The Wetlands Initiative

What The Wetlands Initiative does

The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1994 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that designs, restores, and creates wetland ecosystems across Illinois and Northwest Indiana. TWI operates the only regional nonprofit dedicated exclusively to wetland restoration and holds a four-star Charity Navigator rating (EIN 36-3942451). Its core programs include the Smart Wetlands tile-treatment program (constructed wetlands that capture nutrients from agricultural drainage), the 3,000-acre Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Putnam County (with 352 acres at Sandy Hollow permanently dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserves Commission buffer in May 2026), the 800-acre Chase Street Complex floodplain restoration in Gary, Indiana (in active final design as of December 2025), and a restoration partnership at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie where TWI has seeded 574 acres with 183 native species. Technical methods include proprietary deployment of Marsh Master tracked equipment for mechanical cattail management, hand-wicking herbicide application at sensitive preserves, and prescribed burns across 400+ acres annually.

TWI generates no product or service revenue; it is funded entirely through charitable donations and grants, with named institutional support including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ($1.063M across two National Coastal Resilience Fund awards in 2024-2025), NiSource Charitable Foundation ($50K, April 2024), USDA NRCS, NOAA, and The Conservation Fund. Revenue mechanics include an online donation portal, workplace giving, and gifts of securities, alongside grant-funded project execution. Customer segments span government agencies and municipalities (City of Gary, Lake County Parks & Recreation, CWLP), agricultural landowners (Staley Farms), conservation NGOs (Audubon Great Lakes, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited), and the general public accessing Dixon Refuge for paddling, fishing, and birdwatching free of charge. Distribution is delivered through direct engagement with landowners, a multi-stakeholder Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative, and a new Nutrient Credit Trading Markets initiative exploring market-based water-quality financing.

The organization operates with a small staff under President and Executive Director Paul Botts, including Senior Ecologist Gary Sullivan, Director of Development & Communications Abby Mattson, Restoration Specialist Claire Morrical, Refuge Site Manager Justin Seibert, and Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire. The board includes former Illinois Nature Preserves Commission leadership, reinforcing regulatory and conservation policy relationships. TWI celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025 and continues to expand its Smart Wetlands geographic footprint into the Lake Springfield watershed.

Name

The Wetlands Initiative

Legal name

The Wetlands Initiative

Website

https://wetlands-initiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wetlands Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 that designs, restores, and creates wetland ecosystems across Illinois and Northwest Indiana, serving government agencies, agricultural landowners, conservation partners, and the general public through tile-treatment programs, refuge management, and large-scale floodplain restoration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wetland Restoration & Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF), Wetlands, Peatlands & Mangrove Restoration (Blue Carbon Restoration) (EUABABAG), Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Wetland restoration
• Habitat conservation
• Water quality improvement
• Floodplain management
• Environmental restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: TWI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting donations from individuals via online portal, phone, mail, and workplace giving programs. EIN 36-3942451. Rated four-star charity by Charity Navigator.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Major grants include $794,000 from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's National Coastal Resilience Fund for Chase Street Complex, $50,000 from NiSource Charitable Foundation, $269,000 NCRF award, and federal funding through programs like NAWCA and Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Wetlands Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that designs, restores, and creates wetland ecosystems across Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Its core offerings include the Smart Wetlands tile-treatment program, management of major restoration sites (Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Chase Street Complex), and participation in nutrient credit trading markets. The organization provides free technical assistance to landowners, collaborates with government agencies on floodplain restoration, and creates public-access natural areas for recreation.

Product overview

The Wetlands Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1994 that designs, restores, and creates wetlands across Illinois and Northwest Indiana. The organization's core offerings include the Smart Wetlands Program (providing technical assistance for tile-treatment wetlands), management of major restoration sites including the 3,000-acre Dixon Waterfowl Refuge and the 800-acre Chase Street Complex, the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie partnership, and Nutrient Credit Trading Markets. The organization employs various restoration techniques including Marsh Master mechanical treatment, hand-wicking herbicide application, and prescribed burns to restore hemi-marsh habitats. TWI celebrated 30 years of operation in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smart Wetlands: A program through which TWI conducts collaborative outreach and provides free technical assistance for landowners to install small tile-treatment wetlands on their properties, which naturally capture and remove excess nutrients from drainage water before it leaves the farm.

Products and services

• Smart Wetlands Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Removes nutrients from water serving 165,000 residents' drinking water taps
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative (LCRCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Active partnership of regional nonprofits and municipal entities including TWI, Audubon Great Lakes, Calumet Collaborative, Lake County Parks & Recreation, The Nature Conservancy of Indiana, NIPSCO/NiSource, and the City of Gary. Active since 2019 with goal to restore West Branch floodplain basin to diverse, functional habitats while pursuing shared community vision.
• Audubon Great LakescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative, supporting Chase Street Complex restoration design and community engagement.
• Calumet CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner co-leading development of interpretive materials with Community Advisory Board and local residents for Chase Street Complex.
• City of Gary, IndianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Chase Street Complex project, ensuring alignment with city planning and community needs.
• Lake County Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner managing much of the West Branch corridor land and involved in Chase Street Complex public access planning.
• Little Calumet River Basin Development CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandowner charged with managing much of the West Branch corridor and active project partner.
• The Nature Conservancy in IndianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative supporting floodplain restoration efforts.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through CWLP's Lake Springfield Source Water Protection Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) supporting Smart Wetlands tile-treatment wetland construction.
• Springfield City Water, Light, and Power (CWLP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility provider supporting tile-treatment wetlands as part of drinking water protection, helping serve approximately 165,000 Springfield residents.
• Staley FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoami, IL farm hosting newly constructed Smart Wetlands for agricultural tile drainage treatment.
• Sangamon County Soil & Water Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner promoting tile-treatment and nutrient management practices in Lake Springfield watershed.
• Illinois Nature Preserves CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproved permanent protection of Sandy Hollow as a nature preserve buffer addition, one of the highest levels of land protection available in Illinois.
• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Sandy Hollow dedication and ongoing conservation efforts.
• Ducks UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder of Sandy Hollow acquisition and restoration through federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) program.
• U.S. Forest Service (Midewin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTWI conducts restoration at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, a 30-square-mile former Joliet Army Arsenal site in Will County, IL.
• National Forest FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical restoration partner at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie supporting native seeding efforts.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreviously completed habitat mitigation site at Chase Street Complex (2006, updated 2015). 39-acre wet-mesic prairie restoration in SW quadrant.
• Hey and AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm that led preliminary engineering and design (60% design) for Chase Street Complex from 2024-2025.
• OpenlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with TWI on 14 Chicago-area Wetlands article for American Wetlands Month, using Openlands' Get Outside Map.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation advocacy organization with broad wildlife and habitat programs. Less regionally focused than TWI but shares federal advocacy, wetlands policy work, and donor-membership fundraising infrastructure.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on land conservation and creating parks near people. Operates at a much larger scale across the U.S., but shares the playbook of permanent land protection, conservation finance, and parks creation.

Others

• The Conservation Fund: National nonprofit providing bridge financing for conservation land acquisitions. Has directly provided bridge financing for TWI's Sandy Hollow acquisition, making it both a financial partner and a comparable conservation-finance intermediary.
• Illinois Nature Preserves Commission: State agency administering Illinois' nature preserve system and approving permanent dedications. Regulates and partners with TWI on the Sandy Hollow dedication and provides the regulatory framework TWI's land-protection work depends on.

Direct peers

• Ducks Unlimited: National wetland and waterfowl conservation nonprofit with overlapping mission in wetland restoration, waterfowl habitat, and NAWCA-funded projects. Ducks Unlimited has directly funded Sandy Hollow acquisition and shares the same federal funding channels and hemi-marsh habitat expertise.
• Openlands: Chicago-area conservation nonprofit protecting natural areas and watersheds. TWI and Openlands have jointly published Chicago wetlands content and share a regional focus on public-access green space and ecological restoration.
• Audubon Great Lakes: Regional bird and habitat conservation nonprofit covering the Great Lakes basin. Direct partner on the Chase Street Complex and within LCRCC, addressing overlapping wetland, riparian, and bird-habitat priorities in the same Calumet geography.
• Lake County Parks & Recreation Department (Indiana): Public-sector parks operator managing much of the West Branch corridor and co-partner on Chase Street Complex public-access planning. Comparable mission around parks, recreation, and habitat restoration on overlapping acreage.
• Calumet Collaborative: Regional coalition advancing conservation, restoration, and community engagement across the Calumet region of Illinois and Indiana. Direct co-partner with TWI on Chase Street Complex interpretive materials and Community Advisory Board work.
• The Nature Conservancy (Indiana): Global conservation nonprofit operating in Indiana on land protection, wetland restoration, and floodplain reconnection. Active partner of TWI in the Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative and shares the same scientific land-protection approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WetlandsTWI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wetlands Initiative