Clean Portfolio ProjectThe Clean Portfolio Project takes a total portfolio approach to fossil-free investing in integrated climate solutions.
Eastern NC Resilience ProjectCroatan Institute is partnering with Working Landscapes to support a disaster resilience planning project in Eastern NC on behalf of the Upper Coastal Plain and Eastern Carolina Councils of Government.
Pink Hill ProjectStarting in 2020, Croatan Institute has worked closely with a partner across 400 acres in Pink Hill to assist with active land management, USDA technical assistance, conservation finance, and market access.
WealthWorks Crowdfunding Action Learning ProgramThis paper summarizes Croatan Institute’s pilot crowdfunding action learning program; highlights key successes, challenges, and lessons learned; and provides recommendations for future work.
Divest, Invest PhilanthropyAdvising participating foundations on fossil-free investment in a clean energy transition
Lab for Impact FinanceThe Lab will develop and test innovative financial mechanisms and tools to unlock non-extractive capital that serves communities and creates pathways to a just economy.
Racial Equity, Economics, Finance, and Sustainability (REEFS) ProgramThe program has three main pillars of work: enhancing investor decisions to integrate racial equity, expanding the BIPOC pipeline to the finance community, and achieving financial health for BIPOC entrepreneurs, households, and farmers.
Soil WealthSoil Wealth encompasses the constellation of benefits that result when we build soil health and community…
Farmer services through the North Carolina Soil Wealth Areas2 min read · Aug 27
Human Rights and Environmental Defenders: The Essential Work of “Holding the Line”5 min read · Jul 16- croataninstitute.orgDownload ReportJul 1PDF
- A Reflection of the State of Conservation Finance: Takeaways from the 2026 Conservation Finance Network Boot Camp4 min read · Jun 28
Silvopasture and Soil Health WorkshopMay 28
Reflections on Croatan Institute’s Soil Wealth Capital Convening3 min read · May 27
NC Prescribed Burn Training1 min read · May 21
From the Ground Up: Finance and the Future of Regenerative Agriculture1 min read · May 18
Resilient Southern LAND Fund named 2026 Transformative 25 Fund2 min read · May 7
FARMWISE Hub Financial Health Spring Cohort Registration Open1 min read · Mar 30
About
> Our Work > Our Impact > Strategic Plan > Our Team > Equity Statement > Founders Circle
Croatan Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and action institute whose mission is to build social equity and ecological resilience by leveraging finance to create pathways to a just economy.
We envision an equitable world where finance supports flourishing communities, vibrant places, and resilient economies.
In advancing this work, we embody five core values and strive to be:
The thread that connects all our work is transformative finance . Transformative finance is the lens through which we consider systemic change on a regional, national, and international basis.
Croatan Institute delivers impact through three main pathways:
Our work is built on trust and inclusion. Croatan Institute leads with relationship-building and partnerships, aligning with practitioners in the field and coalition-led movements.
We deliver rigorous research and actionable insight on the following cross-cutting themes:
Croatan Institute’s second Strategic Plan is a carefully considered framework that will guide our organizational priorities and strengthen our collective impact over the next five years.
Within this plan, you can learn more about who we are, who we serve, and our theory of change. Our achievements from our first Strategic Plan 2021-2023 positioned us to dive into our three new strategic goals :