Climate and Water Initiative (CWI)

What Climate and Water Initiative (CWI) does

Climate and Water Initiative (CWI) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing solutions for water security, climate adaptation and mitigation, and environmental sustainability. The organization integrates technical and policy expertise across climate science, hydrology, water management, and environmental policy, and delivers that expertise through three product lines. First, a fee-for-service Professional Services offering covers strategic consultations, technical expertise deployment, expert speaking engagements, and professional publications, with pricing handled 'on request' and marketed via direct outreach. Second, a structured Educational Workshops portfolio spans six curricula — Basics of Climate Change, Global Climate Agenda, Climate Action Response, Water Management, Scenario Planning, and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty — deliverable to policymakers, NGOs, educators, and community leaders in in-person and virtual formats. Third, a content and community arm includes four branded original video series on YouTube (Water Cooler Conversations, Expert on Expert, Deep Dive with the Experts, Special Features), a newsletter, event participation, and a three-month Mentorship Program for early-career professionals.

CWI does not develop or operate proprietary technology products; the organization explicitly monetizes human expertise rather than software. Its go-to-market is fundamentally thought-leadership-led: top-of-funnel reach is built through video content, international climate events (COP, AGU, International Rain Enhancement Forum, WMO, Johns Hopkins Sustainable Solutions), social media, and external media featuring, while mid- and bottom-funnel conversion runs through educational workshops and bespoke professional services. Distribution is global with a documented concentration in the Middle East and North Africa region, supported by a distributed team with U.S. (Phoenix, AZ), UAE, and Qatar presences. Customers are segmented across policymakers and government officials (primary), organizations and institutions including NGOs, think tanks, and international organizations (primary), educators and community leaders, and early-career professionals. No named customer logos, disclosed revenue, disclosed pricing, or audited financials are published. The organization is led by Founder/CEO Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, a former Founding Director of the Climate and Water Program at the Middle East Institute, with a C-suite that includes a Chief Scientist (Dr. Raha Hakimdavar), Chief Operating Officer (Farah Sharif), Chief Financial Officer (Salmah Anne Buchmeier), and Chief of Staff (Maia Golzar Anderson). Governance is provided by a Board of Directors whose members include former Microsoft global water program lead Paul Fleming (President), cewas/seecon's Aline Bussmann (Treasurer), Fairfax Water's Erica Brown, Doha Institute's Dr. Laurent Lambert, and former WMO Chief Scientist Prof. Jürg Luterbacher (Secretary).

Name

Climate and Water Initiative (CWI)

Legal name

Climate and Water Initiative

Website

https://climate-water.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Climate and Water Initiative (CWI) is an international non-profit that delivers climate and water expertise through professional services, structured educational workshops, and a library of original video content. It primarily serves policymakers, NGOs, international organizations, educators, and early-career professionals across the Middle East, North America, and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate and Water Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Training, Safety & Compliance Video (MPADAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Climate policy consulting
• Water security advisory
• Environmental education workshops
• Sustainability strategy services
• Climate adaptation expertise

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: CWI generates revenue through fee-for-service professional services including strategic consultations, technical expertise deployment, speaking engagements, and professional publications. These are customized offerings shaped around each client's needs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CWI is an international non-profit that delivers fee-for-service professional consulting, custom educational workshops, and thought-leadership video content focused on climate change, water security, and environmental sustainability. Its offerings include strategic consultations, technical expertise deployment, speaking engagements, professional publications, structured educational workshops, and a remote mentorship program for early-career professionals.

