American Water Charitable Foundation

What American Water Charitable Foundation does

The American Water Charitable Foundation is a private nonprofit charitable foundation established in 2012 as the corporate-giving arm of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the United States. The foundation operates six distinct programs: the Disaster Relief Grant Program (delivered in partnership with the American Red Cross), the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program (which includes pilot utility hardship assistance), Workforce Readiness Grants, State Strategic Impact Grants, the American Water Employee Crisis Fund, and an Employee Volunteer and Matching Gift Program. Since founding, it has invested over $25 million through grants and matching gifts to communities served across 14 states where American Water operates.

The foundation distributes grants through American Water's regulated state subsidiaries, including California American Water, Kentucky American Water, Pennsylvania American Water, and Illinois American Water, enabling localized program administration and community engagement. Its beneficiary segments include disaster relief organizations (American Red Cross partnership, $250,000 commitment), workforce development nonprofits, food security organizations (e.g., Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services), and environmental sustainability initiatives (water bottle filling stations). The foundation does not generate revenue from commercial operations; all grantmaking is funded by corporate contributions from its parent company. It maintains no technology platform, no commercial product line, and no external investor base, operating purely as a corporate social responsibility vehicle aligned with American Water's community engagement strategy.

Name

American Water Charitable Foundation

Legal name

American Water Charitable Foundation

Website

https://amwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The American Water Charitable Foundation is the nonprofit corporate-giving arm of American Water Works Company, Inc., distributing grants across disaster relief, workforce readiness, community health, and environmental sustainability in 14 U.S. states served by American Water utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Community grant programs
• Disaster relief funding
• Workforce development grants
• Corporate charitable giving
• Environmental sustainability grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New Jersey

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The American Water Charitable Foundation is the nonprofit charitable arm of American Water Works Company, Inc., established in 2012 to disburse grants and matching gifts to communities served by American Water across 14 states. It operates six distinct programs including Disaster Relief Grants, Keep Communities Flowing Grants, Workforce Readiness Grants, State Strategic Impact Grants, an Employee Crisis Fund, and an Employee Volunteer and Matching Gift Program. Since 2012 the Foundation has invested over $25 million through these programs, with grants awarded to local nonprofit organizations supporting disaster relief, community resilience, food security, environmental sustainability, and career readiness.

Product overview

The American Water Charitable Foundation operates as a unified portfolio of charitable giving programs, not a technology platform. The Foundation offers six distinct grant and assistance programs: the Disaster Relief Grant Program (supporting communities during emergencies in partnership with the American Red Cross), the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program (supporting utility hardship assistance), Workforce Readiness Grants (funding career development and industry exploration), State Strategic Impact Grants (localized community initiative support), the American Water Employee Crisis Fund (internal employee emergency assistance), and the Employee Volunteer and Matching Gift Program (amplifying employee charitable engagement). Since 2012, the Foundation has invested over $25 million through these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Disaster Relief Grant Program A grant program providing financial assistance to communities served by American Water during disaster events, operated in partnership with the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program. Funds are directed to disaster relief efforts nationwide and Services to the Armed Forces for military members and veterans.
• Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program A grant program supporting impactful community initiatives throughout American Water's national footprint, including pilot utility hardship assistance for financially struggling households.
• Workforce Readiness Grants Grants supporting programs aimed at career readiness, sustainable agriculture, and industry exploration for students and communities served by American Water. 2025 awards of $75,000 were directed to two organizations in Pennsylvania.
• State Strategic Impact Grants Grants awarded to local organizations to support community initiatives improving health, education, and community resilience, particularly for vulnerable youth and families. 2025 awards of over $75,000 went to 27 organizations in Central Kentucky, with individual grants ranging from $5,000 to over $75,000.
• American Water Employee Crisis Fund Emergency assistance fund for American Water employees facing personal crises, providing financial support to employees during hardship situations.
• Employee Volunteer and Matching Gift Program Program that matches employee volunteer hours and charitable donations to amplify community impact, operated as part of the Foundation's corporate giving strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $25 million invested since 2012 in communities across American Water's service footprint
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026American Water Charitable Foundation maintains membership in the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program. The Foundation donated $250,000 for disaster relief efforts nationwide, with additional funding directed to Services to the Armed Forces for military members and veterans. This partnership enables rapid response to communities affected by disasters.
• Kentucky American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Strategic Impact partnership with Kentucky American Water to award over $75,000 in grants to 27 organizations in Central Kentucky supporting community initiatives in health, education, and community resilience.
• Pennsylvania American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce Readiness partnership with Pennsylvania American Water awarding $75,000 in grants to two organizations supporting career readiness, sustainable agriculture, and industry exploration programs.
• California American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Strategic Impact partnership with California American Water providing $5,000 grant to Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services to address food insecurity during the holiday season.
• Illinois American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Illinois American Water awarding over $40,000 in grants to support installation of water bottle filling stations in Illinois communities, promoting sustainable hydration and reducing single-use plastic waste.
• Kentucky American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce Readiness grant program partnership with Kentucky American Water providing grants to nonprofit organizations supporting education, workforce development, and life skills programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Duke Energy Foundation: Corporate foundation of Duke Energy, a major US regulated utility. Operates multi-state grant programs focused on workforce, environment, and community resilience across overlapping geographies in the Southeast and Midwest.
• Exelon Foundation: Foundation of Exelon Corporation, a large US regulated electric and gas utility holding company. Operates multi-state STEM, workforce, and environmental grant programs aligned with corporate CSR priorities.
• Xcel Energy Foundation: Charitable arm of Xcel Energy, a diversified US regulated utility. Runs workforce development, environmental sustainability, and disaster relief grant programs comparable to AWK's six-program portfolio.
• Southern Company Gas Foundation: Foundation of Southern Company, a major Southeast US regulated utility. Operates similar workforce, education, and environmental sustainability grant programs across overlapping utility service geographies.
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company Foundation (PG&E Foundation): Foundation of PG&E, a major California-based regulated utility. Similar corporate-foundation structure, statewide disaster response grants, and environmental/community giving programs.

Broad incumbents

• Comcast Foundation: Large corporate foundation of Comcast NBCUniversal. Operates at significantly greater scale across workforce development, community impact, and disaster relief, comparable in program structure but far broader in geography.
• Wells Fargo Foundation: Corporate foundation of Wells Fargo. Runs multi-state workforce readiness, small business, and community resilience grant programs with a comparable structure to AWK's State Strategic Impact grants.
• Walmart Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Walmart Inc. Operates large-scale workforce, food security, and community resilience grant programs structurally similar to AWK's portfolio but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• American Red Cross: AWK Foundation is a Disaster Responder Program member and direct funder of the Red Cross. While a partner rather than competitor, the Red Cross is the most direct comparable disaster-relief grantmaking organization in AWK Foundation's portfolio.

Regional players

• Veolia Foundation: Corporate foundation of Veolia North America, a global environmental services and water utility company. Directly comparable water-industry charitable foundation focused on environmental sustainability and community water access, though not active across the same US states.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/amwater
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/amwatercorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/weareamericanwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-water
• Instagraminstagram.com/wekeeplifeflowing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments53 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Water Charitable Foundation