Ballona Institute was created to serve as a networking arena and repository for research and restoration of the greater Ballona Wetlands ecosystem, including numerous geographic subareas in the Ballona Valley, Bluffs and Highlands.

Ballona Institute's mission is to provide wetland-inspired environmental education, a library archival research facility for natural history of the area, opportunities for artistic expression related to wetlands and community-based genuine restoration activities.
Ballona Institute's goals are to:

1. educate the community which lives near and visits areas within the Ballona Wetlands ecosystem and surrounding natural open spaces;
2. provide community stewardship activities at the wetlands on a regular basis;
3. compile historical information on the flora, fauna and geographical natural history of the Ballona region and communicate that information to both scientific and academic communities, as well as to the general public; and
4. encourage networking between and communication with other coastal wetlands in southern California, in Baja California and in Canada, as well as with other western states where migrating birds travel to and from.