Pure Water Access Project

What Pure Water Access Project does

Pure Water Access Project, Inc. was a US nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by undergraduate students at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and incorporated shortly thereafter. The organization's core offering was research-based support for small-to-medium sized WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) nonprofits, with a specific focus on studying sociocultural barriers to the sustained success of clean water interventions such as BioSand filters and newly-dug wells. Its program portfolio comprised Clean Water Research Services, country-specific projects executed in Nicaragua, Ghana, El Salvador, and Peru, and a Global Health Fellowship Program that educated US students about the clean water sector.

The organization was funded entirely through grants and donations rather than commercial pricing, with disclosed institutional support from The Ohio State University (mentorship and later a scholarship fund), the Batelle Memorial Institute (first major grant), Spectral Energies (annual funding), and operational partners Global Water and AMOS Health and Hope. It earned three consecutive Clinton Global Initiative University invitations and recognitions between 2013 and 2016, including a 2015 highlight by Chelsea Clinton as an exceptional commitment with measurable follow-through.

In 2019, citing rising overhead costs, reduced project funding, and the geographic difficulty of running a Columbus-based nonprofit with distributed international programs, the co-founders dissolved the independent entity and transferred the mission to a scholarship fund at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. The entity is no longer operating, and the organization's website now redirects scholarship inquiries to the university.

Name

Pure Water Access Project

Legal name

Pure Water Access Project, Inc.

Website

https://purewateraccessproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pure Water Access Project was a US nonprofit founded in 2009 at The Ohio State University that used research to help small-to-medium sized WASH nonprofits overcome sociocultural barriers to clean water interventions in Nicaragua, Ghana, El Salvador, and Peru. The organization dissolved in 2019 and transferred its mission to an Ohio State University scholarship fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Water Research Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Clean water research
• WASH interventions
• Nonprofit research services
• Water access programs
• Sociocultural water research

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Pure Water Access Project was a nonprofit organization that used research to assist small-to-medium sized nonprofits working on clean water interventions. It studied sociocultural barriers to the sustained success of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) efforts in communities across Nicaragua, Ghana, El Salvador, and Peru, providing culturally-sensitive, data-driven analysis to make clean water interventions more effective.

Product overview

The Pure Water Access Project was a nonprofit organization that used research to tackle the global clean water crisis. Originally founded in 2009 and incorporated as a nonprofit, the organization assisted small-to-medium sized nonprofits by studying sociocultural barriers to clean water intervention success. The portfolio consisted of Clean Water Research Services (providing data-driven analysis for WASH efforts), Country-Specific Water Projects across Nicaragua, Ghana, El Salvador, and Peru, and a Global Health Fellowship Program for student education. In 2019, the nonprofit transitioned its operations, and the mission continues today through the Pure Water Access Project Scholarship at The Ohio State University College of Public Health, which supports undergraduates using data to address clean water challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Water Research Services Provided culturally-sensitive, data-driven research solutions to assist small-to-medium sized nonprofits in studying sociocultural barriers to the sustained success of clean water interventions, helping make WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) efforts more effective.
• Country-Specific Water Projects Localized clean water research initiatives conducted in Nicaragua, Ghana, El Salvador, and Peru, providing individualized approaches to address local water crises through interventions such as BioSand filters and newly-dug wells.
• Global Health Fellowship Program An educational program that educated US students about nonprofits and the clean water sector while developing the passion and skills necessary to advance the organization's clean water mission.
• Pure Water Access Project Scholarship A scholarship fund at The Ohio State University College of Public Health that supports undergraduates conducting faculty-mentored research, continuing the nonprofit's mission to use data-driven approaches to address the clean water crisis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Assisted thousands of people by helping small-to-medium sized groups with their WASH efforts
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Global WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst partner of Pure Water Access Project. In 2012, the organization sent out dozens of packets to existing nonprofits seeking collaborative opportunities, and only Global Water was willing to take a chance on the fledgling nonprofit. This first collaborative project in 2012 marked the beginning of PWAP's growth into a nonprofit that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the clean water sector.
• The Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided mentorship to the organization from its founding. The organization's co-founders held their first meeting in Siebert Hall at Ohio State. Later, the organization created a scholarship fund at The Ohio State University College of Public Health to continue supporting undergraduates interested in using data to make the world better. The university offered mentorship and continues to host the scholarship program.
• AMOS Health and HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinued to be a consistent charitable partner throughout PWAP's operational period, collaborating on WASH efforts in communities served by the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Water For People: Nonprofit working to ensure everyone, everywhere has safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Comparable in WASH mission and country-by-country program model covering Latin America and Africa, similar to PWAP's footprint.
• charity: water: US-based nonprofit funding clean water infrastructure projects in developing countries. Comparable to PWAP in clean water mission, donor-funded model, and project-based delivery in geographies like Nicaragua and Ghana where PWAP operated.
• Lifewater International: Faith-inspired nonprofit drilling wells and delivering WASH programs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in WASH delivery focus and presence in geographies like Ghana and Peru where PWAP operated.
• Engineers Without Borders USA: Nonprofit partnering with developing communities to implement sustainable engineering projects including WASH infrastructure. Comparable to PWAP in mission overlap, university-rooted talent model, and country-specific water/sanitation project execution.
• WaterAid: Global nonprofit focused exclusively on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access in low-income countries. Directly comparable to PWAP in mission focus, geographic model (country offices serving communities), and WASH-as-core-mission positioning.
• AMOS Health and Hope: Health-focused nonprofit in Nicaragua that was a sustained charitable partner of PWAP. Comparable as a peer organization with overlapping WASH and rural community health mission in Central America.
• Global Water: Nonprofit that was PWAP's first operational partner in 2012, focused on clean water and sanitation initiatives. Directly comparable as a peer WASH organization that collaborated with PWAP on early field work.
• Water.org: Global nonprofit organization pioneering market-based financial solutions to the global water and sanitation crisis. Comparable in WASH focus and international scope, though Water.org operates at substantially greater scale and capital base than PWAP.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (WASH programs): Large humanitarian organization with significant WASH programming in crisis-affected and developing countries. Comparable in WASH mission, but operates at much greater scale and as part of a broader humanitarian portfolio.
• USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programs: US government agency funding and administering large-scale WASH initiatives globally. Comparable as a major funder/convener in the WASH sector where PWAP operated, though at vastly greater scale and through governmental mechanisms.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThePWAP

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Pure Water Access Project