Alliance for Global Water Adaptation

What Alliance for Global Water Adaptation does

Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) is an international nonprofit NGO founded in 2010 and headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon, operating as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. AGWA convenes a member-driven network of more than 2,900 water and climate practitioners and decision-makers globally, focused on integrating water resilience into climate adaptation policy and practice. Its work bridges the UNFCCC policy arena, where it has participated in COP26 through COP30, and on-the-ground technical programming with national governments.

AGWA's core product is the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning, a self-assessment tool developed with UNICEF, GWP, and SWA that helps countries integrate water considerations into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); the tool has been applied in Egypt, Malawi, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Nepal. Supporting offerings include the Water Resilience Assessment Framework (WR4ER), the CASTT Adaptation Academy in partnership with Oregon State University, IHE Delft, and AIT, the Toma Segura utility training program in Mexico co-organized with Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte, and the Knowledge Platform at agwaguide.org. The organization's underlying technical foundation rests on Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU), Decision Scaling, Adaptation Pathways, and Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) methodologies.

AGWA is funded through a mix of tax-deductible donations, individual and foundation contributions, donor-advised fund grants, and bilateral grants from governments including UK FCDO/UK Aid, the Netherlands, and Germany (BMZ/GIZ). The organization's go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct engagement with its member network, recurring presence at COP, World Water Week, and Regional Climate Weeks, content marketing through the Resilient Waters blog, the AGWA Updates newsletter, the ClimateReady podcast, and webinars. It does not charge for its programs or services, and revenue is dispersed across a member base of 2,900+ individuals rather than concentrated on enterprise contracts.

Name

Alliance for Global Water Adaptation

Legal name

Alliance for Global Water Adaptation

Website

https://alliance4water.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AGWA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that convenes a global member network of 2,900+ water and climate practitioners, helping national governments integrate water resilience into climate plans through tools like the Water Tracker and the CASTT Adaptation Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Adaptation and Water Resilience Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Conservation Programs (924120), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH), Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation & Natural Resource Management Technical Assistance (BPADAEAJ), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Climate adaptation services
• Water resource management
• Climate resilience consulting
• Capacity building programs
• Environmental policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Corvallis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations supporting climate resilience work. AGWA is a U.S. nonprofit under Section 501(c)(3) with tax ID 83-3732786. Donations support operations, core initiatives, and climate resilience priorities worldwide.
2. Membership Fees: AGWA is a member-driven network with membership available through sign-up. Members receive access to network activities, governance voting rights, and direct engagement with the Secretariat.
3. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Giving: Accepts grants recommended through donor-advised funds via DAF Direct portal for U.S. donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AGWA is an international member-based nonprofit NGO that develops tools, frameworks, and training programs to help governments, water practitioners, and policymakers integrate water considerations into climate adaptation planning. Its core deliverables include the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning self-assessment tool, the Water Resilience Assessment Framework (WR4ER), and capacity-building programs such as the CASTT Adaptation Academy and Toma Segura utility training. The organization convenes a network of 2,500+ members and engages with UNFCCC processes, World Water Week, and country-level climate planning across more than a dozen nations.

Product overview

AGWA offers a portfolio of interconnected tools and programs focused on water-centric climate resilience. The core offerings include the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning (a self-assessment tool helping countries integrate water into NDCs and NAPs), the Water Resilience Assessment Framework (technical assessment methodology), and the Knowledge Platform (online resource portal at agwaguide.org). Supporting these are capacity-building initiatives including the CASTT Adaptation Academy (UNFCCC-linked training program), the Toma Segura Program (Mexican utility training), and Climate-Resilient Resource Management courses. AGWA also contributes to policy frameworks like the Climate Bonds Water Resilience Taxonomy being developed to mobilize green bond investment for water adaptation. The portfolio spans technical assessment tools, training programs, policy guidance, and investment frameworks—all aimed at mainstreaming resilient water resources management globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Tracker for National Climate Planning Self-assessment tool that guides national government decision-makers to systematically assess water required for climate action across all sectors. Helps countries integrate water considerations into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), ensuring plans are resilient to uncertain climate futures. Applied in Egypt, Malawi, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Nepal.
• Water Resilience Assessment Framework (WR4ER)

