With several recent high-profile grants in support of WASH from Ikea Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation, among others, corporations are an increasingly visible source of funding for the WASH sector. In recognition of the important and unique role corporations can play in supporting WASH efforts, a new guide from WASH Advocates provides a landscape of corporate involvement in the sector and serves as a useful resource for both new and established corporate funders.
The guide documents critical needs and issues in the WASH sector and identifies opportunities for corporate involvement — from ensuring that employees have access to safe water and hygiene in the workplace to investing in WASH projects through a grantmaking portfolio.
With a list of nearly 30 different corporate funders active in the space, the guide highlights various WASH initiatives supported by corporations, including:
- Dow Chemical’s investments in WASH technologies, such as International Aid’s plastic biosand water filters and WaterHealth International’s community-level water purification systems.
- Procter and Gamble’s (P&G) project, the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, which aims to bring safe water to children in developing countries through the use of the P&G Purifier of Water (formerly PUR).
- Xylem Watermark’s support for Water For People and sponsorship of the Stockholm International Institute’s World Water Week.
As the host of the WASH Grantmakers Network, an affinity group for philanthropic organizations focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), WASH Advocates offers pro bono guidance and advice to corporate grantmakers and other private donors interested in helping to address the global water and sanitation crisis. The Grantmakers Network works closely with WASHfunders.org to provide resources for new and established funders, including a jointly developed Funder Toolkit. For more information about the Network, contact Ben Mann at bmann@WASHadvocates.org or 571-225-5823.
