Karen Kim

The non-profit company is based in Chicago, IL. Current Innovation, NFP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating water innovation, economic development, and sustainability in the Great Lakes region and beyond. The organization advances a circular blue economy by driving the commercialization of water technologies, fostering workforce development, and addressing critical water challenges through partnerships among startups, utilities, academia, government, and community organizations. Key initiatives include leading the Great Lakes ReNEW program to develop new methods for extracting valuable minerals and removing contaminants from wastewater, and spearheading H2NOW, a real-time river water quality monitoring project. Current Innovation supports technology pilots at major water and wastewater facilities, maintains a water technology database, and conducts technical reviews to reduce risks and accelerate adoption of new solutions. The company's work also includes wastewater surveillance for public health, nutrient trading pilots, research on wastewater energy recovery, and educational outreach through the Blue Edu platform and events such as Water Week and the Third Coast Water Seminar Series. Current Innovation, NFP was founded in 2016.