This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) sets forth the requirements for funding for the Energy Transition Navigators Program (20 ILCS 730/5-35; 14 Ill. Admin. Code 820), as specified by the Energy Transition Act as part of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, PA 102-0662 (“Climate and Equitable Jobs Act" or CEJA"). The program provides outreach, recruitment, and entry services for the CEJA workforce and contractor programs. The Department seeks to grant funds to not-for-profit community-based providers ("Navigator Teams") to perform this function in each CEJA workforce region.

Navigator Teams will partner with the organizations that manage the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program (Workforce Hub) and the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program in their region. Navigator Teams will also engage with local employers, industry leaders, and unions to identify the skill and hiring needs of the local clean energy industry.  

The Energy Transition Navigators Program began under a series of Notices of Funding Opportunity that established Navigator Teams in CEJA workforce regions across the State. This NOFO refers to those awards as Cycle 1. Cycle 1 built the initial statewide Navigator network and established demand for outreach, recruitment, and career navigation services in equity investment eligible communities. This NOFO opens Cycle 2.

The relationship between Navigator Teams and the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program does not change significantly in Cycle 2.

• Climate Works conducts its own recruitment and retains its own application and selection process.
• A Navigator Team may recruit for Climate Works where a Climate Works training location operates in its region.

Cycle 2 changes the Navigator service delivery model for Workforce Hub participants in three respects.

• Single point of entry. The Navigator Team serves as the single point of entry to the Workforce Hub in its region. A participant applies, is screened for eligibility and completes intake with the Navigator.
• Defined responsibilities. This NOFO states the Navigator responsibilities that apply in every region. Workforce Hubs are responsible for Case Management, Barrier Reduction administration, and delivery of CEJA Core Competencies training. A Workforce Hub may contract any or all of them to its Navigator partner.
• Post-award planning period. Each Navigator grantee participates in a post-award planning period with the Department and the applicable Workforce Hub before services begin. The planning period sets the joint work plan, service volumes, and participant handoffs.
  

Through this NOFO, the Department will award funding to Navigator Teams to serve the 14 regional workforce hub regions of the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program: 

• Chicago South Side
• Chicago Southwest and West Sides
• Waukegan
• Rockford
• Aurora
• Joliet
• Peoria
• Champaign
• Danville
• Decatur
• Carbondale
• East St. Louis
• Alton
• Kankakee

CEJA Energy Transition Navigators will provide outreach and recruitment services (including activities and events) to eligible populations in the 14 regional workforce hubs and surrounding areas.

Outreach and recruitment will be prioritized for those eligible to participate in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program and the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program. Note that the Department may award multiple grants to Navigator Teams in a workforce hub region.

Navigator Teams will partner with the organizations that manage the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program (Workforce Hub) and the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program in their region. Navigator Teams will also engage with local employers, industry leaders, and unions to identify the skill and hiring needs of the local clean energy industry. This information will be used to prioritize training program offerings, curricular modifications, career pathway support, and job placement for eligible individuals.

Outreach and recruitment efforts will include providing information and consultation to eligible individuals on various training opportunities and supportive services available through CEJA and other statewide and local workforce development programs. Navigator Teams will support those applying for these programs and help them access Energy Transition Barrier Reduction services. They will provide guidance to these individuals on training and career opportunities in the emerging clean energy economy. 

For the Workforce Hub, the Navigator Team serves as the single point of entry. The Navigator Team conducts outreach and recruitment, screens individuals for eligibility, assists with the participant application, completes intake, conducts the required pre-assessments, provides career exploration orientation, and refers the participant to the Workforce Hub. The Workforce Hub delivers training and administers participant stipends. The two organizations coordinate on referrals, assessment results, participant information, and any Workforce Hub responsibility the Hub contracts to the Navigator Team.

• Regional capacity varies across the CEJA workforce regions. Case management, Barrier Reduction administration, and delivery of CEJA Core Competencies training are Workforce Hub responsibilities and are budgeted in the Workforce Hub grant. A Workforce Hub may perform them with its own staff or contract them to a partner, including its Navigator partner. Several regions operated this way in Cycle 1. A Navigator Team that wants to perform any of these functions will describe its interest and capacity in an optional attachment as part of the NOFO application package.
• The Department will convene the Navigator grantee and the applicable Workforce Hub in a post-award planning period that will not exceed three months. In that period the partners will confirm their responsibilities, agree on the training capacity plan and the referral plan that follows from it, determine how participant handoffs will occur, and produce a joint project work plan. Where a Workforce Hub proposes to contract case management, Barrier Reduction administration, or delivery of CEJA training to its Navigator partner, the planning period is where that arrangement is confirmed and budgeted. The Department will decide if the partners do not agree. A responsibility that moves from the Workforce Hub to the Navigator Team reaches it through a Workforce Hub subcontract and is paid from the Workforce Hub grant.

