Creating a more resilient home for all Midwesterners

Throughout Delta Institute’s history, we have spent decades earning the trust of hundreds of partner organizations by adhering to an inclusive, impactful, collaborative, and community-first approach. However, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the current state of the world has been the most unprecedented and challenging climate to operate within for many nonprofits like us.

Throughout the past year, we have felt these risks daily, deeply, and drastically—including multiple threats to critical public funds that support vital work in several Midwest communities. However, we refuse to capitulate on our mission. We will not forgo our values. We are resolved in fighting for what we have stood for since our founding. Our commitment to our mission and values remains resolute.

When you support Delta Institute, you support important projects like the ones listed below.

Food plays a vital role in our lives—and it is also one of the most consequential factors in the fight against climate change. In the United States, the agriculture sector contributes about 11% of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Simultaneously, there are many systemic barriers that prevent farming communities from implementing climate-smart agricultural practices, like a lack of economic incentive to invest in building farms’ soil health over time.

Our history of work shows that there must be (1) market drivers to drive farmer adoption of soil health-focused conservation efforts and (2) recognition by the agricultural real estate community that improved soil health has market drivers attached to it.

Now is a critical moment in time to best address the need for overcoming these “missing market drivers” for soil health. That’s why we are actively engaging dozens of farmers across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in a new program that uses their soil health data to affirm our approach to incorporating soil health into the land valuation process.

This approach has the potential to serve as the critical “tipping point” that’s needed to standardize soil health management practices across the entire Midwest United States, providing a new landmark approach to the way we grow food.

1.9 million

Gallons of stormwater runoff
treated annually

It’s no secret. A lot of our Midwestern infrastructure is outdated. This is especially true when we think about water infrastructure: what we rely on for clean water to drink, how we manage flooding, and ways we manage to keep pollution out of our rivers and lakes.

A lot of this infrastructure is old and outdated. Moreover, as we experience increasingly severe climate threats, we need to find more ways to manage flooding. For many Midwest communities, lead pipes are also still a challenge that must be dealt with sooner than later.

Since 2023, Delta Institute has proudly served as the Midwest’s Environmental Finance Center, appointed by the US EPA, to provide technical assistance to Midwest communities in addressing these challenges. More specifically, we have partnered with about three dozen communities across the Midwest at different stages of the water infrastructure process.

When it comes to defending our rights, we believe that equitable access to clean water is worth fighting for. We are honored to serve and partner with each of these communities

Abandoned… But Not Forgotten

What once served as a cultural home for the growing Serbian community in Hobart, Indiana, the site of the St. Sava Orthodox Church Hall has fallen into disrepair over the past 50 years. Ever since the site was tragically destroyed by fire, it has been long abandoned but never forgotten by the community. However, the site has slowly become an illegal dumping ground with broken furniture and trash littered everywhere.

A Vision for Tomorrow

The Lake County Parks District recently acquired the site and began a new partnership with Delta Institute to begin restoration. Working with the community, we envision a fully restored nature preserve with 5 acres of permanent wetland and 33 acres of wet prairie/mesic oak savanna restoration. We will also establish a recreational area and other amenities to improve public access.

4.6 million

Gallons of stormwater
storage added

Not everyone thinks about the Port of Chicago on a regular basis. However, the Port is nevertheless an important economic and industrial powerhouse for the City of Chicago, moving approximately 19 million waterborne tons of cargo annually.

Over the past eight years, Delta Institute has partnered with the Illinois International Port District (IIPD), the agency that oversees the port’s business and administration activities, to rebuild its infrastructure and advance the environmental goals laid out in its Master Plan. That means supporting activities that helped the port earn its Green Marine certification, as well as securing $70 million to rebuild the Port’s infrastructure, which has been long underfunded for decades.

Most recently, we have been working closely with the IIPD on efforts to install green infrastructure at Chicago’s Lake Calumet, which falls under the care of the IIPD. In doing so, we are working to improve the water quality flowing into the lake and out into the Calumet River, improving water quality for upwards of 135,000 downstream residents. These impacted communities are those on Chicago’s Southeast Side and South Suburban communities. We are also exploring solutions on how to ensure long-term monitoring, maintenance, and community stewardship for Lake Calumet to protect the area now and for generations to come.