Water For People

What Water For People does

Water For People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1991 in the Denver, Colorado metro area (headquarters at 7100 E Belleview Ave, Suite 310, Greenwood Village) by three water-industry professionals — Ken Miller, Wayne Weiss, and John B. "Jack" Mannion — out of the American Water Works Association. The organization delivers lasting clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services across 10 countries: Guatemala, Honduras, Bolivia, and Peru in Latin America; Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda in East Africa; India in Asia; and a newly launched U.S. WASH initiative (2024). Its operational backbone is the proprietary "Everyone Forever" district-coverage methodology, introduced in 2011, which commits to reaching every household, health clinic, and school in a partner district with services that governments and communities can sustain indefinitely, supported by co-investment requirements and nature-based solutions such as artificial wetlands (Peru) and watershed reforestation (Guatemala, Uganda's Mpanga River catchment).

The organization's service portfolio comprises clean water access programs (wells, piped systems), sanitation facility construction, hygiene education, climate-resilient WASH solutions, and entrepreneur support programs that train local mechanics and sanitation business owners. It also operates awareness campaigns such as The Dehydrating Book. Water For People does not sell products or services to beneficiaries; instead, it generates revenue through a diversified funding stack: individual donations (one-time and the Wavemaker monthly giving program), corporate partnerships (Caterpillar Foundation, Coca-Cola Foundation, Kimberly-Clark, charity: water, Latter-day Saint Charities), foundation grants, and government/UN agency funding (U.S. Department of State, UNOPS, UNICEF). Strategic partnerships include co-founding the One For All global alliance with IRC (2021), collaboration with The Nature Conservancy on the Mpanga Water Fund, and sector partnerships with AWWA, WEF, NAWC, NACWA, and US Water Alliance. The organization employs 101–250 staff across country offices and a Global Hub, has maintained a Charity Navigator 4-star rating for 20 consecutive years, and reports a $12M three-year Badilisha Maisha Project in Tanzania as a recent major program.

Name

Water For People

Legal name

Water For People

Website

https://waterforpeople.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Water For People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 delivering lasting clean water and sanitation access across 10 countries using its Everyone Forever district-coverage model. Funded by individual donors, corporate partners, foundations, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI), WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI), WASH & Public Health (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) (BPADAIAG), Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH)

Keywords

• Water and sanitation services
• Humanitarian WASH programs
• Nonprofit fundraising campaigns
• Community development initiatives
• Hygiene education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Monthly giving program called Wavemaker allows donors to give regularly.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Major funding from global strategic partners including Caterpillar Foundation, Coca-Cola Foundation, Kimberly-Clark, charity: water, and others at $1M+ levels. Also receives support from visionary partners ($500K-$999K) and champion partners ($250K-$499K).
3. Government and UN Agency Funding: Funding from government entities including U.S. Department of State and UNOPS, as well as UNICEF for specific programs.
4. Corporate Partnerships: B2B partnerships with companies for cause-marketing, employee giving programs, and direct corporate contributions.
5. Legacy and Planned Giving: Planned giving program allowing supporters to include Water For People in estate planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Water For People is a global nonprofit that delivers lasting water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to underserved communities across ten countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the United States. Its core work, executed through the Everyone Forever district-level model, includes building and maintaining clean water systems (wells, piped networks), constructing dignified household and institutional toilets, training local sanitation entrepreneurs, and supporting climate-resilient watershed protection. Services are provided at no cost to beneficiary households, schools, and clinics, with long-term sustainability ensured through co-investment from local governments and communities.

Product overview

Water For People is a global nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and programs. The core offering is the Everyone Forever model, a district-level approach that provides full coverage of water and sanitation access to every household, school, and health clinic, with long-term sustainability through local government and community ownership. The organization delivers clean water access programs, sanitation services, and hygiene education as its primary service lines, supported by climate-resilient WASH solutions that include watershed protection and wetland restoration. Supplementary offerings include entrepreneur support programs that build local capacity for sanitation businesses and maintenance services, and The Dehydrating Book, an innovative educational awareness campaign. Water For People operates across nine countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with teams in Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, India, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, plus a newly launched U.S. WASH initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Everyone Forever
• Clean Water Access Programs
• Sanitation Services
• Hygiene Education and Training
• Climate-Resilient WASH Solutions
• Entrepreneur Support Programs
• The Dehydrating Book
• Badilisha Maisha Project

