Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

08/31/2026

We're hiring! The Caucus is seeking a Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives.

Are you a dynamic leader, strategic thinker, and exceptional communicator with experience in housing, community development, planning, or a related field? Are you ready to make a meaningful impact across the Chicago metropolitan region?

Learn more and apply by Sept. 18: https://mayorscaucus.org/were-hiring-manager-of-housing-and-community-development-initiatives/

Know someone who would be a great fit? Please share this opportunity with your network!

CHICAGO (Aug. 31, 2026)- The Caucus is hiring a Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives. Interested candidates should apply by September 18, 2026. Help Shape the Future of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Region Are you a dynamic leader, strategic thinker, and exceptional communicator...

08/12/2026

Congrats to the Powering Safe Communities grant recipients!

In partnership with ComEd, $170,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 24 communities to support public safety and clean energy projects that will make our region safer, stronger, and more sustainable.

Learn more about the community initiatives and equipment funded through the grant program: https://mayorscaucus.org/caucus-comed-award-over-170000-for-clean-energy-projects-and-public-safety/

08/11/2026

An article in the Evanston RoundTable featured Climate Action Evanston , one of 37 organizations that received a Low-Income Energy Efficiency Outreach and Engagement (LIEEOE) grant from the Caucus. Climate Action Evanston is encouraging residents to explore energy efficiency and low-income energy assistance programs through events, home consultations, one-on-one coaching, handouts, and more. Their work and other LIEEOE grantees’ outreach helps residents throughout the region save money and energy.

“Sometimes there’s a disconnect between those energy efficiency services and programs, and the people that can especially benefit from them,” said Briana Moore, who helped the Caucus facilitate the grant. “So this program is really all about trying to bridge that gap by having trusted community partners.”

Read the full article to learn more about Climate Action Evanston’s work and to find an overview of energy efficiency and low-income energy assistance programs:

As part of its energy equity campaign, Climate Action Evanston is encouraging Evanston residents to explore programs — particularly for low-income

08/07/2026

The Caucus and regional recycling education and outreach partners won the Beth Brown Boettner Award for Outstanding Public Education/Outreach Program at the 35th annual National Recycling Congress.

The group’s Feed the Cart campaign has become one of Illinois' most visible recycling education campaigns, generating 56 earned media stories and reaching millions through digital outreach, grassroots engagement, and regional partnerships. Cart-tagging efforts reduced recycling contamination from 60% to 27% in the City of Waukegan and from 55% to 35% in the City of Zion.

Judges recognized the Feed the Cart campaign for establishing a scalable, research-based model for improving recycling participation and reducing contamination.

"This honor reflects what is possible when communities come together around a shared purpose. Feed the Cart demonstrates that meaningful behavior change starts with clear, consistent education backed by strong regional collaboration," said Caucus Director of Environmental Initiatives Edith Makra. "We're proud to accept this award on behalf of every partner, community leader, and resident who embraced this effort.”

Learn more at: https://mayorscaucus.org/chicago-regional-recycling-education-and-outreach-partners-win-2026-national-recycling-award/

The Chicago Regional Recycling Education and Outreach Partners include five counties (Cook County Government, Cool DuPage, Sustain Kane, McHenry County Government, and Will County Green), two solid waste agencies (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) and Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County), the Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation, and the Caucus.

08/06/2026

Are you heading to the Illinois State Fair on Senior Day, August 17? Check out the EngAging Illinois photo booth!

EngAging Illinois will be launching We Are Aging Illinois: Portraits of Joy, Purpose, and Possibility, a campaign to capture the spirit, diversity, and vitality of older adults and the experience of aging in Illinois.

Stop by the photo booth in the Illinois Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and get a FREE professional photo taken with a friend or family member of any age! Just stop by, strike a pose, and share what aging well means to you. You will receive your photo after the event, and your portrait and story may be featured as part of this EngAging Illinois campaign.

EngAging Illinois is the state's 10-year plan to ensure that the growing population of older Illinoisans can live dignified, engaged, productive, and meaningful lives at any age.

Learn more about EngAging Illinois, the Multisector Plan for Aging at bit.ly/engagingillinois

Caucus Executive Director Neil James served on the 25-member Community Advisory Council that helped develop the EngAging Illinois plan and is a co-chair leading the Age-Friendly Communities workgroup for EngAging Illinois.

