The Delta Institute
The Delta Institute is a Chicago-based public charity that collaborates with communities to address environmental, economic, and climate challenges across the Midwest. Its work includes community-focused projects in nature-based climate solutions, resilient agriculture, water infrastructure, and sustainability and support services.
The Delta Institute at a glance
In short: The Delta Institute gave $913K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $76K), top state Indiana. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $913,214
- +54.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $76,101
- +79.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $71,000
- Total assets
- $8,272,445
- -1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Indiana (33% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Delta Institute
- Contact
Mailing address: 35 E Wacker Dr 1760, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 554-0900
Website: https://delta-institute.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Delta Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City of Hobart ($306K). Together the top 10 received $889K.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 66 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Delta says its work addresses challenges throughout the Midwest. Its website identifies communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and other parts of the region; its water-infrastructure technical assistance covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Indiana (33%), Illinois (25%), Wisconsin (16%), Massachusetts (11%), and Pennsylvania (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Delta Institute open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $89K. How we count
Medians: $41K first-time, $79K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $265K (2022) to $918K (2020). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $913K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Hobart Hobart, IN | Project Partner/Consultant | $305,600 |
| Big NFP Chicago, IL | Project Partner/Consultant | $107,500 |
| Regiment Securities LLC Newton, MA | Project Partner/Consultant | $100,000 |
| 389NM LLC Chicago, IL | Project Partner/Consultant | $99,680 |
| The Student Conservation Association Inc Philadelphia, PA | Project Partner/Consultant | $83,878 |
| Compeer Financial FLCA Sun Prairie, WI | Project Partner/Consultant | $75,000 |
| Graef-USA Inc Milwaukee, WI | Project Partner/Consultant | $67,000 |
| Capstone Realty Resources Lapeer, MI | Project Partner/Consultant | $18,000 |
| Soil Health Institute Morrisville, NC | Project Partner/Consultant | $16,937 |
| Illinois International Port District Chicago, IL | Project Partner/Consultant | $15,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $8,272,445 | $2,731,717 | $3,165,334 | $913,214 | 12 | $259,202 |
| 2024 | $8,372,677 | $2,562,854 | $2,682,149 | $593,069 | 14 | $276,045 |
| 2023 | $8,005,123 | $1,977,721 | $2,123,353 | $297,058 | 11 | $255,353 |
| 2022 | $7,745,698 | $2,772,645 | $2,056,196 | $264,980 | 8 | $227,068 |
| 2021 | $8,129,187 | $1,847,841 | $2,345,363 | $510,501 | 21 | $219,236 |
| 2020 | $6,762,982 | $2,810,891 | $3,092,581 | $917,677 | 29 | $222,341 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Delta Institute’s stated mission is to collaborate with communities to solve complex environmental challenges across the Midwest. Its website identifies four programmatic areas: nature-based climate solutions, water-infrastructure technical assistance, resilient agriculture, and sustainability and support services. Examples of work it describes include green infrastructure and flood mitigation, water-project planning and funding assistance, conservation-focused farming practices, and community and agency support.
The 2025 filing lists grants with the purpose “project partner/consultant.” Among the recipients was the Soil Health Institute, whose stated mission is to safeguard and enhance soil vitality and productivity through scientific research and advancement, and to help farmers and other landowners adopt regenerative soil-health systems.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Delta reported 12 grants totaling $913,214. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $305,600, with a median of $71,000. The listed grant purposes were “project partner/consultant.”
The largest grants included $305,600 to the City of Hobart in Indiana; $107,500 to BIG NFP in Chicago; $100,000 to Regiment Securities LLC in Massachusetts; $99,680 to 389NM LLC in Chicago; $83,878 to The Student Conservation Association Inc. in Pennsylvania; and $75,000 to Compeer Financial FLCA in Wisconsin.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Schleizer as CEO; Vanessa Roanhorse as chair; Ashley Bakelmun as vice chair; David Fording as treasurer; and Mike Harrington as secretary. Directors listed were Jare Akchin, Liz Alexander, Karl Analo, Jessie Deelo, and Maddie Demo.
The Delta Institute is led by William Schleizer, CEO on every filing since 2020; 5 of 21 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William Schleizer
CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$168K (2020) → $211K (2025)
Vanessa Roanhorse
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Murphy
Director & Donor Stewardship
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$123K (2025)
Kevin Kalus
Director
Director → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Niharika Hanglem
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessie Deelo
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eira Corral Sepulveda
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jare Akchin
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karl Analo
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brad Grams
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liz Alexander
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lottie Ferguson
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maddie Demo
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paige Graham
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tyler Storm
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Helen Hardy
CFO
Director, Finance & Ops → CFO, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$109K (2020) → $186K (2025)
Sidney Freitag-Fey
CDO
Director, Development & Comms → CDO, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$122K (2023) → $186K (2025)
Katherine Schultz
Senior Lead, Finance & Operations
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$105K (2025)
Mike Harrington
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ashley Bakelmun
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Fording
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (24)
- Former: Sanjiv Sinha (2020–2024) — Chair
- Former: David South (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Lindsey Sullivan (2022–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Allison Holly (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Ann McCabe (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jon Cheffings (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: David Freed (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Ethelbert Williams (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Mark Eidelman (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Sam Schiller (2020–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Julie Rizzo (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Sid Freitag-Fey (2021–2022) — Director, Development & Comms
- Former: Andrew Burroughs (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kevin Dick (2020–2021) — Director & Programs
- Former: Monica Chadha (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Paul Decotis (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tammi Davis (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Tregg Duerson (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: David Ullrich (2020) — Director
- Former: Henrietta Saunders (2020) — Director
- Former: Jeff Fort (2020) — Director
- Former: Josina Morita (2020) — Secretary
- Former: Sabina Shaikh (2020) — Director
- Former: Vanessa Harris (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $211K, to William Schleizer (CEO). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Delta Institute
How much does The Delta Institute give each year?
The Delta Institute gave $913K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $593K across 14 grants.
What is The Delta Institute's typical grant size?
The Delta Institute's median grant in 2025 was $71,000, and its average grant was $76,101, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Delta Institute that year got $50K on average.
Where does The Delta Institute give grants?
The Delta Institute's top state is Indiana, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Illinois (25%) and Wisconsin (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants).
Does The Delta Institute give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The Delta Institute's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Project Partner/Consultant" (12 grants).
Who are The Delta Institute's largest grantees?
The Delta Institute's largest 2025 grantees include City of Hobart ($305,600), Big NFP ($107,500) and Regiment Securities LLC ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Delta Institute?
The Delta Institute reported $8.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.7M.
What does The Delta Institute fund?
Delta Institute’s stated mission is to collaborate with communities to solve complex environmental challenges across the Midwest. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Delta Institute?
The Delta Institute has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check delta-institute.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The Delta Institute's EIN?
The Delta Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4210191. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Delta Institute funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-delta-institute-morg_a511a4fc5e554a4d818a1355e0782f49
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364210191_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Delta Institute funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-delta-institute-morg_a511a4fc5e554a4d818a1355e0782f49},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Delta Institute's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
The Delta Institute down — hundreds of funders to go?