Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund

What Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund does

The Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund (CEJJF) is Illinois' legislatively chartered nonprofit green bank, incorporated under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) of 2021 and headquartered in Chicago. It operates as a mission-driven financing intermediary that deploys public and philanthropic capital alongside third-party private capital, using credit enhancement methods to underwrite loans and grants for clean energy and energy efficiency projects that traditional lenders decline. CEJJF is governed by a governor-appointed board and is operationally managed through a contract with Public Sector Consultants, a firm with a track record of standing up green banks in Michigan, Indiana, and Washington. Its customer base spans Illinois frontline and environmental justice communities (low-income, rural, and BIPOC households), small businesses, energy efficiency and renewable contractors (with a focus on Minority Business Enterprises), municipalities, and educational institutions. Core products include accessible loans and grants for residential and small-commercial energy upgrades, MBE support programs, technical assistance covering project planning, ITC/FEOC safe harboring, financial modeling, and community engagement, and a Clean Energy Project Intake Form used to surface financially vulnerable projects across Illinois. CEJJF has no proprietary technology platform; its operational backbone is a web intake form, contractor-led distribution, and partner-amplified outreach through organizations such as the NAACP CEJA Navigator Program and the Coalition for Green Capital.

Name

Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund

Legal name

Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund

Website

https://cleanenergyjobsjustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund is Illinois' legislatively chartered nonprofit green bank, deploying public, philanthropic, and third-party capital through loans, grants, and technical assistance to finance clean energy projects in frontline communities, small businesses, contractors, and municipalities statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Green Banking and Clean Energy Financing

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Energy Efficiency & Green Retrofit Financing (FSALAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renewable Energy & Energy Transition Funds (FSANAJAB), Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL), Energy & Water Efficiency Programs (Corporate Resource Management) (EUAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Nonprofit green bank
• Clean energy financing
• Energy efficiency loans
• Environmental justice financing
• Minority business enterprise support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public and philanthropic capital deployment: CEJJF deploys public and philanthropic dollars to unlock private investment in clean energy. The organization offers accessible loans and grants to residents, business owners, and clean energy businesses. Revenue is generated through third-party capital leveraging rather than traditional product revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund operates as Illinois' nonprofit green bank, offering accessible loans and grants to residents, business owners, and clean energy businesses to support energy efficiency upgrades and small-scale renewable energy projects. It complements these financial products with energy efficiency financing programs, Minority Business Enterprise workforce and entrepreneurial support, and technical assistance services spanning project planning, permitting, financial modeling, and community engagement.

Product overview

Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund (CEJJF) operates as Illinois' nonprofit green bank, offering a portfolio of financing products and services designed to make clean energy and energy efficiency accessible across the state. The core offerings include accessible loans and grants for residents, business owners, and clean energy businesses, along with energy efficiency financing programs for homeowners, small businesses, municipalities, and contractors. The organization complements its financial products with Minority Business Enterprise support programs and technical assistance services covering project planning, interconnection/permitting, ITC/FEOC safe harboring, financial modeling, and community engagement. A project intake form enables developers and contractors to submit information about financially vulnerable clean energy projects to inform CEJJF's financing and advocacy efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Energy Loans and Grants Accessible loans and grants provided to residents, business owners, and clean energy businesses across Illinois to promote access to clean energy benefits and energy efficiency. Designed for households and businesses that traditional banks have underserved.
• Energy Efficiency Financing Programs Financing programs that make energy efficiency upgrades and small-scale renewable energy systems more affordable for businesses, educational institutions, municipalities, and residents across Illinois.
• Minority Business Enterprise Support Programs Programs supporting an entrepreneurial ecosystem and fostering workforce development opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises in the Illinois clean energy sector, including contractors of color.
• Technical Assistance Services Technical assistance provided to clean energy projects in Illinois, including project planning and design, interconnection and permitting support, ITC/FEOC safe harboring, identification of financial tools, project business model organization, pro forma and financial model development, and community engagement support.

Quantifiable outcome

• By 2030, CEJJF envisions a just and resilient Illinois where frontline communities lead the transition to clean energy

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City of CarbondalecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025CEJJF partnered with the City of Carbondale, IL through a Municipal Investment Fund grant from the Coalition for Green Capital, administered by ICLEI USA. The goal is to support Carbondale's sustainability plans and accelerate local clean energy finance market growth through targeted market-building activities and developing a local public-private partnership (P3) plan.
• Public Sector ConsultantscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCEJJF contracts with Public Sector Consultants (PSC), a nonpartisan public policy research and consulting firm, for staffing and management services. PSC has a proven track record of supporting energy financing initiatives, including helping establish green banks in Michigan, Indiana, and Washington state.
• NAACP Clean Energy Jobs Act Navigator ProgramsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Ikner previously served as an engagement specialist with the NAACP Clean Energy Jobs Act Navigator Program, leading outreach and contractor engagement throughout southern Illinois. This relationship continues through community partnerships.
• U.S. Green BanksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Rebeccah Sanders serves as a U.S. Green Bank board member, connecting CEJJF to the national green bank network.
• Illinois State Programs and Similar Programs NationallysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEJJF coordinates with similar programs across Illinois and the nation to maximize impact of clean energy financing initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coalition for Green Capital: National nonprofit that designs, builds, and invests in green banks and clean-energy financing institutions. Direct counterparty with CEJJF through the Municipal Investment Fund grant, and a peer in mission and capital-deployment approach.
• Connecticut Green Bank: One of the longest-standing U.S. state green banks, deploying public and private capital for clean energy in Connecticut. Comparable to CEJJF in deploying credit-enhancement tools and mission-aligned capital for residential, commercial, and institutional clean-energy projects.
• Michigan Saves: Michigan's nonprofit green bank providing financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects statewide. Public Sector Consultants, CEJJF's management partner, helped establish Michigan Saves, making the organizations structurally and operationally analogous.
• NY Green Bank: A state-sponsored green bank under NYSERDA investing in clean energy projects across New York. Comparable in statutory backing, capital-deployment model, and target segments (clean energy, energy efficiency, building decarbonization).
• Inclusive Prosperity Capital: Mission-aligned green financing nonprofit focused on deploying clean-energy capital to underserved communities. Highly comparable to CEJJF in combining credit enhancement, grant capital, and a frontline-community focus.
• New Jersey Green Bank: State-level green bank providing financing for clean energy projects in New Jersey. CEJJF's Green Finance Manager Ryan Klaus previously served there as Senior Project Officer, and the organizations share mission, structure, and product set (loans, credit enhancement, project finance for energy efficiency and renewables).

Broad incumbents

• Elevate: Chicago-based nonprofit delivering energy efficiency programs, clean-energy financing, and workforce development. CEJJF board member Delmar Gillus is Elevate's COO, and the organizations overlap heavily in Illinois clean-energy programs and contractor ecosystems.
• Calvert Impact Capital: Impact investing nonprofit that mobilizes capital for community development, including clean energy. Comparable to CEJJF in using third-party capital alongside mission-driven deployment and tracking community-level outcomes.
• Self-Help Credit Union: Community development financial institution providing responsible financing, including for clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades in underserved markets. Comparable to CEJJF as a mission-driven lender focused on expanding capital access to frontline borrowers.

Emerging players

• U.S. Green Bank: National network and advocacy organization supporting state and local green banks. CEJJF's Executive Director serves on its board, and it acts as both peer (as a sector convener) and ecosystem enabler for CEJJF's capital deployment strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cejjf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund