Delta Institute

Delta Institute was founded in 1998 because environmental, economic, and climate issues hit communities—urban and rural—through disinvestment, systemic inequity, and policy decisions. We address Midwestern environmental, economic, and climate challenges today, so that our home and region are more resilient, equitable, and innovative tomorrow. For the past 27 years, we have collaborated at the community level to solve our home region’s new and legacy issues by focusing on the self-defined goals and needs of our partners. Our work takes us to population centers like Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit; to mid-sized cities such as Gary and South Bend, Indiana; to Great Lakes coastal towns like Michigan City, Indiana, and Muskegon, Michigan; and to rural communities and watersheds with tens of thousands of acres of farmland and waterways across our region.

We focus our work across three strategic programming areas: Nature-Based Climate Solutions, Resilient Agriculture, and Sustainability and Support Services. Through our work, Delta Institute benefits millions of Midwesterners by transitioning farmland to conservation-focused practices, and by improving water quality and reducing flooding by capturing millions of stormwater gallons. We achieve these goals through our agriculture, climate, water, and community development projects.

In recent years, we have achieved regional impact across the Midwest, as marked by several accomplishments and recognitions like:

• Organizing a Tree Planting Consortium in Northwest Indiana in which we planted 3,837 stormwater trees in 14 Lake County communities and engaging 649 youth and community members in the process;

• Winning the Indiana Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in both 2023 and 2024 for our work in land use and conservation;

• Being named as one of 29 Environmental Finance Centers nationwide supporting the US EPA’s commitment to advancing water equity and access for all; and

• Earning a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid for five consecutive years and a four-star “Give with Confidence” rating from Charity Navigator, which are recognitions received by fewer than 1% of all registered nonprofits.