The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (P.A. 104-0458) expands workforce requirements for the Illinois Solar for All program by providing Approved Vendors with the option to either comply with the Minimum Equity Standard (MES) or the pre-existing ILSFA Job Training requirements. The Minimum Equity Standard (MES) is a cornerstone of the Equity Accountability System, designed to ensure a fair representation of Equity Eligible Person(s) (“EEPs”) and Equity Eligible Contractors (“EECs”) in the clean energy sector. The MES establishes a minimum percentage of the project workforce that must consist of EEPs, fostering an inclusive workforce and promoting equity within the clean energy economy.
Equity Eligible Persons (EEP) are defined as individuals who are:
- Graduates of specific clean energy training programs
- People who are formerly or currently enrolled in the foster care system
- People who were formerly incarcerated
- People whose primary residence is in an Equity Investment Eligible Community.
Beginning the 2026-2027 Program Year, Approved Vendors choosing to comply with the Minimum Equity Standard must ensure their project workforce meets the required minimum percentage of 14%. Approved Vendors must meet the 14% MES requirement, meaning 14% of the workforce on projects developed for the program must be made up of EEPs.
At the start of the Program Year, Approved Vendors will be provided with the option to identify which workforce requirements they will comply with for the year. All Approved Vendors are required to submit the initial portion of the MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report, but only those electing to comply with MES must complete the report entirely.
The Combined Report has two sections:
- The MES Year-End Report looks backward and captures how your organization achieved the MES requirement (not required for PY 26-27).
- The MES Compliance Plan is forward-looking and captures how your organization intends to achieve compliance with the MES requirement in the upcoming 2026-2027 Program Year.
The Compliance Plan will require information about the entity and their project workforce, such as:
- Approved Vendor and Designee Information
- Estimated project workforce total
- Estimated project workforce demographic information
- Estimated number of Equity Eligible Person (EEPs) currently in your project workforce
- Number of EEPs your organization seeks to hire over the Program Year to achieve compliance
- Communication/outreach plan that will be used to increase the utilization of EEPs
Review the template for the full list of questions related to the MES Compliance Plan. Definitions of equity eligible persons, the minimum workforce percentages, and key steps and dates for compliance will be provided in the 2026-2027 Approved Vendor Manual.
The MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report open for submissions on June 1, 2026 and is due on July 15, 2026. To learn more about submission requirements, register to attend the ILSFA Minimum Equity Standard webinar on Thursday, May 21, at 2 p.m.
Key Dates
- May 21, 2026 – MES webinar for the Illinois Solar for All Program
- June 1, 2026 – The MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report for the 2026-2027 Program Year opens
- July 15, 2026 – Deadline for submission of MES Year-End Report for the 2026-2027 Program Year