Engineers Without Borders San Francisco (EWB-SFP)

Name

Engineers Without Borders San Francisco (EWB-SFP)

Legal name

Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA)

Website

https://ewb-sfp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Engineering Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

Keywords

• Humanitarian engineering services
• Community development programs
• Water infrastructure projects
• Volunteer engineering nonprofit
• Sanitation system design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco, CA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible gifts from individuals supporting specific project teams (Ecuador Los Rios, Ethiopia Weledi, Nicaragua El Llanito, Fiji Buca, Kenya Lela, Panama Tranquilla) or the Chapter General Fund. Donations processed via EWB-USA checkout platform.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship tiers (Silver $500+, Gold $1,000+, Platinum $2,000+, Benefactor $4,000+) providing logo recognition, event tickets, social media announcements, chapter-wide recognition, and presentation opportunities.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual SFari fundraiser featuring virtual and in-person events, sponsors, donors, and online silent auction items. Past events raised $11,000-$16,000 per year.
4. Event Tickets and Activity Fees: Ticket sales for events such as Salsa Rueda fundraiser ($20 for one class, $35 for both) and SFari annual event. All proceeds support specific project teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EWB-SFP provides volunteer-driven engineering design, implementation oversight, and project management for water supply, sanitation, energy, healthcare, and shelter infrastructure in underserved international communities and within the United States. The chapter makes a minimum five-year commitment to each partner community, trains local residents to operate and maintain systems independently, and delivers health and infrastructure outcomes across seven active programs in Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama, and domestic CECorps engagements.

Product overview

EWB-SFP operates as a portfolio of engineering service programs rather than a unified product platform. The organization manages seven active international development programs (Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama) focused on water, sanitation, and infrastructure projects, plus a domestic Community Engineering Corps program. Supporting these programs are a dedicated annual fundraiser (SFari) and an R&D group (ATDT) that develops appropriate technology solutions like composting toilets and fog harvesters. Each program follows a community-driven, five-year commitment model where local residents are trained to operate and maintain systems independently.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Los Rios Water Supply Project (Ecuador)
• Weledi Ethiopia Project
• Fiji Water Sanitation Project
• Kenya Water Well Project
• El Llanito Water Project (Nicaragua)
• Panama Tranquilla Water Project
• Community Engineering Corps (CECorps)
• Appropriate Technology Design Team (ATDT / R&D Group)
• SFari Annual Fundraiser