The Navigator Teams will also direct individuals interested in starting or growing their business to the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator and the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Programs in their region. These programs provide services including, but not limited to, business consulting, business planning, regulatory compliance, marketing, training, accessing capital, government bid and certification assistance. Navigator Teams will also help to connect people with local Small Business Development Centers and APEX Accelerators (formerly known as "Procurement Technical Assistance Centers").

In coordination with the organizations that administer the Clean Jobs Workforce Network and the Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Programs in their region, Navigator Teams will refer individuals to local American Job Centers and other relevant organizations, if those individuals are not interested in the CEJA workforce and contractor programs. 

Together with the teams that manage the Clean Jobs Workforce Network and Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Programs in their region, Navigator Teams will engage with local employers, industry leaders, and unions to identify the skill and hiring needs of the local clean energy industry. This information will be used to prioritize training program offerings, curricular modifications, career pathway support, and job placement for eligible individuals. 

This grant program is utilizing state funds appropriated by Public Act 104-0464. The total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this NOFO is $6,500,000.

• Anticipated Number of Grants: 14-16
• Funding Range: $150,000 to $650,000 annually per applicant team

Anticipated period of performance: June 1, 2027 through May 31, 2028

Eligible applicants are community-based providers, defined as not-for-profit organizations that have a history of serving low-wage or low-skilled workers or individuals from economically disadvantaged communities. Community colleges and counties are not included in this definition.

Navigator Teams must demonstrate a history of providing education, outreach, and recruitment activities to low-wage or low-skilled workers or individuals from economically disadvantaged communities.

The applicant must be registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal (https://grants.illi​nois.gov/portal/) at the time of grant application. For resources on the items below, please visit this DCEO page.

The portal will verify that the applicant:

• Has a valid FEIN number (https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number)
• Has a current SAM.gov registration (https://sam.gov).
• SAM.gov registrations must be set to “public."
• Has a valid UEI number (https://sam.gov)
• Applicants must provide a valid UEI number in the GATA Grantee Portal registration.
• Applicants must continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal, Federal pass-through or State award. DCEO may not make a Federal pass-through or State award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements.
• Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List (https://sam.gov)
• Entities on the Federal Excluded Parties List at time of application submission will not be considered for an award.
• Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, as applicable (https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business_services/corp.html)
• Is not on the Illinois Stop Payment list
  
• Entities on the Illinois Stop Payment List at time of application submission will not be considered for an award.
• Is not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions list (https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/oig/Pages/SanctionsList.aspx)

To receive grant funds from the State of Illinois, a grantee must be considered a regarded entity by the IRS for federal income tax purposes. Disregarded entities will not be eligible to receive grant funds.​

Applicants must submit a complete application package as outlined in the NOFO. Each package must contain the following items:

• Uniform Grant Application in fillable PDF format
• Uniform Budget utilizing the template provided by DCEO for this project
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure
• Mandatory Disclosure
• Guided Program Application
• Project Work Plan
• Resumes and/or Job Descriptions

The Department also encourages the submission of the following other programmatic specific items as part of a program application as applicable:

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) / Program Partners
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) / Employers
• Attachment 5: Interest in Workforce Hub Contracted Functions

For detailed information about the funding opportunity and instructions on how to apply, see the full NOFO.

Applications for this opportunity must be submitted by October 30, 2026. 

If Navigator grantees in any CEJA Workforce Hub Region are not awarded, this NOFO will remain open on a rolling basis for the regions not awarded until December 31, 2027.

After the application period is closed, the Department will conduct a merit review of eligible applications. Successful applicants will receive a Notice of State Award (NOSA) to initiate the grant agreement phase. During this phase, successful applicants will be contacted by a grant manager to develop a grant agreement, which can be a months long process depending on complexity, cooperation, and conformity with all applicable federal and state laws.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Energy Transition Navigator Program NOFO
• Uniform Grant Application
• Uniform Budget
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure
• Mandatory Disclosure
• Guided Pr​ogram Application
• Project Work Plan​
• Attachment 5: Interest in Workforce Hub Contracted Functions

• DCEO Climate and Equitable Jobs Act Implementation
• Climate and Equity Jobs Act
• Clean Jobs Curriculum Framework
• A Clean Jobs Inventory for Illinois
• Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Regional Data Packets - Updated September 2026
• Executive Order #3: Action Agenda for Workforce Development and Job Creation
• Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary
• Illinois Essential Employability Skills: Framework and Self-Assessment
• Potential Partner List