Named customers5 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

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWS and AGWA have strengthened their relationship to achieve complementarity. AWS focuses on site-based water stewardship certification for businesses, while AGWA focuses on public sector, resource management, and climate resilience. The organizations are considering options for closer collaboration to maximize collective impact, including potential policy alignment and resilience integration into water stewardship standards.
• Climate Bonds InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGWA Executive Director John Matthews co-leads a working group with Climate Bonds Initiative to expand green bond criteria to mobilize funding for adaptation and resilience. The goal is to develop a coherent taxonomy defining what qualifies as an adaptation and resilience intervention for water, facilitating bond issuance for water-climate investments.
• Global Water Partnership (GWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in developing the Water Tracker tool for national climate planning, working together to place water at the center of climate action.
• Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in developing the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning tool, contributing to global water-climate policy alignment.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in developing the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning tool, working to integrate water into national climate plans globally.
• Adaptation Action CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGWA serves as the secretariat for the water sector workstream of the Adaptation Action Coalition, coordinating efforts to advance water resilience in national climate planning globally.
• Water for Climate Pavilion PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGWA participates in the Water for Climate Pavilion at COP events, a collaboration of over 30 organizations including SIWI, GIZ, World Bank, GCA, and others delivering science-based advice to climate decision makers.
• Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte (FGRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer with AGWA of the Toma Segura program for Mexican water utilities, providing capacity-building training on water resilience for utility operators in Mexico.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on World Water Week, Water Pavilion organization at COP events, and shared commitment to raising water's profile in climate discussions.
• Oregon State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for graduate-level training on Climate-Resilient Resource Management, with AGWA's Coordinator teaching courses at OSU.
• IHE DelftsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CASTT Adaptation Academy providing climate action training in partnership with UNFCCC.
• Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CASTT Adaptation Academy for Asia-Pacific region climate training.
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on strengthening the Global Goal on Adaptation through hydrology, including joint sessions at COP30.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a major global research organization with established water and climate programs (e.g., Aqueduct, Climate Watch). It overlaps AGWA on water risk data, NDC analysis, and climate-resilience policy, but at materially larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• International Water Association (IWA): IWA is a larger, longer-established global membership organization for water professionals covering utilities, treatment, and policy. It overlaps AGWA on water resilience training and utility engagement (e.g., Toma Segura adjacent work) but operates at much greater scale.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC): TNC runs a Nature-based Solutions for Resilience program area closely aligned with AGWA's NbS for Resilience offering. As a much larger conservation NGO with global programs and policy reach, TNC is a broad incumbent addressing overlapping water-climate-biodiversity adaptation themes.

Direct peers

• Sanitation and Water for All (SWA): SWA is a global partnership coordinating action on water, sanitation, and hygiene across developing countries and a partner in developing AGWA's Water Tracker. Both organizations operate as global, member-driven networks at the intersection of water policy, country engagement, and donor alignment.
• Global Water Partnership (GWP): GWP is an international network for integrated water resources management and a co-developer of AGWA's Water Tracker. It operates a similarly member-driven, policy-and-technical hybrid model across global regions, making it a direct functional peer in convening, capacity-building, and policy advocacy.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI): SIWI organizes World Water Week and co-leads the Water for Climate Pavilion at COP alongside AGWA. It convenes water policy and knowledge actors globally and complements AGWA's convening role with deeper research and publishing capacity.
• Climate Bonds Initiative: Climate Bonds Initiative co-leads with AGWA the working group developing a water adaptation/resilience bond taxonomy. They share an explicit partnership on mobilizing capital into water-climate resilience and both serve standards-setting/convener roles in climate finance.
• Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS): AWS is an international member-based organization standardizing site-based water stewardship. AGWA explicitly notes complementarity with AWS (AWS = site/corporate stewardship; AGWA = public sector and climate resilience), making it the closest peer in operating model, membership structure, and water-climate mandate.

Emerging players

• Wetlands International: Wetlands International is a smaller NGO focused on wetland and water ecosystem conservation with deep engagement in UNFCCC and Ramsar processes. It overlaps AGWA on the water-climate-biodiversity-adaptation nexus and on Nature-based Solutions advocacy.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): CDP runs corporate and city-level climate and water disclosure systems and increasingly engages on adaptation/resilience metrics relevant to AGWA's Global Goal on Adaptation work. It is comparable as a data-driven standards and convening organization in the climate-water policy space, though focused on disclosure rather than implementation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alliance4water
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@alliance4water
• Facebookfacebook.com/Alliance4Water
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alliance4water

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alliance for Global Water Adaptation