Community Water Center

What Community Water Center does

Community Water Center (CWC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Visalia, California, with additional offices in Sacramento (state policy hub) and Freedom (Central Coast). It works to end the drinking water crisis for low-income communities of color in rural California, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions, where groundwater contamination from nitrates, PFAS, chrome-6, and 1,2,3-TCP and drought-driven dry wells threaten safe water access. CWC pursues four core strategies: grassroots power-building, infrastructure project support, communications, and policy advocacy, anchored by the AGUA coalition and the Community Water Leaders Network.

Its core products are the Drinking Water Tool, an interactive web-based mapping platform launched in February 2020 that overlays groundwater vulnerability, water quality, drought impact, and local water management data for California communities; the Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy, a digital resource for community organizers; and direct-service programs including bottled water delivery and well testing referrals. The technology stack is built around domain-specific data tooling rather than a commercial product platform.

CWC's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Funding streams span individual donations (one-time, monthly sustaining, stock, cryptocurrency, donor-advised funds at Schwab Charitable, Fidelity Charitable, Greater Kansas City CF, and BNY Mellon), employer matching gifts, event sponsorships, and institutional grants from the State Water Resources Control Board (SAFER program), the CA Department of Conservation (Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program), and other government and philanthropic sources. The customer base is beneficiary communities rather than paying customers, and the go-to-market motion is community-led organizing combined with event-driven engagement (lobby days, the annual Water Justice Leadership Awards) and statewide advocacy through Sacramento-based relationships with the State Water Board and California Legislature.

Name

Community Water Center

Legal name

Community Water Center

Website

https://communitywatercenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Water Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses grassroots organizing, infrastructure project support, and policy advocacy to advance safe drinking water access for disadvantaged rural California communities in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Justice Advocacy and Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Water justice advocacy
• Drinking water access
• Community organizing
• Water infrastructure projects
• Environmental justice nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Visalia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time gifts, monthly sustaining donations, and special appeal campaigns from individual donors
2. Gifts of Stock: Tax-advantaged donations of stock providing donors with no capital gains and deduction benefits
3. Donor-Advised Funds: Donations through DAF programs including Schwab Charitable, Fidelity Charitable, Greater Kansas City CF, and BNY Mellon
4. Cryptocurrency Donations: Crypto currency donations through CryptoForCharity providing tax benefits to donors
5. Company Matching Gifts: Employee matching gift programs doubled or tripled through employer programs
6. Grants and Government Funding: Funding through programs like SAFER (Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience), state water board grants, and multi-benefit land repurposing programs
7. Event Sponsorships: Sponsorships for the annual Water Justice Leadership Awards celebration

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Community Water Center is a nonprofit organization that builds grassroots power to end California's drinking water crisis through four core strategies: grassroots organizing, infrastructure projects, communications, and advocacy. It delivers direct services such as bottled water delivery and well testing for households without safe water, develops digital tools like the Drinking Water Tool and the Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy, and engages in state and federal policy advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged communities in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast.