07/31/2026

It's not too early to think about the holiday season! Our application for the annual Powering the Holidays Grant Program is open through Aug. 21. In partnership with ComEd, eligible applicants can apply for a chance to receive up to $2,500 to support community‑based holiday light events.

Find out more or apply:

Local Governments, Nonprofits Invited to Apply for up to $2,500 to Power Light Displays, Community Celebrations Photo courtesy of the Village of BensenvilleVillage of Bensenville residents gathered to celebrate the holiday season at the annual Holiday Magic & Tree Lighting Ceremony in late November....

07/30/2026

We’re proud to see one of our EV Ready Gold communities, the Village of River Forest, featured in the latest episode of Powering Chicago's The Power of Better. After completing the Caucus’ EV Readiness Program, the Village leveraged grant funding and ComEd rebates to install eight DC Fast Chargers and five Level 2 charging stations. These chargers help expand public EV charging access and support the Village’s fleet electrification goals.

The video also features our EV Readiness team members, Tim Milburn of Green Ways 2Go and Cheryl Scott, along with our EV Readiness Program partners and award ceremony supporters, Powering Chicago and Christopher B. Burke Engineering.

Watch the video at:

Building commercial EV charging infrastructure takes more than inst...

07/27/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our two Chicago Climate Week events last week! While Chicago Climate Week wrapped up, the conversations around sustainability and climate action don’t need to end.

At Monday's sustainability planning workshop, we enjoyed hearing how communities are using the Greenest Region Compact (GRC) sustainability framework to develop sustainability plans and assess their actions, we appreciated your feedback on our GRC update that’s under way, and we learned what additional resources and assistance would be most helpful. Please keep us updated on how you're using the GRC in your communities and how we can help!

At Tuesday's meeting on the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) for Greater Chicago and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's Greenhouse Gas Inventory updates, we appreciated the thoughtful questions and discussion about how communities plan to use these tools to advance local climate action.

Missed an event or want to review the presentations? We've posted the recordings, slides, and meeting resources here: https://mayorscaucus.org/chicago-climate-week-meeting-materials/

07/23/2026

If you missed our EV Readiness Program info session and wanted to find out more before applying to the fifth cohort, check out the recording from yesterday’s meeting. We gave an overview of the program, and municipal staff from the City of Rolling Meadows, Village of Pingree Grove, and Village of Woodridge spoke about their experiences earning EV Ready designation.
https://youtu.be/kwoVKVNATHM

If your local government is ready to apply, please fill out the brief application by Friday, Aug. 14.
https://metropolitanmayorscaucus.submittable.com/submit/352093/ev-readiness-program-fifth-cohort-application-2026

At this info session, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus EV Readiness P...

07/16/2026

The Caucus is excited to participate in the inaugural Chicago Climate Week (July 18-25) and proud to see Greenest Region Compact municipalities hosting events. See below for a list of events hosted by communities and the Caucus, which highlight the strength in collaborating on climate action throughout the region. Explore more events at: https://www.chicagoclimateweek.org/

• Saturday, July 18 - Partners in Climate Action: Communities and Municipalities Working Together - event in Oak Park, featuring Village of Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson,
Village of Oak Park, Illinois Manager Kevin Jackson, Former Oak Park Trustee Susan Buchanan, and other local officials (Hosted by Oak Park Climate Action Network) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/partners-for-climate-action-communities-municipalities-working-together-tickets-1993084567594

• Sunday, July 19 - Summer 2026 SportSwap in Glen Ellyn (Hosted by Go Green Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn Park District) https://www.gogreenglenellyn.org/sport-swap-1

• Monday, July 20- Sustainability Planning for Local Governments (Caucus event – almost at capacity) https://luma.com/yiik7x82

• Tuesday, July 21- Caucus Environment Committee: Updates on Comprehensive Climate Action Plan & Greenhouse Gas Inventory (virtual Caucus and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning event) https://luma.com/pp1i4rpf

• Tuesday, July 21- Switch Together: Solar Power Hour (Hosted by the Village of Skokie and Citizens Utility Board) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1orVYuPcK3-NEtXJA0kMYETpVF8Ynwc1EqiHOzAdEKIE/preview?edit_requested=true

• Thursday, July 23- Distilling Change: A Chicago Climate Week Business Panel & Social in Clarendon Hills (Hosted by DuPage County, Cool DuPage) https://events.humanitix.com/chicago-climate-week-at-tierra-distilling

• Thursday, July 23 – Green Night Out (Participating organization -Village of Oak Park) https://thursdaynightout.com/about/