Blood:Water

What Blood:Water does

Blood:Water is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 that addresses the linked water and HIV/AIDS crises in sub-Saharan Africa by providing long-term funding and organizational strengthening support to African-led community organizations. The organization operates an eight-year funding partnership cycle with vetted partner NGOs across 12 African countries, deploying 100% of program funding directly to local partners, and reports cumulative outcomes including nearly 1 million people provided safe water access, over 1.1 million people trained in sanitation and hygiene practices, and HIV prevention services delivered to more than 700,000 people.\n\nBlood:Water raises revenue through individual donations, a recurring monthly giving program branded as "The Fuel," creative peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and institutional foundation grants. Its founding affiliation with Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay provides differentiated visibility in the faith-based and creative fundraising space, and the organization has raised more than $40 million cumulatively since inception. The organization holds GuideStar Platinum, Charity Navigator Four-Star, ECFA accreditation, and won the 2021 Classy Award.\n\nIn 2023, Blood:Water expanded beyond direct grant-making by launching the Leader Collective, an online community of practice and resource platform for African development leaders, signaling a pivot toward a broader ecosystem model. The organization maintains a small US headquarters staff (~9 named) in Nashville, TN, a Kenya-based operational office, and works through 33 partner organizations implementing WASH and HIV/AIDS programs in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Malawi.

Name

Blood:Water

Legal name

Blood:Water Mission

Website

https://bloodwater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blood:Water is a US-based nonprofit that funds and strengthens African-led community organizations addressing water and HIV/AIDS crises in sub-Saharan Africa through an eight-year partnership model, having supported 33 partners across 12 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development / Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Services (BPAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Clean water access
• HIV/AIDS prevention
• Nonprofit partnerships
• Community health programs
• WASH infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Recurring Giving: Blood:Water raises funds from individual donors through one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations (The Fuel program), and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. The Fuel is described as a passionate group of monthly givers.
2. Institutional Grants and Foundation Funding: Blood:Water receives grant funding from institutional foundations. The organization references partnerships with foundations and has a Case for Support document targeting institutional donors.
3. Creative Fundraising Campaigns: Blood:Water was founded by Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay and has raised funds through creative, grassroots campaigns and community engagement. The organization has raised more than $40 million since founding through creative fundraising efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Blood:Water is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides long-term funding and capacity-building support to African community organizations addressing the clean water crisis and HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Rather than funding discrete projects, it commits to multi-year (eight-year) partnerships with African-led organizations and channels 100% of donations directly to those local partners. Its work spans WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs.

Product overview

Blood:Water is a nonprofit organization that operates as a unified grant-making and partnership program, rather than a traditional product company. The organization supports African-led community-driven organizations addressing water and HIV/AIDS crises through organizational strengthening and financial support, with a documented eight-year funding cycle with vetted partners. The organization offers The Fuel monthly giving program as its primary engagement mechanism for individual donors, and maintains the Leader Collective as an online community of practice and resource platform for African development leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Leader Collective: An online community of practice that exists to convene, cultivate, and amplify African leaders driving health and development change. It was born out of Blood:Water's missional commitment to invest in and elevate partners beyond grant-partners.
• The Fuel

