What We Do

The Agriculture, Resilience and Water group partners with rural communities, businesses and local leaders to develop market-oriented, climate-smart solutions at scale that increase food production and profitability, expand market access, conserve natural resources and build resilient livelihoods. Using a systems lens, we apply local and global expertise to advance inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth for all, especially the historically marginalized.

Global climate needs are urgent; meeting them requires optimized and equitable capital distribution and effective public-private sector collaboration. Winrock has created innovative solutions for these ongoing challenges. We have decades of experience in carbon capture, clean energy, ecosystem services, forestry and resilient agriculture in the U.S. and around the world. We combine technical expertise with partnership development, innovative financing structures and community engagement to forge a holistic approach to climate change, addressing impacts and their underlying drivers.

The Environment & Energy group supports healthy natural environments by developing and implementing solutions to protect natural resources, enhance ecosystem services, address climate change, and scale access to clean energy. We partner with communities, governments, civil society and the private sector to strengthen local capacity, increase equity, facilitate market-based innovations and mobilize green finance.

The Human Rights, Education, and Empowerment group partners with national and local governments, civil society, the private sector and communities to ensure marginalized and at-risk populations can safely access their fundamental rights to freedom from trafficking and child labor, a quality education, and skills and opportunities for decent work. We engage and support our partners across this ecosystem to increase equity, inclusion and agency.

From our foundation in 1985, Winrock has been deeply committed to work not just around the globe, but here in our backyard as well. From our work with small farmers in the Mid-South to conservation programs that reduce water pollution and through our portfolio of entrepreneurial development work, Winrock is a recognized leader in the U.S. Founded in 1996, Winrock’s ACR is tackling climate change through the development of science-based methodologies to incentivize carbon reduction in agriculture, transportation and other industries. Meanwhile, Wallace Center programs are improving access to healthy, locally sourced food by strengthening regional supply chains. Winrock preserves livelihoods and builds resilience around the world. In the U.S., we use community development and entrepreneurial ecosystems to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources. Small-town America faces urgent challenges, and Winrock’s U.S. Programs work is helping to meet and transcend them.