Product overview

Community Water Center operates primarily as a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on water justice rather than a traditional product company. The organization offers two main digital products: the Drinking Water Tool (an interactive web mapping and information tool at drinkingwatertool.communitywatercenter.org) that helps communities understand groundwater vulnerability and water system governance, and the Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy (at drinkingwaterguide.org) which provides educational resources for community organizers. Supporting services include bottled water delivery programs for communities without safe water access and well testing programs for eligible households. The organization's work spans grassroots organizing, infrastructure project support, communications, and policy advocacy to address drinking water crises in California communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Tool An interactive web-based tool that shows communities in California their vulnerability to groundwater challenges affecting long-term access to safe and affordable drinking water. The tool displays who manages water supply and quality, potential threats to groundwater quality, drought impacts to water supply, and how to get involved in local groundwater management decisions.
• Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy A comprehensive digital guide providing resources, tools, stories, and inspiration for community organizers to pursue systemic change for their local water systems, particularly for communities facing water challenges.
• Bottled Water Programs Emergency water delivery programs providing bottled water for communities without access to safe drinking water.
• Well Testing Programs Programs connecting eligible households to well testing services to assess water quality and identify replacement drinking water sources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 900 million in SAFER funding invested for drinking water solutions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Regional regulatory board where CWC staff and partners provided comments at the Alternative Water Supply Program Workshop addressing nitrate contamination from industrial agriculture.
• Self Help EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Community development organization collaborating with CWC and community partners on the East Orosi drinking water infrastructure project. Provided technical assistance and support for construction of water connections serving 106 households.
• Tulare CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Local government partner collaborating on the East Orosi drinking water project to provide safe water access to the community.
• Orosi Public Utilities DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Local utility district working with CWC and other partners on the East Orosi infrastructure project to connect households to safe drinking water.
• State Water Resources Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026California state agency providing funding through the SAFER program and regulatory oversight for drinking water projects including East Orosi. SWB Chair Joaquin Esquivel participated in groundbreaking ceremony.
• CA Department of ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026State agency providing funding through the Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) for CWC to build and test a model for community-led land transition in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Leadership Counsel for Justice and AccountabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental justice organization recognized at WJLA as an ally organization. Partners on advocacy efforts for groundwater protection and land transition in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Clean Water ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization recognized at WJLA as an ally organization. Collaborates on water justice advocacy and policy efforts in California.
• AGUA (Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity coalition of people united for water justice. CWC works alongside AGUA members in communities like East Orosi, Cutler-Orosi, and San Jerardo Cooperative to advocate for safe drinking water access. Coalition celebrated 20 years of water justice work together.
• UC DavisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership where community partners, CWLN members, and CWC staff participated in the California Water Course taught by Dr. Samuel Sandoval Solís covering water science, policy, and management.
• King's Management ZoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural management zone program through which CWC advocated for and secured the first free water fill station in Orosi for communities facing nitrate contamination.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability: California-based environmental justice nonprofit that works alongside CWC on groundwater protection, land transition, and policy advocacy in disadvantaged communities (recognized as a WJLA Ally Organization). Closely aligned mission and target constituencies.
• Environmental Justice Coalition for Water: California coalition advocating for safe drinking water in disadvantaged communities, with overlapping policy agenda (SGMA, SAFER, Human Right to Water) and similar grassroots-organizing methodology as CWC.
• Self Help Enterprises: Community development nonprofit that co-implements drinking-water infrastructure projects with CWC, including the East Orosi project serving 106 households. Direct operational partner on water access in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice: Inland Empire-based environmental justice nonprofit employing grassroots organizing and policy advocacy on air, water, and land issues in communities of color. Comparable model of community-led environmental advocacy in California.

Emerging players

• Pacoima Beautiful: Los Angeles-based environmental justice nonprofit using community organizing, advocacy, and youth leadership to address pollution and water issues in communities of color; comparable community-led organizing model but different geography and lead contaminants.
• The Watershed Research and Training Center: Northern California nonprofit focused on watershed health, native fisheries, and rural community water issues. Comparable community-based, Northern/Central California operating geography and water-resource mission.

Broad incumbents

• Clean Water Action: National water-focused advocacy organization honored as a WJLA Ally Organization. Larger scope and broader portfolio than CWC but directly comparable mission around clean, affordable water.
• Rural Community Assistance Corporation: Regional nonprofit providing training, technical assistance, and funding for rural water and wastewater systems across the Western U.S. Overlaps with CWC on small/rural water-system consolidation and capacity building.
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Large national environmental advocacy organization with active California water policy work. Much broader portfolio than CWC, but functions as a high-profile incumbent in the same water-justice policy space.

Others

• California Rural Legal Assistance: Legal services nonprofit serving rural California communities, including on water rights, housing, and labor. Adjacent rather than direct peer, but shares CWC's rural-California constituency and policy advocacy posture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CWaterC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@communitywatercenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/communitywatercenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-water-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/communitywatercenter

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Community Water Center