Quantifiable outcome

• 7X return on every $1 invested when accounting for co-investment and economic benefits
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Water Works Association (AWWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisionary Partner at $500,000-$999,999 level. AWWA founded Water For People in 1991 and has maintained a strong partnership for over 30 years. AWWA is the largest nonprofit, scientific, and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water.
• Water Environment Federation (WEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisionary Partner at $500,000-$999,999 level. WEF is a Charity of Choice partner. WEF's mission is to connect and enrich the expertise of water professionals.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on wetland restoration and drinking water security. Water For People's work in Uganda was included in The Nature Conservancy's report on Accelerating Adaptation. Collaboration on Mpanga Water Fund and source water protection.
• IRC (International Water and Sanitation Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the One For All global alliance alongside IRC. Partnership includes developing joint framework and goals to promote shared accountability, sharing resources, learnings, and expertise. Part of Destination 2030 strategy.
• Forest TrendsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on 'The Case for Source Water Protection in WASH Systems' paper covering the crossroads of WASH service delivery with source water protection work.
• Tetra Tech/Sustainable Water PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on source water protection paper and sustainable water resource management.
• DigDeepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to address water access in the United States, particularly in McDowell County. Water For People launched U.S. WASH initiative in 2024 to engage with organizations building a collaborative WASH sector in the United States.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeader Partner at $100,000-$249,999 level. Collaboration on WASH in schools and healthcare facilities programs.
• National Association of Water Companies (NAWC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater industry partner helping ensure high-quality drinking water and sanitation services are available to Everyone Forever.
• National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater sector partner supporting Water For People's mission.
• US Water AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater sector partner helping ensure high-quality drinking water and sanitation services are available.
• Vessel CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater For People participated in the U.S. WASH Convening organized by Vessel Collective to address the water access gap in the United States, bringing together over 130 organizations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• charity: water: charity: water is a nonprofit that funds clean water access in developing countries via individual donor giving, directly overlapping Water For People's mission and beneficiary profile, and is also a $1M+ Global Strategic Partner of Water For People.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is a global nonprofit focused on WASH in developing countries with similar program models, district-level coverage approach, and donor-driven revenue model, making it a direct comparator to Water For People.
• Water.org: Water.org (founded by Gary White and Matt Damon) works on water and sanitation access in developing countries through market-based financing (WaterCredit), overlapping with Water For People's market-based sanitation and entrepreneur support programs.
• IRC (International Rescue Committee): IRC is a global humanitarian NGO with substantial WASH programming and co-founded the One For All alliance with Water For People; it is both a partner and a peer operating in overlapping geographies in Africa and Asia.
• World Vision: World Vision is a large international NGO with extensive WASH programming for children and communities in developing countries, sharing corporate and foundation donor audiences and overlapping country footprint with Water For People.
• DigDeep: DigDeep is a U.S.-focused WASH nonprofit serving unserved communities (including the McDowell County partnership), directly overlapping with Water For People's 2024-launched U.S. WASH initiative.
• Lifewater International: Lifewater is a faith-based WASH nonprofit focused on rural water access, household sanitation, and hygiene behavior change in Africa and Asia, with comparable district-level, full-coverage methodologies.
• WaterAid America: WaterAid America is the U.S. affiliate of WaterAid, raising funds and advocating for WASH access in developing countries with an overlapping donor base and similar programmatic emphasis on sustainability and local capacity.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene section): UNICEF runs the largest global WASH programs across humanitarian and development contexts and is both a leader-tier partner ($100K-$249K) of Water For People and a broader incumbent that shapes sector funding and standards.

Emerging players

• Engineers Without Borders USA: Engineers Without Borders mobilizes volunteer engineers to deliver WASH infrastructure in developing-country partner communities, addressing similar technical capacity gaps as Water For People's entrepreneur and capacity-building programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubebit.ly/WFPYouTubeSubscribe
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterforpeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-for-people
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterforpeople
• Xx.com/waterforpeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Water For People