Community Geothermal Planning + Pilots

Program Overview

  • The Community Geothermal Planning + Pilots Program, funded by congressionally approved and lawfully awarded funds from U.S. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG), is designed to support the planning, development, and deployment of community-scale geothermal projects.

 

Phase One: Planning Grants

  • Phase One will support planning and design activities for projects that have already begun predevelopment activities and can demonstrate early progress toward community scale geothermal deployment. This phase is not intended to fund ideas or purely conceptual proposals that have not identified communities or begun community engagement. Funding for Phase One is limited to planning and design activities and will not fund any construction or deployment work. Instead, it will assist projects that have established a foundation for implementation and are ready to advance toward deployment through additional technical, financial, or community readiness support.

 

Phase Two: Pilot and Project Deployments

  • Phase Two will fund the construction and deployment of community geothermal projects that are ready, or nearly ready, to begin construction and installation. This phase is intended to demonstrate replicable community scale geothermal models that achieve measurable greenhouse gas reductions and tangible community benefits.

 

Please see the Community Geothermal Planning + Pilots Plan for more information.

Funding

  • $16 million in funding is available to support community geothermal planning + pilot projects, aiming to serve 1,100 households and reduce carbon pollution by 15,099 metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030.

 

Phase One: Planning Grants

  •  Awards are expected to range from $100,000 to $250,000 per project, depending on size and scope. Each project selected under Phase One will have twelve months from the date of grant agreement to complete the planning phase and submit a final project plan.

 

Phase Two: Pilot and Project Deployments

  • Funding under Phase Two will be awarded through a competitive solicitation process. Awards are expected to range from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 per project, depending on size, scale, and community impact. Projects must be fully prepared for construction at the time of application, with engineering, permitting, financial, and community engagement activities substantially complete.

How to Apply

IFA will post Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) through Illinois GATA Grantee Portal at www.grants.illinois.gov/portal.  A copy of each NOFO will also be available on this website. Applications will be accepted under each respective open NOFO though www.grants.illinois.gov/portal.

Phase One Planning Grant applications are now open! Applications are due by February 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM CT. Click the link below to apply.

Application Link

Additional Resources

Webinar: Advancing Clean Energy and Resilience, Hosted by DCEO’s Team RED

Date: December 11, 2025
Time: 10:00 am CT
Registration Link: https://illinois.webex.com/weblink/register/rc33a32545b08c5036706a4e68215e2c3

Program Resources

Phase One