New York, United States · Established 2006
charity: water
Clean and safe water for every person.
(About)
100% of public donations go directly to fund water projects.
charity: water was founded in New York in 2006 by Scott Harrison, a former nightclub promoter who had spent two years as a volunteer photojournalist with Mercy Ships in Liberia. Its founding pitch was that trust in charities was collapsing because donors could not see where their money went, and that transparency itself could be the product.
The organisation runs a two-account model: 100% of public donations go directly to fund water, sanitation and hygiene projects, while all operating costs are covered separately by a smaller group of private donors known as 'The Well'. It does not implement projects itself — instead it grants funds to vetted local implementing partners in more than two dozen countries, and publishes GPS locations, photos and project reports for the water points it funds.
In recent years charity: water has also invested heavily in remote sensors that measure water flow at hand pumps and mechanised systems, allowing partners to detect and repair broken infrastructure faster than traditional monitoring allows.
(Verified profile)
What the record actually says.
Sourced from official reports & independent registers
Structure & mandate
US 501(c)(3) founded 2006 in New York. Operates a two-account model: 100% of public donations fund water projects, while operating costs are covered separately by a group of private donors ('The Well').
Key public programmes
- ▸Funding local implementing partners to build water points in rural communities
- ▸Remote sensor programme monitoring water flow at project sites
- ▸Sanitation and hygiene programming alongside water infrastructure
Founded
2006
HQ
New York
United States
Countries of work
10+
Primary sources
Independent registers
(Public perception & reviews)
What people actually say.
AI-synthesized from watchdogs, press & donor reviews
The Reach Out Score is generated by our AI based on public-domain signals (watchdog ratings, transparency, program-vs-overhead, controversies). It's a starting point — always verify against the primary sources above.
(Work in the field)
Photos of their work.
Sourced from Wikimedia Commons
(Where we operate)
Active in 10 countries.
- Ethiopia
- Uganda
- Malawi
- Rwanda
- Mali
- Niger
- Nepal
- Cambodia
- India
- Kenya
(Related organizations)