The ComEd Powering the Holidays Program awards grants throughout ComEd’s service territory for community-based holiday lights events.
Donor Name: Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
State: Illinois
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/29/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
Recognizing the power that holidays can have on a community, ComEd has partnered with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to launch the fifth year of the ComEd Powering the Holidays Program.
Goals
The ComEd Powering the Holidays Program aims to:
- celebrate community identity and culture
- provide an opportunity for intercultural exchange and understanding
- foster respect and open-mindedness for different cultures
- develop an appreciation, understanding and respect for what is important to neighbors and others in their community
- and provide a pathway for people to gain a sense of belonging to their community.
Funding Information
Up to $2,500.
Grant Period
Grant recipients must use their funds for any holiday between November 1, 2025 – February 13, 2026.
Eligible Activities
The purchase of goods or services that enhance the applicant’s ability to achieve the grant program Goals described above are eligible costs. These include:
- Holiday Lighting Equipment
- Grant funds should primarily be used to purchase or upgrade lighting equipment but may also include decorations or displays that contribute to a public holiday display. When possible, energy-efficient lighting is strongly encouraged. Examples of eligible equipment include tree lighting and decorations; lighting and decorations for lamp posts, parks, and other public areas; a holiday tree; equipment to improve the safety and reliability of holiday lighting; and other displays related to a community-based holiday lighting event. See previous grant awards for more examples.
- Services Provided for a Holiday Lighting Event
- Grant funds may be used for costs associated with installing or removing the lighting display, as well as event-related services such as entertainment or children’s activities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Municipalities, townships, counties, and other local governments located within ComEd’s service territory in the following counties are eligible to apply: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Henry, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford.
- Not-for-profit organizations and cultural institutions are eligible to apply if they partner with at least one municipality. Not-for-profit organizations and cultural institution applications must demonstrate municipal support to be considered for funding. For organizations within the City of Chicago, municipal support should be demonstrated through a support letter from the local alderman. For organizations in other areas, municipal support should be demonstrated through a support letter from the Mayor / Village President or Village / City manager.
- 2023 and 2024 Powering the Holidays grant recipients are ineligible. However, previous Powering the Holidays grantees from 2021-2022 are eligible.
- Applicants must be in good standing with ComEd related to provision of utilities.
For more information, visit MMC.