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 biosand filters installed across three Fiji villages; Arombe community reduced from 600 cholera cases to zero outbreaks after water source installation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2004EWB-SFP is a professional chapter of EWB-USA, the parent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EWB-USA provides the Volunteer Village platform for member management, travel requirements, project oversight, and donation processing infrastructure. EWB-SFP operates under the EWB-USA umbrella with access to the national network of 16,900+ volunteers and Engineering Service Corps programs including the R&D Group.
• Community Engineering Corps (CECorps)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCECorps is a collaboration between EWB-USA, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and American Water Works Association (AWWA), led by an EWB Program Director. EWB-SFP organizes CECorps activities in San Francisco since 2019 with 5 active domestic projects serving underserved US communities. CECorps provides engineering services to US communities unable to afford engineering support.
• Outreach EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO partner in Weledi, Ethiopia dedicated to supporting orphaned children with foster parents, housing, and education resources. Initially connected EWB with Weledi community's infrastructure needs, identifying sanitation as the first project priority.
• Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO partner in Ethiopia working with EWB-SFP on Weledi community projects including latrine construction in the marketplace and ongoing flood management, clinic, and school projects. ORDA provides continuous community support.
• Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partner for Panama Tranquilla water project since 2013. SHI connects EWB with communities through sustainable farming programs, facilitates communication between EWB teams and the local water board (La Junta), and provides ongoing project oversight through their network of families.
• EWB Sacramento Valley Professional ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating chapter that led the Panama program since 2014 and transitioned it to EWB-SFP following COVID-19 travel restrictions. Sacramento Valley chapter had conducted assessments, repairs, surveys, and spring connections from 2013-2017 and continues to support during transition.
• EWB Oregon State University Chapter (OSU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreviously led Kenya Lela project, installing three wells before transferring responsibility to EWB-SFP in 2015 due to travel conflicts. OSU's work established the Lela Water Board and initial project foundation.
• OFCB MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner organization in Bayonnais, Haiti providing K-13th grade education to approximately 2,500 students, healthcare, dental care, and community bank services. OFCB also procures and maintains public infrastructure including the La Couleuvre Bridge project. OFCB purchased clinic land in 1999 and has been foundational to EWB-SFP's Haiti work.
• Friends of OFCBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based organization dedicated to developing and empowering the Bayonnais community by supporting OFCB projects and goals. Acts as a key fundraising and advocacy partner for EWB-SFP Haiti projects.
• EWB Nicaragua Country OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-country EWB office providing remote implementation oversight, local engineer coordination (Eveling Rodriguez), site visit support, and community training coordination for El Llanito project. Critical during COVID-19 travel suspension for maintaining project progress.
• Alcance Nicaragua (AN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO partner in Nicaragua with history of composting latrine deployments. Connected EWB to El Limon's well and later to El Llanito community. Provides ongoing monitoring of composting toilets since 2011. Partnered with Rotary clubs for Global Grant funding ($37.5k for composting latrines).
• Themba Development ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for ATDT fog harvester project in South Africa. Themba works at community level to empower residents addressing hunger, water/agriculture, skills development, and education. ATDT designed fog harvesting device to improve drinking water accessibility.
• A Single DropminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner working on rock crusher development for bio sand filter production. Creates local water organizations implementing bio sand filters in communities needing clean water. ATDT developing and fabricating rock crushing device for use with ASD's bio sand filter programs.
• ADESCO (San Juan de Dios, El Salvador)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity association overseeing development, water system operation/maintenance, and NGO coordination in San Juan de Dios, El Salvador. ADESCO manages water system serving ~2,000 residents, interfaces with EWB on projects, and coordinates with mayor's office on MOU signing and material procurement.
• UC Berkeley Student ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent EWB chapter collaborating on Nicaragua El Llanito project (students participated in early implementation trip digging trenches, helping with Well Support Building construction) and CECorps Vallejo church project for homeless housing. Provides student volunteer labor and project support.
• Richmond LANDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity land trust in Richmond, CA developing Tiny Home Village on two parcels in North Richmond. CECorps volunteers providing general civil and structural engineering services for the development.
• Tiny Pine FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation developing tiny home village in Concow, CA for Camp Fire survivors. CECorps (San Francisco and Sonoma County chapters) supporting development with engineering services for approximately 30 tiny homes and community facilities including garden, playground, and community center.
• Bayview BOOMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based organization in Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco teaching marginalized youth to build and market mobile electronics. CECorps assisting with volunteer recruitment for circuit design, battery technology, bluetooth programming, and other electronics skills.
• Ngelenge Development Association (NGEDEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage-based local NGO in Ngelenge, Tanzania that first contacted EWB-SFP in 2004. NGEDEA coordinated health dispensary funding, water project initiation, and community governance for the water distribution system serving 2,000+ residents.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Large international humanitarian NGO operating across water/sanitation, food security, and infrastructure in developing countries. Comparable in operating geographies (Nicaragua, Haiti, Ethiopia) and infrastructure-delivery mission, though operating at significantly greater scale with paid staff.
• WaterAid: Large international NGO focused exclusively on clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. Overlaps directly with EWB-SFP's water and sanitation programs across Fiji, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Panama, though operating at much larger scale through paid staff.
• charity: water: Major donor-funded nonprofit funding clean water access projects in developing countries. Comparable mission and donor-engagement model (recurring fundraising events, corporate sponsorships) to EWB-SFP's water-system programs, though operating at vastly greater scale.
• Water.org: Global nonprofit co-founded by Matt Damon focused on water and sanitation access through microfinance-based financing. Comparable in water-and-sanitation mission to EWB-SFP but operates via financial-market mechanisms rather than volunteer engineering deployments.
• Engineers Without Borders USA: National parent organization and 501(c)(3) umbrella under which EWB-SFP operates as a professional chapter. EWB-USA runs the Volunteer Village platform, donation processing, and 16,900+ volunteer network across 180+ chapters, making it the direct institutional parent and operational backbone.
• Habitat for Humanity: Large international nonprofit delivering volunteer-built housing and infrastructure. Comparable volunteer-driven infrastructure model and broad corporate-sponsor base, though focused on housing rather than EWB-SFP's water, sanitation, and bridges.

Direct peers

• BuildOn: Nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries using volunteer labor and community partnership, following a similar model of volunteer mobilization, community engagement, and infrastructure delivery in underserved geographies as EWB-SFP.
• Engineers Without Borders International (EWB-I): Federation of independent EWB national organizations across multiple countries. Sister organization to EWB-USA with shared mission of community-driven engineering in developing countries, the closest international peer to EWB-SFP's chapter model.
• Bridges to Prosperity: Nonprofit that designs and builds pedestrian footbridges in rural developing communities, sharing EWB-SFP's volunteer-engineering model and community-ownership ethos. Highly comparable for bridge-engineering work like EWB-SFP's La Couleuvre vehicular bridge project in Haiti.

Regional players

• Direct Relief: US-based humanitarian aid organization with significant infrastructure and healthcare delivery programs. Comparable in mission-driven nonprofit structure and Bay Area operational base, though focused more on medical supplies than engineering infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ewbsfp
• Facebookfacebook.com/EWBSFP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engineers-without-borders-san-francisco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

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 Engineers Without Borders San Francisco (EWB-SFP)