Illinois Power Agency Racial Disparity and Availability Study
Illinois Power Agency has partnered with Griffin & Strong (G&S) to conduct a Racial Disparity and Availability Study to measure the presence and impact of discrimination on minority businesses and workers in Illinois’ clean energy economy.
Over the course of this Study, there will be several ways the clean energy business community can be involved. G&S will conduct an informational meeting, a survey of business owners, anecdotal interviews, public hearings, and focus groups. If your firm and/or organization is contacted to provide input, we thank you for your contribution. Your testimony will play a critical role in improving current programs and/or practices. You may email us any comments or questions at IPAStudy@GSPCLaw.com.
To know where we are in the proccess of the Study, please check out the timeline below.
Project Timeline
How to Use This Timeline
- Click: Click on any phase dot to view details
- Status indicators: Timeline shows current phase status based on date
- Accessibility: Full keyboard navigation and screen reader support
Initiation Phase
Project launch activities including workplan development, scheduling, and initial research activities.
- Workplans/Schedule
- Data Assessment Meetings
- Kick off Meeting
- Plan for Data Collection
- Conduct Case Law Review
Data Collection & Analysis
Comprehensive data collection phase including stakeholder engagement and policy analysis.
- Conduct Informational Meeting and Launch Website
- Complete Data Assessment Meetings and Begin Data Collection
- Begin Policy Analysis
- Begin Anecdotal Evidence Collection
- Initiate Anecdotal Evidence Collection
- Conduct Organizational Interviews
- Prepare for Anecdotal Interviews
Data Completion & Analysis Prep
Completion of data collection activities and preparation for comprehensive analysis phase.
- Complete Policy Review
- Launch Vendor Questionnaire to Collect Data
- Complete Data Collection and Prepare for Data Analyses
- Begin Anecdotal Interviews
- Conduct Public Hearings
- Begin Workforce and Program Evaluation
- Begin Custom Census Survey
Data Analysis & Evaluation
Comprehensive data analysis including statistical and regression analysis, and completion of evaluation activities.
- Complete ANecdotal Interviews and Focus Group Sessions
- Complete Anecdotal Analysis
- Complete Custom Census Survey
- Conduct Data Analyses
- Conduct Regression Analysis
- Complete Workforce and Program Evaluation
Report Finalization & Delivery
Final analysis completion, report development, review process, and project deliverables.
- Finish Data Analyses and Statistical Report
- Findings and Recommendations and Draft Report
- IPA's Review
- Presentations
- Finalize Report
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE COLLECTION
Beginning with our Informational Meeting in November 2025, the Disparity Study’s anecdotal process will involve an informational meeting, anecdotal interviews, a survey of business owners, public hearings, organizational interviews, and focus groups. Our aim is to seek experiences from businesses, workers, and organizations on the experiences of accessing, participating, and advancing within the clean energy sector.
Local Organizations
G&S seeks feedback from organizations that are engaged within the Illinois clean energy sector and its business community. G&S wants to partner with local business, civic, and trade organizations to make sure that the anecdotal evidence, which is critical to the Study and its recommendations, includes as much input from their membership as possible. Organizations may be contacted to provide G&S with an interview. If you desire to meet with G&S to discuss your organization’s perspective or relevant experience(s) working under the Illinois clean energy sector, or maybe even under one of Illinois Power Agency’s programs and initiatives, contact us at IPAStudy@gspclaw.com.
Anecdotal Interviews
Anecdotal interviews are one-on-one interviews with business owners and workers to discuss their experiences accessing and participating in the Illinois clean energy sector. This can play a critical role in improving current programs and initiatives or possibly adopting new ones. We estimate that anecdotal interviews will begin in later during this year.
If contacted, we encourage your honest and transparent feedback. Please also note that if you have an interest in completing an interview for this Study, please reach out to the Study Project Manager, Cadeala Troublefield through IPAStudy@gspclaw.com.
Survey of Business Owners
G&S will be conducting a Survey of Business Owners to understand the experiences of firms and workers participating in the clean energy sector. All firms in the marketplace are invited to take the survey which we anticipate being sent out in November 2025. If you do not receive a survey directly, it will be posted on the website, and you will be able to access it here.
Email Comments
For those who are not contacted to participate in an interview or focus group, are unavailable, or are generally uncomfortable providing public testimony, you may email us anytime with anecdotal comments or questions at IPAStudy@gspclaw.com.
EVENTS
Informational Meetings
To learn more about this Study, how to be involved, or to address any questions or concerns, please attend our Informational Meeting in October 2025.
| DATE | TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2025 | 6:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM EST | View Recording |
Public Hearings
The public hearings are an opportunity for businesses and other community members to go on the record with their comments about doing business or working in the Illinois clean energy sector. All comments will become part of the public record and will be included in the Study analysis. The public hearings will be held in December 2025.
| DATE | TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Focus Groups
G&S invites a small group of diverse firms to provide their view of doing business or working, and even attempting to do business and/or work within the State’s clean energy sector, or explaining why they have not attempted to participate, in a discussion setting. Firms are chosen at random from each ethnicity and gender group of the Study. Focus groups will be held in the January 2026.
| DATE | TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | TBD | TBD |
SOCIAL MEDIA
For information about scheduled events and Study updates, feel free to follow Griffin & Strong on Facebook or LinkedIn. You may also provide commentary regarding the Study via social media, regardless of whether you are selected for a random interview. If you wish to provide a comment regarding your experiences, whether positive or areas of concern, in doing business in the clean energy sector in Illinois, please reach us on social media.