A growing number of US philanthropies are supporting efforts on behalf of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene throughout the developing world, and several have been doing so for decades. Their leadership and financial support, typically channeled through effective, US-based, nonprofit water development organizations, has resulted in helping to extend adequate drinking water and sanitation to millions of people. In some countries where USAID has no official development assistance presence, a single small U.S. foundation, with a modest grant of several thousand dollars, is in a position to contribute more to that country's safe drinking-water supply than the US government. Foundations have addressed the need for clean drinking water and adequate sanitation in various ways. Examples of some responses include:
- Support for certain types of safe drinking water supply projects (such as wells, gravity-flow systems or rainwater catchment tanks).
- Sponsorship of projects by focusing on certain regions or countries (for example, Guatemala, Kenya, Vietnam).
- Financial investments for certain appropriate technologies (such as bio-sand filters or solar-electric-powered pumps).
- Funding for major initiatives that have the promise of engaging the local government on a large, sustainable scale.
- Capacity-building of indigenous nonprofits and local water committees.
- Support for advocacy efforts on behalf of international drinking water and sanitation.
In short, there are as many ways for a philanthropy to respond as there are for a single individual. With the support by a foundation for safe water, communities throughout the developing world will be able to tackle additional development issues such as:
- improved healthcare
- better environmental stewardship
- increased educational opportunities (especially for girls)
- poverty reduction and economic development
Foundations considering a response to the worldwide need for safe drinking water may want to identify appropriate implementation partners (nonprofit water organizations based in the US or overseas) that are most responsive to their needs, and to identify other funders so as to leverage their funds. Current examples of foundation support for safe water include:
West Africa Water Initiative
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Howard G. Buffett Foundation
ONE DROP Foundation
Gates Foundation
The possibilities of foundations leveraging funds with other foundations (or with other private-citizen partners and the Federal Government) have only begun to be explored. For more information on how your foundation can respond to the world's
critical need for safe drinking water and sanitation, contact joldfield (AT) wateradvocates.org or call 202.293.4049.
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