Illinois Solar for All Significantly Expands Eligibility for 2026–2027 Program Year
The Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) program offers significant benefits for nonprofits—like Episcopal churches—to go solar. Beginning with the 2026–2027 program year (starting June 1, 2026), eligibility for the Illinois Solar for All: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program is expanding to three paths to geographically qualify. Your feedback has been heard, and the program is making it easier for more parishes to qualify for this transformational program.
What’s Changing?
In addition to houses of worship located directly within qualifying Environmental Justice Communities (EJCs) or Income-Eligible Communities (IECs), houses of worship located adjacent to a qualifying census areas will also be eligible to participate in the Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program.
Based on the recent update to the Illinois Power Agency’s 2026 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan, this Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program eligibility update is intended to broaden access to solar energy and electricity savings for qualifying Critical Service Providers, including houses of worship, that serve and are embedded in income-eligible and environmental justice communities, even if their property boundaries happen to fall just outside of designated census tracts or were not previously encompassed by calculation methods.
Non-profits and public facilities should note that entities participating in the sub-program must be Critical Service Providers who offer services to the income-eligible residents of EJCs, IECs, or adjacent census areas.
In addition to the new adjacency qualification, entirely new maps were released by the Illinois Solar for All program on April 30, 2026, expanding EJC classification in rural areas.
How Churches Can Qualify in 2026-2027
Qualified Critical Service Providers, including houses of worship, may geographically qualify through being located in any one of the following three pathways:
- Within the 2026 EJC and IEC map designations;
- Within the legacy EJC and IEC map designations from 2023 and 2025, respectively; OR
- Adjacent to either the current or legacy EJC and IEC designations (new for 2026-2027).
What This Means for Your Church
- This upcoming program year creates more opportunities for houses of worship to participate in the Illinois Solar for All program!
- If your church is located next to (adjacent to) either a current or legacy qualifying IEC or EJC designation, it may be eligible to participate in solar through the Illinois Solar for All: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program.
- Churches previously considered “just outside” qualifying areas or located in rural areas are strongly encouraged to re-evaluate their eligibility, check back throughout May and June 2026 for more updates and attend Eco DioChicago grassroots education events.
Next Steps
- Review Eco DioChicago’s new combined Illinois Solar for All maps, which include all currently released qualifying path maps for the 2026–2027 Program
Year. The map is available in the next section. - If your church was previously ineligible based on location, please take another look. Even if your church remains geographically ineligible, there are still processes worth considering to self-designate your census tract.
- We know this is a lot of information, so please reach out! Contact Ellie or Richard at Eco DioChicago for assistance in confirming eligibility and navigating next steps, like help searching for Approved Vendors to seek multiple quotes to begin your solar journey.
How to Use the Combined Map
- Find your church location (Red Triangle for Chicago, Yellow Circle for Springfield) on the map, either by scrolling to it or searching the church’s address (Use the magnifying glass search feature if you want to enter an address).
- Check the overlay to see if it falls within a qualifying zone (Blue and Yellow polygons for EJC tracts, and light green and yellow polygons for income-eligible community tracts).
- If your parish is in one of the colored zones, you are likely eligible for ILSFA! If your parish is adjacent to an EJC zone, it might be also worth discussing having your parcel re-evaluated by the program.
Why This Matters
Solar energy can significantly lower energy costs both in the near term and over time for your congregation’s budget, supporting your church’s mission to care for God’s creation while freeing up resources for ministry and outreach. Illinois has several programs, including ILSFA, that help houses of worship reduce the costs of transitioning to clean solar energy. Navigating eligibility requirements can be daunting for some, so this ILSFA map tool is designed to simplify that first step.
Still Have Questions?
What if my Church isn’t in a qualifying zone? Don’t worry! There may be other programs or ways to help your net-zero journey, from the Illinois Solar for All: Community Solar sub-program to Illinois Shines. We’re here to help. Contact Eco DioChicago to learn more about how your church can benefit from Illinois Solar for All.