What SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE does

The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1993, operating as a department of the College of Menominee Nation on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin. SDI's core mission is to advance indigenous-led sustainable development by integrating Menominee traditional ecological knowledge with Western scientific approaches across four program pillars: Education (Sustainability Leadership Cohort, internships), Research (phenology monitoring, Bear Island Flint Corn agriculture, archaeology), Practice (campus gardens, greenhouse, compost, seed bank), and Outreach (Shifting Seasons Summit, Indigenous Planning Summer Institute, media programming). Its underlying intellectual property is the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability, an indigenous framework that links historical, social, cultural, and spiritual foundations of community life to sustainability outcomes.

SDI serves Menominee Nation community members and Native youth (high school students in grades 9-12, undergraduate interns), with secondary reach to regional tribal communities in the Midwest and Northeast through climate adaptation programming. The Institute does not charge for programs and services; revenue is generated entirely through tax-exempt donations and competitive grants from federal agencies (U.S. Department of Education, USDA/NIFA), the American Indian College Fund, and AmeriCorps VISTA placements. Documented funding includes a $798,199 DOE grant and a $219,000 USDA/NIFA grant, both awarded in 2017. Distribution is anchored by on-campus delivery at CMN and supplemented by regional events, a YouTube channel (CMNSDI), email newsletters, and academic partnerships (UW-Madison, SUNY ESF, Rising Voices, Weihenstephan University). The Institute's credibility is anchored by the 1995 UN commendation for Menominee forest management and its 1996 designation as the first-ever Presidential Award for Sustainable Development recipient.

Name

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Legal name

Sustainable Development Institute

Website

https://sustainabledevelopmentinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sustainable Development Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating within the College of Menominee Nation, delivering education, research, and outreach programs that integrate Menominee traditional ecological knowledge with sustainability practice. It serves Menominee and broader Native youth, tribal community members, and regional tribal partners through grant-funded programs at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Education

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO), Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG)

Keywords

• Indigenous sustainability education
• Tribal climate adaptation
• Sustainable forestry research
• Food sovereignty programs
• Youth leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The Institute operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit funded primarily through tax-exempt donations and grants from federal agencies (U.S. Department of Education, USDA/NIFA) and organizations such as the American Indian College Fund.
2. Donations: Tax-exempt donations from individuals and organizations supporting sustainable development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Educational and research programs integrating Menominee traditional ecological knowledge with sustainable development practices. Operates programs including the Sustainability Leadership Cohort, phenology research, sustainable agriculture, food sovereignty initiatives, and the Shifting Seasons Summit on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin.

Product overview

The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) is an educational and research institute within the College of Menominee Nation that offers a portfolio of interconnected sustainability programs rather than a unified software product. Its offerings include youth leadership development (Sustainability Leadership Cohort), research programs (Phenology, Sustainable Agriculture, Bear Island Flint Corn), campus practice initiatives (Gardens, Greenhouse, Compost, Seed Bank), outreach events (Shifting Seasons Summit, Indigenous Planning Summer Institute), and media programs (Visualizing Forest Futures, Sustainable Living Series). The institute integrates traditional Menominee ecological knowledge with scientific research approaches, operating primarily through in-person programs, video content, and community engagement rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sustainability Leadership Cohort (SLC): A youth enrichment program designed to support Menominee Nation as well as other Native youth by helping them build leadership skills, promoting higher education, and encouraging the next generation of community leaders.
• Visualizing Forest Futures (ViFF)

Products and services

• Sustainability Leadership Cohort
• Phenology Research Program
• Sustainable Agriculture Program
• Food Sovereignty Initiative
• Shifting Seasons Summit

