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Small & Emerging Business Hub

Illinois Solar Incentive Programs: Illinois Shines Program

Illinois Shines Mentorship Program

The IPA’s Illinois Shines Mentorship Program (offered annually) is designed to equip minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, or disability-owned small businesses, with the knowledge and skills to successfully participate in the Illinois Shines program. The pilot was launched in October 2023 and included an 8-week program training presentation series provided to 12 Approved Vendors between October 23 and December 18, 2023. The participants, or “mentees”, included 10 Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs), 6 small businesses, 4 minority-owned businesses, 1 veteran-owned Business, and 1 disabled-owned business.

To learn more, visit the Illinois Shines Mentorship Program page.

Need assistance or have questions?

For assistance or questions on the Illinois Shines Mentorship Program, email eec@illinoisshines.com.

Illinois Shines Support Services

Did you know that Illinois Shines offers support services to help EECs navigate the Illinois Shines program?

In support of EECs, Illinois Shines provides the following:

Dedicated EEC
Sector Strategist

This Sector Strategist is well-versed in the opportunities, challenges, and unique considerations for EECs, with readiness to provide support and facilitate Program success for EECs.

1:1 EEC Meeting Support

EECs have the opportunity to meet 1:1 with program staff to have their questions answered and to help guide the EEC through the Program.

Open office hours

Office Hours are held every Wednesday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Zoom. Stakeholders including EECs can call in and speak with the Program Administration team on all Program topics.

EEC Roundtable

The semi-annual EEC Roundtables are a forum for participating entities to engage with the Program Administrator to discuss any challenges, thoughts, and requests on the Program. Feedback gathered from these events is taken under consideration.

Feedback Forum Through AV/Designee Survey

An Approved Vendor/Designee Satisfaction Survey is sent out to Program participants to obtain feedback on their thoughts and opinions on the Program. Feedback gathered from these events is used to make updates to the Program.

Equity-Focused Training & Networking Events

The Program promotes and shares information on events and networking events of potential interest to EECs in its weekly program announcements, to support their business, expand their education, and network.

EEC Category-Specific Hub

An EEC-specific hub is featured on the website. This area shares documents and news that are directly related to EEC projects.