STELLAR (Supporting Transportation Electrification – Leadership, Learning, Assistance, and Resources), is an initiative dedicated to promoting equitable transportation decarbonization. Its mission is to engage underserved communities, provide technical assistance, and offer workforce training to create a cleaner, more sustainable future. STELLAR is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under an Office of Vehicle Technologies award (DE-EE0010614). This funding enables the initiative to drive forward its mission of equitable transportation decarbonization.
STELLAR’s primary goal is to build the capacity of each CBO to engage and represent their communities in transportation decarbonization efforts. Through technical assistance and capacity-building opportunities, STELLAR provides a comprehensive framework that includes:
- Community Engagement Programs: Initiatives designed to foster active community participation and feedback
- Outreach Efforts: Strategies to raise awareness about the benefits of clean transportation
- Workforce Development Training: Focuses on vehicle electrification to prepare individuals for the emerging green job market
STELLAR funds thirteen Chicago community-based organizations (CBOs) to help expand access to clean transportation. These organizations are at the forefront of community engagement, ensuring that the voices of their communities are heard and represented.
Partners include:
- Access Living
- Austin Coming Together
- Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community
- Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative
- Endeleo Institute
- Far South Community Development Corporation
- Foundation for Homan Square
- Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation
- Greater Southwest Development Corporation
- Jitney EV
- Neighbors for Environmental Justice
- Northwest Center
- OAI, Inc.
IACT’s role
As a STELLAR partner, the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT) assists CBO-identified businesses and fleets with electric vehicle (EV) adoption, developing and reviewing training programs and selecting outreach firms for EV engagement events. IACT also provides technical support for strategic plan templates, offers feedback on projects, shares project experiences with other Clean Cities Coalitions and documents expenses.
STELLAR is backed by the expertise and resources of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation, American Lung Association, Forth and CNT. Participants must comply with the U.S. Department of Energy’s terms and conditions, ensuring accountability throughout the project. By fostering collaboration, technical assistance, and workforce training, STELLAR is paving the way for a cleaner, greener future in underserved communities.
Whitney began working with IACT in 2023. With a degree in English and a minor in Art, Whitney has worked as both a newspaper reporter and a digital marketing and events manager, bringing 6 years of marketing and 8 years of content creation experience to IACT. Whitney is passionate about nature and preserving the environment, including solutions to cleaner air and greater sustainability, and is a former Chicago resident.