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing academic partnership for research collaboration, student exchanges, and joint programs. UW-Madison's Center for Southeast Asian Studies co-hosted international seminars. Rising Voices climate change initiative connects SDI with UW-Madison scientists. Dr. Patty Loew (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) from UW-Madison serves as faculty advisor for youth media projects.
• USDA POSOH ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace-based Opportunities for Sustainable Outcomes and High Hopes (POSOH) project sponsored the Oskēh-Mamāceqtāwak Kēketōwak: Youth Speak Event and supported SLC programs including the flood and fire ecology trip to Colorado, connecting youth with sustainability issues.
• Rising VoicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF-sponsored research network for Sustainable Climate Risk Management (SCRiM) initiative bringing together indigenous perspectives with climate change science. SDI partners with Rising Voices for climate adaptation knowledge sharing and youth exposure to climate science careers.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Southeast Asian StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted international workshop on indigeneity at CMN with professors and doctoral students from Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Bangladesh exploring how different peoples conceptualize indigeneity.
• Weihenstephan University of Applied Science (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted visiting scholar Prof. Dr. Manfred Schoelch for a four-month sabbatical working on forest canopy gap research with MTE, USDA Forest Service, and SDI's Center for First Americans Forestlands.
• SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Robin Kimmerer, founding Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY ESF, visited CMN for Community Read Event discussing her book Braiding Sweetgrass and sharing perspectives on human relationships with the natural world.
• Bad River Band of Lake Superior ChippewaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Protect Our Future film project addressing environmental and cultural threats from proposed taconite mine in the Penokee Hills, with Dr. Patty Loew facilitating Bad River youth in digital storytelling.
• Northern Wisconsin Indigenous Arts and Sciences CoordinatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFawn Youngbear-Tibbetts, Indigenous Arts and Sciences Coordinator, contributed to Youth Speak Event and connected SDI with Bad River Tribal Youth Media Project and Chi Nations Youth Council.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ecotrust: Ecotrust is an established nonprofit working on forests, fisheries, regenerative economies, and partnerships with Indigenous communities. It overlaps SDI's forestry, agriculture, food-systems, and community sustainability activities, but has a broader regional portfolio and organizational scale.
• First Nations: First Nations is a national Native-led nonprofit that supports Native communities through grantmaking, research, and capacity-building programs. It is comparable to SDI's grant-funded nonprofit model and community-development orientation, but covers a much wider set of social and economic issues.
• American Indian College Fund: The American Indian College Fund supports Native students and tribal colleges through scholarships, grants, and educational programs. It is relevant to SDI's youth-development, internship, and academic-partnership model, though its core mission is broader education access rather than sustainability research.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: The Indigenous Environmental Network is a national and international Indigenous-led organization focused on environmental justice, climate, conservation, and traditional knowledge. It shares SDI's Indigenous environmental mission and stakeholder base, while being more advocacy and network-oriented.
• Native American Agriculture Fund: The Native American Agriculture Fund supports Native agriculture, food sovereignty, education, and research through grants and related initiatives. It overlaps SDI's agricultural research and food-sovereignty work, while functioning primarily as a funding institution rather than a campus-based operating institute.

Direct peers

• Center for Native Peoples and the Environment: The Center for Native Peoples and the Environment integrates Indigenous knowledge with environmental science, research, and education. It is comparable to SDI's Menominee Theoretical Model, phenology work, and youth-oriented experiential learning, although it is primarily an academic center.
• Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals: The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals provides environmental education, training, and technical assistance to tribes, including climate and natural-resource programs. It is directly comparable to SDI's tribal sustainability education, outreach, and applied research activities.
• Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative: The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative advances Native food sovereignty, agriculture, research, education, and policy support. It closely matches SDI's sustainable-agriculture research, food-sovereignty initiatives, and culturally grounded training.
• Intertribal Timber Council: The Intertribal Timber Council supports tribal forestry and natural-resource management through technical assistance, training, and information exchange. Its tribal forestry focus directly overlaps SDI's sustainable-forest management and Menominee ecological expertise.

Regional players

• Sustainable Northwest: Sustainable Northwest works with rural and tribal communities on forest stewardship, climate resilience, clean energy, and sustainable livelihoods. It is a strong regional analogue for SDI's community-led conservation and forest-management work, but operates primarily in the Pacific Northwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/CMNSDI
• Facebookfacebook.com/CMN-Sustainable-Development-Institute-314444018934194
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-development-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE