Illinois Department Commerce & Economic Opportunity

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO), a U.S. state government entity headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, operates as a prime recipient of federal grants across workforce development, energy, broadband, housing, small business, and economic development programs. DCEO does not hold federal contracts or compete for procurement vehicles; its federal footprint is exclusively grant-based, with all 281 recent awards held as prime recipient status across 24 distinct federal agencies.

DCEO's capability portfolio centers on formula and project grant administration, particularly workforce development and low-income assistance. The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration dominates the award count at 84 grants, anchored by recurring Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula grants. Recent work includes a $49.3 million WIOA Youth Activities grant (CFDA 17.259, awarded April 2024) to deliver services to over 12,000 youth aged 14–24 with barriers to employment; a $43.6 million WIOA Youth grant (CFDA 17.259, April 2023) supporting tutoring, paid work experiences, occupational training, and leadership development through sub-awards to local workforce boards and community organizations; and a $1.665 million Registered Apprenticeship program grant (CFDA 17.285, July 2025) to expand apprenticeship pathways in healthcare, IT, clean energy, manufacturing, and construction. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families ranks second with 58 awards spanning low-income energy and community services. Recent HHS awards include a $371.1 million Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) formula grant (CFDA 93.568, October 2025) administered through 47 sub-recipients delivering weatherization and energy bill assistance statewide; an $88.5 million Community Services Block Grant (CFDA 93.569, October 2025) pass-through to 30 sub-recipients for employment training, housing, income support, and emergency relief; and a $9.2 million LIHEAP infrastructure supplement (CFDA 93.568, October 2025). The Department of Housing and Urban Development provides 34 awards for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) supporting housing and community revitalization across multiple funding tranches through 2031. The Department of Energy funds 32 awards, including a $156.2 million Weatherization Assistance Program formula grant (CFDA 81.042, July 2022) under which DCEO contracts with approximately 30 community-based sub-recipients to weatherize 11,228 low-income units, and a $2.6 million Smart Manufacturing Lighthouse Program cooperative agreement (CFDA 81.253, April 2025) to accelerate adoption of smart manufacturing technologies among small and medium-sized Illinois manufacturers.

DCEO also holds smaller specialized portfolios in broadband and digital equity, small business development, export promotion, procurement technical assistance, and disaster recovery workforce services. The Department of Commerce awarded a $18.4 million Economic Adjustment Assistance grant (CFDA 11.307, November 2021) to support tourism recovery through 21 sub-recipients. The Small Business Administration provided a $15.3 million Small Business Development Centers cooperative agreement (CFDA 59.037, January 2022) and multiple State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) project grants (CFDA 59.061) at $400 thousand (September 2024) and $800 thousand (September 2023) to expand export services to small businesses. The Department of Defense's Procurement Technical Assistance Program (CFDA 12.002) funded a $2.787 million cooperative agreement (August 2026) to operate an APEX Accelerator providing free procurement technical assistance and federal contracting education to Illinois businesses. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration provided multi-year broadband and digital equity grants: a $30 million broadband expansion project grant under the BEAD program (November 2022 through June 2032) and a $10.5 million state digital equity planning grant (December 2022). The Department of Labor's Reentry Employment Opportunities program (CFDA 17.270) awarded a $30 million cooperative agreement (October 2022) to deliver reentry services to federal inmates in Illinois, with DCEO serving as the designated sub-recipient and leading interdisciplinary regional teams. Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) awards and Disaster Workforce Grants (QUEST) support dislocated worker services and pandemic-recovery employment training.

DCEO's customer concentration reflects its role as a state pass-through entity. The top five funding agencies account for 74% of recent awards, led by the Department of Labor (84 awards), followed by HHS Administration for Children and Families (58 awards combined across two sub-agency designations in the source), HUD (34 awards), and the Department of Energy (32 awards). Award volume has remained steady at 12–17 grants annually over the past five years, with 18 awards reaching completion within the next twenty-four months. The combined obligated dollars across all 281 awards total $13.14 billion, reflecting DCEO's role as the administrative hub for major federal formula entitlements in workforce development, energy assistance, and community development serving low-income Illinoisans. DCEO operates no parent contract vehicles, GWACs, or GSA Schedules; its function is grant administration and sub-award pass-through rather than competitive procurement.