2024 Annual Report

Letter from the President

Dear Friends and Partners,

When I became CEO at Winrock International in 2024, I set out with a simple but powerful goal: to listen. I spent my first few months meeting with as many of our staff and partners as possible, learning about the strengths that define us and the challenges we must face together. One of my first stops was Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas, where Winthrop Rockefeller laid the foundation for this organization over 40 years ago. Standing in the Ozarks, looking across the Arkansas River and farmland it sustains, I felt the weight of our legacy — and the promise of our future.

This year, we marked Winrock’s 40th anniversary. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, but one that comes with clear-eyed recognition of the work ahead. The world is changing rapidly, and so must we. That means diversifying our funding base, expanding our partnerships, and deepening our engagement with foundations, multilaterals, bilaterals and businesses that share our commitment to sustainable, inclusive change. And it means doubling down on work we’ve done for decades both in the U.S. and around the world.

At the heart of Winrock’s impact is our people — our staff, our partners and the communities we serve. What sets us apart is not just what we do, but how we do it: with integrity, evidence, and a deep commitment to lasting change. Whether it’s advancing regenerative agriculture, building climate resilience, supporting startup enterprises or countering human trafficking and child labor, our work is rooted in partnership and purpose.

In 2024, we celebrated some remarkable achievements:

ACR at Winrock International issued the world’s first carbon credits for plugging orphaned oil and gas wells in Oklahoma.
We helped Turkmenistan’s government take a historic step for children’s rights by officially banning child labor on cotton farms.
Winrock’s work was referenced by both Inside Climate News and Rolling Stone magazine for our work with the Everglades Foundation to assess and measure carbon’s impact, protect wildlife, and restore mangroves and hydrological flows in the Everglades Agricultural Area.
With funding from the Hilton Foundation, we worked with communities in Ethiopia to demonstrate the market potential of shifting from diesel-powered water pumps to solar-powered.

Be sure to check out these and other results in the interactive map below.

As we reflect on 2024’s accomplishments, we must also acknowledge the headwinds we face in 2025. The loss of U.S. government funding for many of our global programs has created real challenges — not just for Winrock, but for the communities we serve.

Yet in this moment of uncertainty, we see opportunity: to reimagine, to rebuild and to reaffirm our mission.

We cannot do this alone. If you believe in the power of locally led development, in science-backed solutions and in the dignity of every person we serve — we invite you to stand with us. Engage with us. Donate. Help us realize Winrock’s vision.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I’m honored to lead Winrock into its next chapter — and excited for what we’ll accomplish together.

Warm regards,
Maqsoda Maqsodi
President & CEO
Winrock International