ONE DROP
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersMontreal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What ONE DROP does
One Drop Foundation is a Montreal-headquartered non-profit organization (501(c)(3) in the United States and a registered charity in Canada) founded in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil creator Guy Laliberté. The foundation's mission is to ensure sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for underserved communities worldwide, operating 29 projects across 14 countries spanning Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and Indigenous communities in Canada, with a stated cumulative reach of nearly 3 million people.
The foundation's core product is its proprietary Social Art for Behaviour Change (SABC) methodology — a trademarked framework that uses co-created artistic interventions with local artists and communities to drive sustainable behavior change in water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. This methodology underpins its flagship Lazos de Agua Program (a multi-stakeholder Latin American initiative targeting 1 million beneficiaries by 2030) and the Matter of Art service offering, alongside the Women at the Source initiative. One Drop does not sell products or services; its revenue model is charitable, consisting of individual donations, corporate sponsorships and grants, and event-driven fundraising through high-profile Las Vegas galas (One Night for One Drop), charity poker tournaments (a $25M+ partnership with the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker), wine auctions (La Cuvée One Drop with Artcurial/Ducasse Paris), and community walks (Walk for Water).
The foundation operates with a small team of 11–50 specialized professionals across international development, project management, SABC expertise, finance, and event operations, led since 2023 by CEO Ernenek Duran. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven and relationship-mediated, leveraging Laliberté's celebrity network and a dense web of strategic partnerships — including the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Rotary International/WASRAG, Water for People, METRO, Ovivo, SNC-Lavalin, Sun Life, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the PepsiCo Foundation — to attract high-net-worth donors and corporate sponsors. The foundation has received recognition including a 2015 United Nations Water for Life Best Practices Award and consecutive Charity Intelligence Canada Top Nonprofit designations.
ONE DROP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ONE DROP
- Legal name
- One Drop Foundation
- Website
- https://onedrop.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ONE DROP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Water Charity and WASH Programs
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where ONE DROP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montreal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ONE DROP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: One Drop raises funds through individual donations, corporate donations, and foundation grants. Donations support water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in developing countries. The foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) charity in the USA and a registered charity in Canada, enabling tax-deductible donations.
- Fundraising Events: Major annual fundraising events including One Night for One Drop (gala with performances and auctions), Walk for Water (community walks), La Cuvée One Drop (wine auctions), and The Big Deal for One Drop (charity poker tournament). Events generate significant contributions through ticket sales, auction proceeds, and sponsorship.
- Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations who sponsor programs, host events, or provide in-kind support. Partners include water technology companies, entertainment companies, and financial institutions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
ONE DROP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
One Drop Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization (501(c)(3) in the USA, registered charity in Canada) founded in 2007 by Guy Laliberté. It delivers sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in 14 countries using its proprietary Social Art for Behaviour Change (SABC) methodology, combining infrastructure development with artistic behavior-change interventions to build lasting community capacity. The foundation funds these programs through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and high-profile fundraising events including the One Night for One Drop gala and charity poker tournaments.
Product overview
One Drop Foundation is a charitable organization (501(c)(3) in the USA, registered charity in Canada) founded in 2007 by Guy Laliberté. Rather than a unified software product, One Drop operates a portfolio of programs and services focused on ensuring sustainable access to safe water globally. The core offerings include the Lazos de Agua Program (a multi-country initiative in Latin America combining WASH services with behavior change through social art), the Matter of Art service (offering social art-driven behavior change consulting), and the Women at the Source initiative. One Drop raises funds through flagship events including One Night for One Drop (an annual Las Vegas gala with performances and auctions) and Walk for Water (awareness walks). The foundation's distinctive methodology is Social Art for Behaviour Change (SABC), which uses artistic interventions to promote sustainable water and hygiene behaviors in project communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lazos de Agua Program A regional initiative in Latin America combining WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), behavior change, social art, and finance to enable sustainable water services access for communities across Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Mexico, Haiti, and Nicaragua. Targets over 1 million people by 2030.
- Matter of Art A One Drop service offering that uses social art to drive behavior change and enhance project impact in water access and sanitation programs, available to partner organizations and projects.
- Women at the Source An initiative focused on empowering women in communities affected by water issues, supporting their leadership in water-related initiatives and amplifying women's roles in WASH programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 3 million people impacted worldwide
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ONE DROP
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ONE DROP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
ONE DROP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.
- Bored & ThirstyminorPartnership to help promote and fund access to safe water around the world through beverage industry connections.
- SNC-Lavalin and Sun LifemajorPrivate sector partners allied with One Drop to advance water access cause in Latin America through the Lazos de Agua Program.
- World Poker TourcorePartnership to elevate the future of charity poker. World Poker Tour hosts events like the Big One for One Drop with $1,000,000 buy-in, and WPT festivals with Alpha8 events for One Drop. This partnership has generated over $25 million since 2012.
