Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) has released the 2025-2026 Program Year schedule for project submissions. The new program year begins on June 1, 2025, and features separate initial project submission windows across the three sub-programs.
Project Submission Windows
- July 20 – July 31, 2026: Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Illinois Solar for All: Residential Solar (Large) sub-program.
- August 3 – August 14, 2026: Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Illinois Solar for All: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program.
- September 14 – September 25, 2026: Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Illinois Solar for All: Residential Solar (Small) sub-program.
- September 28 – October 9, 2026: Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Illinois Solar for All: Community Solar sub-program.
Below are the full project application timelines for the 2026-2027 Program Year. The new program timeline is also available on the Program Calendar page of the website.
Project Submission, Review, and Eligibility
Once the project submission windows open, Approved Vendors can submit Part I Applications. Part I Applications must be entered and submitted during this window to be part of the Project Selection Protocol process, if required.
For sub-programs where the Project Selection Protocol is unnecessary, the Program Administrator will promptly review and submit eligible projects to the Illinois Commerce Commission for approval after the review period. If sub-program funding remains, a rolling submission window will be opened, and projects will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of the 2026-2027 Program Year or until remaining sub-program funding is exhausted.
View the ICC’s calendar.
Environmental Justice Community Self-Designation Applications
Requests for self-designation as an Environmental Justice Community (EJC) are considered on an ongoing basis. However, the EJC Self-Designation Committee must approve EJC self-designation requests before the submission window closes for any associated projects to be considered within an EJC for project selection scoring.
Applicants seeking approval of their designation request by the EJC Self-Designation Committee must submit their applications by:
- June 29, 2026: Residential Solar (Large) sub-program
- August 31, 2026: Residential Solar (Small) sub-program
- July 6, 2026: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program
- August 28, 2026: Community Solar sub-program
Critical Service Provider Requests
To be eligible for the Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program or to receive the specific points described in the Project Selection Protocol, projects must serve the load of a building occupied by a non-profit organization or public sector entity that is a Critical Service Provider. If a prospective non-profit or public sector entity is not represented within the list of Critical Service Providers in the Approved Vendor Manual, the Approved Vendor or that entity may submit a request to the Program Administrator for consideration as a Critical Service Provider.
Entities seeking approval as a Critical Service Provider must submit their requests to the Program Administrator by:
- July 6, 2026: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program
- August 28, 2026: Community Solar sub-program
Approved Vendor Registration
Approved Vendor registration applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, to submit projects during the 2026-2027 project submission windows, entities seeking to become Approved Vendors must submit their applications by:
- June 1, 2026: Small & Emerging Business registration
- July 7, 2026: Residential Solar (Large) sub-program
- August 31, 2026: Residential Solar (Small) sub-program
- July 13, 2026: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program
- September 9, 2026: Community Solar sub-program
Applications must be approved before the submission window closes to submit projects. Learn more about the registration process. As a reminder, applicants must first be registered with Illinois Shines.
Small and Emerging Business Registration
Projects must achieve the Small and Emerging Business designation in the Illinois Shines program before a sub-program window closes to qualify for the project selection benefit. The Small and Emerging Business designation process is separate from Approved Vendor enrollment. Applications for designation take between two and four weeks to process and may take longer if documentation is incomplete. The program encourages small and emerging businesses to apply for designation as soon as possible.
Project Selection
As noted in Section 8.10.2 of the IPA’s 2026 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan, “In the case that a sub-program has a large number of applications such that the funding required for all eligible applications received within the submission window exceeds that sub-program’s total budget (including RERF funds and utility funds)for that Program Year, the Agency will establish a protocol that provides a basis for scoring each individual project based on attributes that align with the goals of this 2026 Long-Term Plan and creates a ranking of projects based on these scores.”
See the Project Selection Protocol Guidance for the 2026-2027 Program Year.
2026-2027 Program Year Timelines
