Project Waterfall

What Project Waterfall does

Project Waterfall is a UK-registered charitable initiative operated by The Allegra Foundation (registered charity 1133540, headquartered at 106 Arlington Road, London) that funds water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in coffee-growing communities across seven countries: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Nicaragua, and Vietnam. Founded in 2011, the organization has cumulatively raised over £1.7 million, funded 34 projects, and reached more than 80,000 people across its operational footprint. It does not build or sell technology products; its core offering is programmatic fundraising, with the only 'products' being fundraising vehicles (UK Coffee Week, Brand Partnerships, Drop a Dime, Turn on the Taps, the Big Water Walk, Big Brew Study Tour) and the 100% Promise policy that channels all public donations directly to projects.

The business model relies on five revenue streams: individual donations, event-driven fundraising via UK Coffee Week (a nationwide coffee-industry activation), long-term corporate brand partnerships priced at £50,000-150,000 annually, transaction-based donations through Drop a Dime (restaurant bill round-ups) and Turn on the Taps (contactless point-of-sale readers in coffee shops), and event income from tours and panel discussions. Customer segments are diversified across enterprise coffee brands (M&S, Trabocca, Taylors of Harrogate, AQUAPHOR Professional, Caravan Roastery, Minor Figures), SMB coffee shops and restaurants serving as donation collection venues, and individual coffee consumers donating directly.

Delivery is executed through a curated partner stack - WaterAid, Splash, Costa Foundation, Seeds for Progress, Water for People, charity: water, COFORWA, WASAC, and the Millennium Water Alliance - rather than via an internal field operations team. Strategic activity has intensified since 2022 with launches of the Berbere Ethiopia project (WaterAid), Project WISE in Ethiopian schools (Splash), and the September 2025 Oromia Coffee Project ('From Wastewater to Safe Water') with M&S, Trabocca and Taylors as funders, alongside a corporate sponsorship from AQUAPHOR Professional as Official Water Sponsor and the 2026 Copenhagen Big Brew Study Tour.

Name

Project Waterfall

Legal name

Project Waterfall (operated by The Allegra Foundation)

Website

https://projectwaterfall.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project Waterfall is the coffee industry's dedicated UK-registered charity (under The Allegra Foundation), founded in 2011 to fund water, sanitation and hygiene projects in coffee-growing communities across seven countries, raising over £1.7 million cumulatively.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Clean water charity
• Coffee industry fundraising
• WASH nonprofit programs
• Sanitation and hygiene projects
• Community water access

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Project Waterfall accepts direct donations from individuals who want to support clean water projects in coffee-growing communities. Donations are channeled entirely to project funding due to the 100% promise backed by corporate sponsorship.
2. UK Coffee Week: Annual nationwide celebration of coffee where thousands of participating coffee shops, retailers, and foodservice outlets fundraise for Project Waterfall.
3. Brand Partnerships: Long-term partnerships with companies connected to coffee-growing communities, typically involving £50,000-150,000 annual financial commitments, collaborative campaigns, and co-branded opportunities.
4. Drop a Dime: Restaurant initiative where customers donate to Project Waterfall through a bill, water, dish, or round-up donation.
5. Turn on the Taps: Coffee shop program providing 'tap to donate' readers for contactless donations at tills or water points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Project Waterfall is a UK-registered charitable initiative that raises funds from the coffee industry and individual supporters to deliver clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure in coffee-growing communities. It runs dedicated fundraising programs including UK Coffee Week, Brand Partnerships, Drop a Dime, and Turn on the Taps, and channels 100% of public donations into projects implemented by specialist delivery partners across seven countries.

