Illinois Clean Energy

What Illinois Clean Energy does

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) was a Private Independent nonprofit foundation established in December 1999 through an amendment to the Illinois Public Utilities Act, funded with a $225 million endowment from Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). Its mission was to improve energy efficiency, advance renewable energy development, and protect natural areas and wildlife habitat across the State of Illinois. The Foundation operated as a grant-making organization only — it sold no products or services and generated no commercial revenue — channeling endowment capital to Illinois K-12 schools, municipalities and local government agencies, forest preserves and conservation districts, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

Its core "products" were structured grant programs rather than technology offerings: energy programs (K-12 Solar Schools launched 2006, Net Zero Energy Buildings and Net Zero Energy Wastewater Treatment Plants launched 2016, Other Renewables, PV for Nature/Welcome Centers) and natural areas programs (Land Acquisition, Capacity Building, Community Stewardship Challenge, K-12 Pollinator Schools, Pollinator Meadows, Planning for Land Acquisition, Public Amenities and Events). These programs funded capital projects — photovoltaic installations, energy efficiency retrofits, net-zero public buildings, land acquisition, conservation easements, and habitat stewardship — rather than deploying proprietary technology.

The Foundation was never designed to exist in perpetuity and operated under a spend-down model, with six voting trustees appointed by State of Illinois officials and additional ex-officio seats appointed by ComEd (including a second financial-expertise trustee added in 2014/2015). Over 25 years it distributed approximately $323.2 million through 5,082 grants across 101 of 102 Illinois counties, protecting 35,000+ acres of natural areas and wildlife habitat. In March 2024 it awarded a final $47.1 million grant to Prairie State Conservation Coalition to continue its conservation mission, and the Foundation formally ceased operations effective December 2024.

Name

Illinois Clean Energy

Legal name

Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation

Website

https://illinoiscleanenergy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation was a Private Independent nonprofit founded in 1999 with a $225M Commonwealth Edison endowment, distributing approximately $370.3M through 5,082 grants to Illinois schools, municipalities, and nonprofits for clean energy and natural areas projects before ceasing operations in December 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Grant-Making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Clean energy grants
• Renewable energy funding
• Energy efficiency programs
• Natural areas preservation
• Environmental foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Core offering

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation was a private independent nonprofit that awarded grants to Illinois schools, municipalities, local government agencies, and nonprofit organizations for energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy projects, and natural areas/wildlife habitat preservation. Over 25 years, it distributed approximately $323.2 million across 5,082 grants through twelve discrete grant programs, covering solar installations at K-12 schools, net zero energy buildings and wastewater treatment plants, land acquisition, and pollinator habitat programs. The Foundation ceased operations in December 2024 after awarding a final $47.1 million grant to Prairie State Conservation Coalition.

Product overview

Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation was a grant-making organization that distributed approximately $323.2 million through 5,082 grants across two primary program areas: Energy Programs (51% of funds) and Natural Areas Programs (35.4% of funds). Energy programs included K-12 Solar Schools, Net Zero Energy Buildings, Net Zero Energy Wastewater Treatment Plants, Other Renewables, and PV for Nature/Welcome Centers. Natural Areas programs included Capacity Building, Community Stewardship Challenge, K-12 Pollinator Schools, Land Acquisition, Planning for Land Acquisition, Pollinator Meadows, and Public Amenities and Events. The Foundation ceased operations in December 2024 after making a final $47.1 million grant to Prairie State Conservation Coalition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Solar Schools Program
• Net Zero Energy Building Program
• Net Zero Energy Wastewater Treatment Plant Program
• Other Renewables Program
• PV for Nature/Welcome Centers Program
• Capacity Building Program
• Community Stewardship Challenge Grant Program
• K-12 Pollinator Schools Program
• Land Acquisition Program
• Planning for Land Acquisition Program
• Pollinator Meadows Program
• Public Amenities and Events Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,617 energy efficiency projects funded
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prairie State Conservation CoalitionsuccessorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2024Final grant recipient of $47.1 million to establish a Natural Areas Grant Program to continue the Foundation's mission of preserving natural habitats and wildlife areas. The Coalition will award grants for land acquisition, conservation easements, stewardship, and capacity building, including support for BIPOC-led conservation organizations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• The Kresge Foundation: Large U.S. foundation with a Climate & Clean Energy Equity program funding energy efficiency, renewables, and equitable clean-energy outcomes — broader portfolio but directly comparable clean-energy grantmaking.
• Hewlett Foundation: Major U.S. foundation operating a Climate program that funds clean power, buildings, and land conservation — broader scope but overlapping environmental grantmaking model and order-of-magnitude comparable.
• The Rockefeller Foundation: Large global foundation with a Clean Power and Grids initiative and history of environmental grantmaking — adjacent in mission and scale compared with ICECF's Illinois clean-energy programs.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Major philanthropic program funding Beyond Carbon (clean energy), state-level climate policy, and natural areas — comparable scaled programmatic grantmaking for clean energy and land conservation.
• The MacArthur Foundation: Major Chicago-based foundation supporting climate solutions globally including energy transition and biodiversity — comparable scale and geographic adjacency (HQ in same metro as ICECF).

Direct peers

• The Joyce Foundation: Chicago-based private foundation investing in clean energy/energy efficiency and natural areas across the Great Lakes region — directly comparable mission and Illinois/Midwest geographic overlap with ICECF.
• Energy Foundation: National grantmaking nonprofit that pools philanthropic funds to support clean energy policy and deployment across U.S. states — directly comparable energy-program focus and multi-state grantmaking model.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Global philanthropic intermediary funding clean energy, land, and climate solutions through regranting — comparable clean-energy grantmaking focus and structured to deliver at scale across regions.
• Barr Foundation: Boston-based private foundation with a Climate program supporting clean energy deployment and natural climate solutions in the U.S. — closely comparable dual energy + land-conservation mission.

Emerging players

• Surdna Foundation: U.S. family foundation with a Sustainable Environments program funding clean energy, climate mitigation, and land conservation — directly comparable dual focus, smaller scale than ICECF at peak.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICECFdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-clean-energy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Illinois Clean Energy