- OvivomajorWater technology company partnership renewed multiple times for impactful collaboration on water access projects.
- Artcurial and Ducasse ParismajorWine auction partnerships for La Cuvée One Drop events in Paris and Las Vegas, raising significant funds through rare wine and spirit auctions.
- Prince Albert II of Monaco FoundationcoreStrategic partnership for water access and climate resilience projects. Joint initiatives include the Telomiova Project in Madagascar and the Time Counts Philanthropic Initiative. Raised over $2 million from collaborative efforts.
- Georgina BloombergminorNew ambassador announced in celebration of International Women's Day to help amplify One Drop's mission for safe water access.
- METROmajorGlobal wholesaler partnership to provide safe water access and sanitation for more than 250,000 people in India.
- Lazos de Agua ConvenerscoreMulti-stakeholder alliance including the Inter-American Development Bank, the PepsiCo Foundation, and the Bush Foundation to bring safe water access to over 1 million people across Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030.
- Rotary International / WASRAGcoreLaunched the '2020 Water Partnership' to provide sustainable water and sanitation access to communities in need on three continents with an investment of $20 million.
- Formula EmajorPartnership for sustainability initiatives. Formula E helped raise over $1 million in support of One Drop and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation during the 2014-2015 season.
- Water for PeoplemajorPartnership to develop sustainable programming to end water and sanitation poverty through collaborative development initiatives.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ONE DROP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WaterAid: One of the largest international WASH-focused nonprofits, working across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with programs combining water infrastructure, sanitation, and hygiene behavior change. Direct mission and operating model match to One Drop's WASH+behavior change approach.
- charity: water: US-based nonprofit funding clean water projects in developing countries, with strong brand, donor events, and 100%-model fundraising similar to One Drop's high-profile event-driven approach. Competes for the same HNWI water-philanthropy dollars.
- DigDeep Right to Water Project: US-based water access nonprofit working on household water access in the US (including Indigenous communities) and internationally. Strongly comparable mission around safe water access for underserved communities.
- Water.org: Founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, Water.org combines philanthropy with microfinance for water and sanitation access. Direct peer in WASH funding, brand-driven fundraising, and global program delivery across multiple continents.
- Water For People: Long-standing WASH nonprofit explicitly listed as a strategic partner of One Drop. Works in Latin America, Africa, and Asia on sustainable water and sanitation programs—highly overlapping geography and donor base.
Regional players
- WaterAid America: US arm of WaterAid, focused on fundraising and advocacy from American donors for global WASH programs. Same parent mission as WaterAid but US-domiciled fundraising entity analogous to how One Drop operates as a 501(c)(3).
Emerging players
- Splash: Social-impact nonprofit focused on clean water access and child hygiene in schools and urban areas in Asia and Africa. Overlaps with One Drop's school WASH and behavior change programs but focuses more on city-based school systems.
- Oxfam-Québec: Canadian affiliate of Oxfam with WASH, food security, and rights-based international development programs. One Drop's CEO Ernenek Duran previously advised Oxfam-Québec; comparable Canadian-rooted international development footprint.
- Planet Water Foundation: US-based nonprofit deploying clean water access systems and hygiene education in schools across Asia and Latin America. Comparable school WASH focus and corporate-partnership fundraising model.
Broad incumbents
- UNICEF WASH Programme: UN agency operating the world's largest WASH program portfolio across 150+ countries. Lazos de Agua's IDB-led alliance includes multilateral partners that often co-implement with UNICEF; broadly comparable mandate at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ONE DROP social profiles
Digital presenceONE DROP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ONE DROP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
ONE DROP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ONE DROP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ONE DROP
What does ONE DROP do?
One Drop Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization (501(c)(3) in the USA, registered charity in Canada) founded in 2007 by Guy Laliberté. It delivers sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in 14 countries using its proprietary Social Art for Behaviour Change (SABC) methodology, combining infrastructure development with artistic behavior-change interventions to build lasting community capacity. The foundation funds these programs through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and high-profile fundraising events including the One Night for One Drop gala and charity poker tournaments.
Is ONE DROP a public or private company?
ONE DROP is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ONE DROP founded?
ONE DROP was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ONE DROP based?
ONE DROP is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ONE DROP make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are fundraising Events and corporate Partnerships.
Who are ONE DROP's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WaterAid, charity: water, DigDeep Right to Water Project, Water.org and Water For People. WaterAid America is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Splash, Oxfam-Québec and Planet Water Foundation. UNICEF WASH Programme is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does ONE DROP have an API?
No public API is recorded for ONE DROP.
What industry is ONE DROP in?
ONE DROP's product category is International Water Charity and WASH Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8600.