Product overview

Project Waterfall is a charitable initiative operating as a series of fundraising programs and initiatives — not a software product. Its portfolio includes UK Coffee Week (a nationwide coffee fundraising event), Brand Partnerships (long-term corporate partnerships), Drop a Dime (restaurant bill/round-up donations), and Turn on the Taps (tap-to-donate contactless readers for coffee shops). The organization also embeds a 100% Promise commitment, ensuring all public donations fund clean water projects directly. These programs collectively support WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects implemented through delivery partners including WaterAid, Splash, Millennium Water Alliance, Costa Foundation, Seeds for Progress, charity: water, and COFORWA across coffee-growing countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Nicaragua, and Vietnam.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UK Coffee Week Annual nationwide celebration of coffee where thousands of participating coffee shops, retailers and foodservice outlets fundraise for Project Waterfall, raising funds for clean water projects in coffee-growing communities.
• Brand Partnerships Long-term partnerships with companies connected to coffee-growing communities, involving financial commitments of £50,000–£150,000 per year, collaborative campaigns, and co-branded opportunities to fund clean water projects.
• Drop a Dime Restaurant initiative in which venues encourage customers to donate to Project Waterfall through a bill, water, dish or round-up donation at the point of sale.
• Turn on the Taps Tap-to-donate contactless reader programme for coffee shops, providing a device alongside the till or water point that enables customers to make donations to Project Waterfall.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £1.7 million raised since 2011
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Minor FiguresminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor of Big Brew Study Tour Copenhagen 2026, which raised £50,850 for Project Waterfall. B Corp certified oat milk company participating in Water in Coffee panels.
• Caravan RoasteryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Venue host for Water in Coffee panel events and study tour activities. Head of Coffee Jamie Strachan participates in events.
• GAIL's BakeryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Head of Coffee Jessica Worden serves as panel moderator and Project Waterfall Board Member. Host of panel events.
• Oromia Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (OCFCU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Represents over 400 cooperatives in Ethiopia. Key partner in Oromia Coffee Project (From Wastewater to Safe Water), which aims to turn coffee processing wastewater into clean drinking water. Launched September 2025.
• Millennium Water Alliance (MWA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2025Implementing the Oromia Coffee Project in Ethiopia, working with OCFCU and participating cooperatives on feasibility study for turning coffee wastewater into safe drinking water.
• FrugalpacminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Sustainability packaging company producing Project Waterfall Frugal Cup made of 96% recycled paper. Donating 1p per cup sold to support clean water projects.
• 92 Degrees CoffeecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Partner since 2016, participating in UK Coffee Week and donating 10% of all bagged coffee sales. Raised over £14,654.43, changing over 586 lives. Expanded from Liverpool to 9 UK stores including London.
• WaterAidcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrimary delivery partner for multiple WASH projects including Berbere Ethiopia (41,539 people), Bugesera Rwanda (46,845 people), and Jabi Tehnan Ethiopia. WaterAid handles on-ground implementation, community engagement, and project sustainability planning.
• SplashcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership since 2014 for WASH in schools across Ethiopia, particularly Addis Ababa. Project WISE aims to reach 1 million children. Splash has achieved 94% coverage in Addis with $11.4M government co-investment.
• Costa FoundationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership since 2016 implementing clean water facilities in 10 PEAS High Schools in Uganda. Also collaborated on Hoa Trung Vietnam nursery school project (£16,000) and Nicaragua Santa Emilia/La Estrellita schools.
• Seeds for ProgressminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivery partner for Nicaragua projects, working alongside Water for People on clean water initiatives in La Concordia, San Rafael del Norte districts.
• Water for PeopleminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit partner implementing projects in Nicaragua and Rwanda, focused on sustainable water solutions and monitoring.
• charity: waterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Rwanda Gicumbi District project, funding 3 piped system tap stands as part of wider initiative reaching 81,164 people.
• AQUAPHOR ProfessionalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Water Sponsor of Project Waterfall, supporting Water in Coffee panel events and educational programming. Showcases water filtration technology for the coffee industry at events.
• COFORWAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for Rwanda Accelerating Access project in Bugesera District, working alongside WaterAid and WASAC.
• WASAC (Rwanda Water and Sanitation Corporation)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRwanda's national water utility, collaborating on Accelerating Access project to ensure sustainability and longevity through local government partnership.
• Allegra FoundationcoreOthersParent organization housing Project Waterfall at 106 Arlington Road, London. Registered charity (1133540). Provides organizational support and infrastructure.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Splash: International WASH organization focused on clean water, hygiene and sanitation in schools and government facilities, with major Ethiopia presence including 94% coverage in Addis Ababa. Directly comparable on WASH mission and is a core Project Waterfall delivery partner for school-based projects.
• Water.org: Global nonprofit co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White focused on sustainable access to safe water and sanitation through WaterCredit financing. Comparable on mission and partner-led delivery model, though it operates at significantly larger scale and uses market-based financing.
• Waves for Water: Clean water nonprofit distributing water filtration systems to communities in need globally through donor-funded programs. Comparable on clean water mission and donor-driven funding model.
• Lifewater International: Christian nonprofit providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene services to rural communities in Africa and Asia. Comparable on WASH mission in rural coffee-growing geographies and partner-implemented delivery model.
• Water for People: International nonprofit working to ensure lasting access to clean water and sanitation in developing countries. Directly comparable on WASH mission and partner-led model, and is an active implementation partner of Project Waterfall in Nicaragua and Rwanda.
• charity: water: US-based clean water nonprofit funding WASH projects in developing countries. Directly comparable to Project Waterfall on mission (clean water access), funding model (donor-driven with 100% model), and project delivery through local partners, and is also an active implementation partner of Project Waterfall in Rwanda.
• WaterAid: International NGO focused on water, sanitation and hygiene in some of the world's poorest communities. Directly comparable on WASH mission and is Project Waterfall's primary delivery partner implementing projects in Ethiopia, Rwanda and other coffee-growing countries.
• Costa Foundation: The charitable arm of Costa Coffee, supporting coffee-growing communities through education and clean water projects. The most directly comparable peer given shared coffee industry vertical, and is a long-standing implementation partner of Project Waterfall across Uganda, Vietnam and Nicaragua.
• Thirst Project: Youth-focused nonprofit building freshwater wells in developing communities. Comparable on clean water mission and grassroots/event-driven fundraising approach (school and youth engagement).

Broad incumbents

• Sustainable Coffee Challenge: Industry-wide initiative convening coffee companies, governments and NGOs around sustainability in coffee supply chains, including water stewardship. Comparable as a broader coffee industry sustainability platform that intersects with Project Waterfall's vertical mission, though it operates as a coalition rather than a project-implementing charity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/projectwaterfal
• Facebookfacebook.com/projwaterfall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/allegra-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Project Waterfall