types that meet the EEP management and control requirement include, but are not limited to, Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Business Enterprise Program (BEP), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), or 8(a) Business Development Program.

**For examples of acceptable documentation for showing corporate structure and EEP majority owner roles, refer to Section 2.B of the Program Guidebook found on the Program Documents page.

Your application will be marked as Incomplete if you do not upload all required documents. Incomplete applications must be resubmitted for consideration. 

Submit your application to become an Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC):

EEC Application

Equity Eligible Contractors Utilizing Advance of Capital

A feature of the Equity Accountability System is the ability of Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) to request an advance of a portion of REC Contract value prior to the associated project’s Energization. This capital advancement pre-energization is intended to serve EEC-certified businesses exhibiting true need and to support a more diverse Approved Vendor pool. Advance of capital requests must be submitted with the Part I application and are limited to projects participating in the EEC category of Illinois Shines. The Advance of Capital request template is linked in the Part I application. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the template can email [email protected]. The Advance of Capital request template is linked in the Part I application. This  may be utilized when submitting an Advance of Capital request. Please see this help guide for eligibility and timeline information about Advance of Capital requests.

For more information, please see this announcement.

Final Advance of Capital Rationale
published December 12, 2023

Final Advance of Capital Evaluation Criteria
published December 12, 2023