Green Neighborhood Grants

The Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) administers this program, which is designed to reimburse private developments for a portion of the cost associated with achieving *LEED certification.

The program will operate under an annual request for proposals from the DCEO, which will then select up to 3 projects a year for reimbursement. Grants will be limited to 1.5% of the total development cost and no more than one grant may be set aside for applicants from a municipality with more than 1 million residents. Rules for this new program have not yet been developed, but the DCEO has been directed to submit the first request for proposals by Dec. 31, 2008.

The program is subject to annual appropriations but is scheduled to continue in subsequent years. Potential applicants should note that this grant is designed as a reimbursement rather than an up-front grant for project construction. There are no guarantees that all completed and certified projects will receive a grant. *Click here for more information on the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.