Products and services

• The Fuel (Monthly Giving Program) A monthly recurring giving program through which individual donors provide sustained, predictable financial support that funds Blood:Water's multi-year (eight-year) grants to African community partners addressing WASH and HIV/AIDS.
• Leader Collective An online community platform for monthly supporters (Fuel donors) of Blood:Water, providing engagement, updates, and connection to the organization's mission and partner work.
• WASH Program (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Multi-year grant funding and capacity-building support to African community organizations delivering clean water access, sanitation, and hygiene education to communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
• HIV/AIDS Program Multi-year grant funding and capacity-building support to African community organizations delivering HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services to communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Hike4Water (Peer-to-Peer Fundraising) A peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in which supporters organize hikes to raise sponsorship money that funds clean water access programs through African partner organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 43% increase in program quality across partner organizations
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Partners for Community Transformation (PaCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners for Community Transformation (PaCT) is a Ugandan NGO working in the Kassanda District of Uganda. In partnership with Blood:Water, PaCT implements the Three-Star model approach (developed by UNICEF and the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports) to improve sustainable clean water and WASH practices in 6 schools and surrounding communities. The goal is to improve quality of hygiene behavior change programmes by June 2025. PaCT was established in 1995 (previously known as Mityana Uganda Charity until May 2018) and is in its fourth grant cycle with Blood:Water, with the partnership beginning in 2017.
• Our Lady of Perpetual Support (OLPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur Lady of Perpetual Support (OLPS) is a Kenyan community-centered NGO working in Kisumu County, Kenya, to address HIV and its devastating effects on children and women. Founded in 1992, OLPS provides HIV clinic services, OVC care, and economic empowerment. In partnership with Blood:Water (partnership started April 2021, now in second grant cycle), OLPS is implementing the 'Arise and Shine' project targeting 1,000 OVC with care and support services, 380 households with capacity strengthening, and 349 people living with HIV with enhanced adherence support, plus hygiene promotion for children in Kisumu East Sub-County.
• Nyanam InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNyanam International is a restorative justice organization based in the Lake Victoria region of Kenya, focused on equipping widows to be leaders of community transformation. Through the WASHMI project with Blood:Water, Nyanam is training 2,824 widows in 118 leadership circles on safe hygiene and sanitation practices, and establishing rainwater harvesting and drip-irrigation systems for 230 widow households to enhance food and nutrition security.
• Njira ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNjira Impact (previously known as FOCCAD, name changed in 2025) is a community-based NGO founded in 2003, working in Dedza district and other regions of Malawi to bridge the gap to HIV treatment, care, and support. In partnership with Blood:Water (partnership started in 2022, in second grant cycle), Njira Impact is working to radically change the lives of 3,840 young women and adolescent girls and 784 orphans and vulnerable children by reducing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths in the Nkhotakota and Kachere communities.
• Drop of WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrop of Water (DoW) is an Ethiopian NGO founded in 2009 by seven Mekelle University students to eradicate the water crisis in Ethiopia. In partnership with Blood:Water, DoW is improving sustainable clean water access and sanitation for 600 households (3,000 individuals) in Bursa and Hagere Mariam districts of the Amhara and Sidama regions, building capacity for hygiene practices and nutrition for families and schools.
• Community Partnership for Relief & Development (COPRED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOPRED was founded in August 2000 as a response to the needs of orphaned children and widowed mothers in southern Malawi. In partnership with Blood:Water, COPRED improves personal and family hygiene, sanitation, early childhood development, and HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Mwanza and Blantyre districts of Malawi. Goals include increasing access to safe water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities in 2,120 households, preventing nutritional deterioration in vulnerable populations, and increasing access to early childhood development services for 1,610 children.
• Community Asset Building and Development Action (CABDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCABDA is a Kenyan NGO registered in 2005, working in Navakholo and Shiveye locations of Kakamega County, Kenya. In partnership with Blood:Water, CABDA implements the Maji Safi Maisha Bora Project, which improves WASH in 5 primary schools (constructing rainwater harvesting tanks and protecting 5 springs reaching 2,500 children) and provides sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion for school children and families, while also strengthening livelihoods for 100 HIV-affected families.
• Beacon of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeacon of Hope (BOH) is a Kenyan NGO founded in 2002 serving Kajiado, Nairobi, Machakos, Meru, Mombasa, and Laikipia counties. In partnership with Blood:Water (partnership started April 2021, in second grant cycle), BOH is implementing the Boresha Afya Mtaani-Bam project in Kajiado County, improving HIV prevention for 4,000 individuals, providing palliative care for 300 individuals and households, and improving safe water and sanitation access for 3,000 people, with a focus on adolescents and young people living with HIV.
• Leader Collective Community of Practice MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Leader Collective is an online community of practice convened by Blood:Water to serve African leaders driving health and development change. Membership is open to African-led organizations (practitioners) and aligned philanthropic organizations (partners). The Leader Collective provides resources, peer networking, webinars, and shared learning, extending Blood:Water's impact beyond its direct grant partners to a wider ecosystem of African-led organizations. Founding leadership is provided by an Advisory Committee for Co-Creation.
• UNICEF / Ugandan Ministry of Education and SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlood:Water's partner PaCT uses the Three-Star model approach developed by UNICEF and the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports to implement WASH programs in schools. This is an indirect partnership through Blood:Water's funded partner's programmatic approach.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WaterAid: International nonprofit focused exclusively on WASH in Africa and Asia, working with local partners. Highly comparable in programmatic focus (WASH) and partner-strengthening model, though WaterAid operates at significantly larger scale and geographic breadth.
• charity: water: A US-based nonprofit funding clean water access in developing countries, with a similar grassroots-individual-donor model and transparent direct-to-local-partner philosophy. Most directly comparable on mission, donor engagement, and WASH funding intermediary role.
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation: Major US-based nonprofit focused on pediatric HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and research globally with significant Africa operations. Comparable on HIV/AIDS programmatic focus and institutional donor engagement.
• Water.org: Pioneer in market-based WASH financing, co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White. Comparable in WASH mission and celebrity/founder-driven brand, with a more financial-inclusion-oriented approach rather than grantmaking to local NGOs.
• Pure Water for the World: Smaller US-based nonprofit implementing WASH programs in Central America and Africa through partner organizations. Comparable in scale, WASH mission, and partner-based implementation model.
• (RED): Organization co-founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver that channels consumer and corporate contributions to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Comparable on the Africa-HIV/AIDS fundraising thesis and celebrity-led brand-driven donor acquisition model.

Others

• Global Fund for Women: Grantmaking foundation funding women's rights organizations globally. Comparable as an intermediary grantmaker to community-led organizations, though focused on gender rather than WASH/HIV.

Broad incumbents

• Partners in Health: Larger global health nonprofit operating across multiple disease areas including HIV/AIDS in Africa. Comparable in long-term partner accompaniment and health systems strengthening philosophy, but with broader disease and country scope.
• PATH: Global health nonprofit working on water, HIV/AIDS, and other health areas with deep partnerships in Africa. Comparable on integrated health programming and Africa presence, but with broader scope and institutional scale.
• amfAR: Established HIV/AIDS research and advocacy organization. Comparable on HIV/AIDS mission and US donor base, though amfAR is primarily research-focused rather than a grant intermediary to African community organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BloodWaterMission
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloodwater
• Xtwitter.com/bloodwater
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzX5_5yJhFhT6Kc5lp4k8XA

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Blood:Water