Product overview

Climate and Water Initiative (CWI) is an international non-profit organization offering a portfolio of professional services, educational programs, and multimedia content focused on climate adaptation, water security, and environmental sustainability. The core offerings include professional consulting services (strategic consultations, technical expertise, speaking engagements, and professional publications), educational workshops (covering topics from climate change basics to decision-making under uncertainty), and multimedia video series (Water Cooler Conversations, Expert on Expert, Deep Dive with the Experts, and Special Features). Additionally, CWI operates a Mentorship Program for early-career professionals. These offerings are delivered through CWI's team of technical experts and are designed to support communities and leaders working on climate and water challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Consultations Advisory services for organizations working on climate, water, and environmental challenges, covering policy development, risk management, and sustainability planning.
• Technical Expertise Deployment Deployment of expert teams to support client projects across climate, water, energy, and environmental sectors with specialized technical input including data analysis, system design, and implementation support.
• Speaking Engagements Expert speakers provided for conferences, webinars, panels, and other events offering perspectives on climate, water, and environmental topics.
• Professional Publications Contributions of articles and reports to professional, policy, and academic publications providing research-based analysis and policy recommendations.
• Basics of Climate Change Workshop Comprehensive introduction to climate change fundamentals including global warming, carbon emissions, physical impacts, adaptation and mitigation strategies, and climate-security intersections.
• Global Climate Agenda Workshop Overview of key frameworks including Paris Agreement, UNFCCC, and COP role, covering climate mitigation strategies, net-zero targets, energy transitions, and climate financing mechanisms.
• Climate Action Response Workshop Exploration of Water-Food-Energy Nexus, green technologies, nature-based solutions, climate resilience in cities, and youth climate activism.
• Water Management Workshop Integration of water supply, demand, and conveyance systems covering legal, economic, and operational considerations, water augmentation strategies including desalination and rainfall enhancement.
• Scenario Planning Workshop Tools and frameworks for anticipating and preparing for future events, developing multiple plausible scenarios, analyzing risks, and developing response strategies.
• Decision-Making Under Uncertainty Workshop Strategies and tools for informed decisions in complex environments using decision analysis, scenario planning, robust decision-making, real options, and portfolio planning techniques.
• CWI Mentorship Program Three-month remote mentorship program pairing early-career professionals with CWI Technical Team members on short-term projects focused on climate, water, environment, mitigation, and adaptation themes.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Council: International affairs think tank with climate, energy, and Middle East programming. CWI's Director of Energy and Climate Mitigation is a Nonresident Senior Fellow there. Comparable as a policy non-profit where CWI's experts contribute.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization with a major Water Program. Comparable as a policy and research non-profit producing publications and tools on climate and water, but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): CGIAR research organization focused on water resources in developing countries, with active MENA programming. Comparable as a water-research and consulting organization, but with multilateral backing and larger research footprint.

Direct peers

• Circle of Blue: Non-profit journalism and research organization covering water and climate issues globally. Comparable as a content- and education-driven non-profit producing multimedia on water challenges.
• Middle East Institute: Washington-based think tank where CWI's founder previously led the Climate and Water Program. Highly comparable as a non-profit producing expert analysis, policy briefs, and events on Middle East issues including climate and water.
• cewas: International center for water and climate entrepreneurship, co-directed by CWI's Board Treasurer. Comparable as a non-profit working on water and climate capacity building, with overlap in MENA programming.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI): Water policy institute producing expert analysis, events (World Water Week), and publications on global water issues. Comparable as a non-profit knowledge and convening organization focused on water security and policy.
• Climate Central: Non-profit producing climate science communication, multimedia, and analysis for policymakers and the public. Comparable as a content-driven non-profit that translates climate science into accessible outputs.

Regional players

• Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP): Regional non-profit focused on policy analysis and training in the Middle East, where CWI's Senior Expert Malak Altaeb is a nonresident fellow. Comparable as a MENA-focused expert non-profit with publications and events.

Others

• World Meteorological Organization (WMO): UN specialized agency for weather, climate, and water, where CWI's Board Secretary previously served as Chief Scientist. Comparable as a leading convener and authority on climate/water science, though at a vastly different scale and institutional type.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@climate-waterinitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-water

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Climate and Water Initiative (CWI)