Foundation Funding for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

The Conrad N. HiltonFoundation has supportedthe WASH sector fortwo decades, investingmore than $90 million inproviding access to safewater for nearly 2 millionof the world’s poorestpeople. In 2011, theFoundation strengthened itscommitment to safe waterwith a five-year,$50 million initiative.In 2011, the Bill andMelinda Gates Foundationlaunched its Reinvent theToilet Challenge, designedto increase access tosanitation, reduce diarrhealdisease, and improve thelives of the world’s1.1 billion people who donot have access to a toilet.$74.4MBill & Melinda GatesFoundation31 GrantsTOP FIVE PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, 2009–2010Among private foundations, the top five WASH funders awarded 94 percent oftotal grant dollars and 38 percent of total grants.$24.0MHoward G. BuffettFoundation7 Grants$8.5MConrad N. HiltonFoundation15 Grants$2.9MMichael & SusanDell Foundation14 GrantsTOP FIVE CORPORATE FOUNDATIONS, 2009–2010$1.5MHenry & Eileen BeyerFoundation1 GrantAmong corporate foundations, the top five WASH funders awarded 88 percent oftotal grant dollars and 45 percent of total grants.The PepsiCo Foundationhas given nearly $34 millionsince 2005 to combatthe global water crisis.The Foundation’s recent$8 million grant toWater.org to scale theWaterCredit initiative inIndia was the largest awardin the Foundation’s 50 yearhistory.$0.4MAlcoaFoundation6 Grants$0.5MCoca-ColaFoundation3 GrantsRECIPIENT ORGANIZATION$0.9MNIKEFoundaton3 Grants$1.3MNewman’s OwnFoundation2 GrantsTOP 10 RECIPIENTS, 2009–2010$12.1MPepsiCoFoundation8 GrantsThe top 10 recipients received 57 percent of total grant dollars and 15 percent of total grants.TOTAL RECEIVEDSeveral notable U.S.foundations are embarkingon new grantmakinginitiatives related to WASHincluding the Margaret A.Cargill Foundation, theRockefeller Foundation,and the Skoll GlobalThreats Fund.International Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentUniversity of CaliforniaProfessional Assistance for Development ActionCARE USACatholic Relief ServicesWater for PeopleLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineWater.org 1SOS SAHEL International UKDeutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit$12.6M$11.2M$9.7M$9.4M$9.0M$7.1M$6.3M$6.0M$5.4M$5.0M1WaterPartners International, founded in 1990, merged with H20 Africa in July 2009 resulting in the launch of Water.org.6 © 2012 The Foundation Center—Foundation Funding for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Grantmaking by International FoundationsThe Foundation Center’s database includes a growing number of foundations outside of theUnited States. While the Center’s international data are not comprehensive, it shows a numberof foundations active in WASH funding. In the coming year, the Foundation Center will becollecting new data on WASH grants from foundations outside of the United States. To submitgrants information or share a lead, send an e-mail to washfunders@foundationcenter.org.SELECT INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, 2007–2010FUNDER LOCATIONTOTALGIVINGNUMBEROF GRANTSYEAR(S) OFGRANT AWARDSNationale Postcode Loterij Amsterdam, Netherlands $4.8M 2 2009, 2010Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development Kuwait $1.2M 2 2007Pro Victimis Foundation Geneva, Switzerland $0.6M 6 2009King Baudouin Foundation Brussels, Belgium $0.5M 14 2009, 2010Welfare Association Multiple Locations 1 $0.5M 1 2008Starr International Foundation Zurich, Switzerland $0.3M 1 2010Oak Foundation Geneva, Switzerland $0.2M 1 2009Narada Foundation Beijing, China $0.1M 5 2008, 20101The Welfare Association maintains offices in Geneva and multiple Middle Eastern locations.About the Foundation CenterGrants SampleThe data presented in this brief is based on the FoundationCenter’s grants set, which includes all grants of $10,000or more awarded to organizations by more than 1,000 ofthe largest U.S. foundations, including the top 15 funders inmost states.Photo courtesy of WaterAid/Jon SpaullEndnotes1. World Health Organization, UN-Water Global Annual Assessment ofSanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2010: Targeting Resources forBetter Results. (Switzerland: WHO Press, 2010): 11.whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599351_eng.pdf2. UNICEF and World Health Organization, Drinking Water: Equity,Safety and Sustainability. (USA: 2011): 28.www.unicef.org/wash/files/JMP_Report_DrinkingWater_2011.pdf3. UNESCO, United Nations World Water Development Report: Waterin a Changing World. (UNESCO Publishing, 2009): 8.unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001819/181993e.pdf#page=54. World Health Organization, UN-Water Global Annual Assessment ofSanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2010: Targeting Resources forBetter Results. (Switzerland: WHO Press, 2010): 30.whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599351_eng_Part1c.pdfA woman washing at a sanitation block builtby WaterAid in Kaushal Nagar, India7 © 2012 The Foundation Center—Foundation Funding for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Photo courtesy of WaterAid/Eva-Lotta JanssonChildren playing with clean water collected by a spring protectedby WaterAid in Zambezia, MozambiqueAbout WASHfunders.orgIn October 2011, the Foundation Center launched WASHfunders.org,a web portal for funding and needs-related data for donors,policymakers, and other stakeholders interested in water, sanitation,and hygiene. With dynamically updated information, news, andknowledge relating to philanthropy and sustainable access to safewater, WASHfunders.org seeks to facilitate better collaboration andmore strategic decision-making among funders and aims to raiseawareness about water and the full WASH continuum among donors.About the Foundation CenterEstablished in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source ofinformation about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis,and training, it connects people who want to change the world tothe resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the mostcomprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakersand their grants—a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector.It also operates research, education, and training programs designedto advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands ofpeople visit the Center’s web site each day and are served in its fiveregional library/learning centers and its network of more than450 funding information centers located in public libraries, communityfoundations, and educational institutions nationwide and aroundthe world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.orgor call (212) 620-4230.Source for all data: The Foundation Center, Foundation Funding forWater, Sanitation, and Hygiene, 2012.Download this report at foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/washfunders_brief_2012.pdf. For more informationabout this research brief or WASHfunders.org, please contactSeema Shah at sms@foundationcenter.org.WASHfunders.org and this research brief are made possible throughthe generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.