The Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES) is now accepting applications for the Cook County Solar Schools Grant. This program awards funds to public schools throughout Chicago and Suburban Cook County to teach students how sunlight is converted to energy.
The Cook County Solar Schools Grant provides supplemental funding to grantees of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation’s (ICECF) K-12 Solar Schools Program, a program that supports the installation of 1kW photovoltaic (PV) systems throughout Illinois institutions serving grades K-12.
Applications will be accepted through February 24, 2022, with a maximum awarded amount of $5,000.
To receive supplemental funding through the Cook County Solar Schools program, applicants must:
Serve the K-12 population in Cook County, Illinois
Be a recognized public school by the IL State Board of Education (ISBE)
Be a grantee of the IL Clean Energy Foundation’s K-12 Solar Schools Program
Under the initiative, the Cook County Solar Schools program will award up to $4,999 per school including:
Up to 10% of the remaining costs of the 1kw PV system, not covered by Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, including supplies, installation, and labor, not to exceed $2,000
An award of up to $1,500 to the school for the purposes of setting up an operations and maintenance fund for the PV system to ensure its long-term operation for the school community
Up to $1,500 towards the costs of the Solarbration, training resources related to renewable energy, and/or signage for the installation.