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Water Foundation

Annual Giving
$13.6M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.8M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $13,577,544 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (invitation-only grantmaking)
  • Decision Time: Varies by program
  • Grant Range: Varies widely by program (e.g., $10,000 - $801,400 documented in 2022)
  • Geographic Focus: National, with emphasis on California, Pacific Northwest, New Mexico, and Texas

Contact Details

Address: 3335 Watt Ave., Ste B PMB 233, Sacramento, CA 95821

Phone: (916) 414-3310

Email: info@waterfdn.org

Website: https://waterfdn.org/

Offices: Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles

EIN: 37-1833985

Overview

The Water Foundation was established in 2011 as an initiative within the Resources Legacy Fund in collaboration with major funders including the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Pisces Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, becoming fully independent in January 2017. Since 2011, the foundation has delivered nearly $100 million in funding to the US water field, supporting over 245 organizations. As one of the only public foundations exclusively focused on water, the Water Foundation leads philanthropic efforts to address critical water challenges in the United States through direct grantmaking, field building, and campaign strategy development. The foundation functions as a strategic funder investing in organizations and targeted regions to advance water policy reforms, a convener and builder of coalitions to improve water use, and an advocate for better regional and statewide policies. From 2020-2024, the foundation invested approximately $42.3 million in grants across the United States, supporting over 670 organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

General Grantmaking: The Water Foundation primarily identifies and selects grantees through foundation staff rather than accepting unsolicited proposals. In 2023, the foundation distributed $13.6 million in grants across 103 awards.

Safe Clean Water Public Education and Community Engagement Grants Program: $8.5 million available for projects in LA County Flood Control District watershed areas. Application periods run in rolling rounds with specific deadlines. Funds must be expended by July 31, 2026.

Water Solutions Fund: Since 2022, pooled and aligned funding totaling more than $122 million has supported 182 organizations to ensure water infrastructure funding meets the needs of people and nature. Launched the America Wins with Water communications campaign in August 2024.

Water Table Funder Collaborative: Since 2015, this national funder collaborative housed at the Water Foundation has helped align over $800 million in water-related grants through both pooled funding (directed through the Water Foundation) and aligned funding (grants made directly by member funders while coordinating strategy).

Priority Areas

  • Securing clean, accessible, and affordable drinking water for all communities
  • Restoring and sustaining freshwater ecosystems
  • Building climate resilience for urban and rural communities
  • Advancing water policies that benefit people and nature
  • Ensuring effective implementation of water policies
  • Developing innovative water management solutions including nature-based infrastructure
  • Sustainable groundwater management
  • Supporting coalitions for water policy change
  • Building power among communities most directly affected by water challenges
  • Investing in field partner, coalition, and community capacity

What They Don't Fund

  • Private individuals
  • For-profit entities (though for-profits may subcontract with eligible nonprofit lead applicants)
  • Lobbying activities
  • Regulatory permit violation investigations

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

Allison Harvey Turner, Chief Executive Officer: Oversees the Foundation's strategy, operations, and grantmaking for both the Water Foundation and the Water Table funder collaborative. Previously worked with the Foundation as one of its funders before joining as CEO.

Board of Directors

Jim Lochhead, Chairman and President: Recently began private consulting after 13 years as CEO of Denver Water, where he provided water service to over 1.5 million customers in the Denver metropolitan area.

Celeste Cantú, Vice Chair: Chair of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Previously served as Executive Director for the California State Water Resources Control Board and as USDA Rural Development State Director for California during the Clinton Administration.

Other Board Members:

  • Laurie Dachs, Secretary
  • Amy Cordalis, Director
  • David Beckman, Director
  • Hahrie Han, Director
  • John Echohawk, Director
  • Jose Padilla, Director
  • Moira McDonald, Director
  • Peter Silva, Director

Leadership Quotes

Allison Harvey Turner has emphasized that "the COVID-19 crisis and the path forward make two things abundantly clear: 1) clean, reliable water is central to a resilient and just future, and 2) foundations must ground their work, whether they focus on an issue or place, in intersectionality, right now and forever more."

On equity in water access, Turner stated: "No plan that ends the injustice of 'brown water for brown people' is right without lifting up residents' voices and their power to hold decision-makers accountable to their health and priorities."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public open application process for general grantmaking. The Water Foundation awards grants to organizations identified and chosen by foundation staff through an invitation-only process. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for most programs.

Exception - Safe Clean Water Program: This specific program accepts applications during designated periods. Applicants may submit proposals in rolling rounds with specific deadlines (most recently: November 8, 2024; January 31, 2025; April 4, 2025). The foundation evaluates proposals and awards grants in periodic batches.

Invited grantees and current grantees can submit and track proposals, grant agreements, and reports online through the foundation's grants system.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Tax-exempt organizations under Internal Revenue Code: 501(c)(3), (4), (5), or (6) nonprofits
  • Federally-recognized Tribes
  • Municipal agencies and school districts
  • For specific programs (e.g., Safe Clean Water Program): must serve populations within designated geographic areas

Decision Timeline

Timeline varies by program. For the Safe Clean Water Program, funds must be expended by July 31, 2026, with final reports due by September 30, 2026.

Success Rates

The foundation does not publicly disclose success rates. In 2023, they awarded 103 grants, and in 2022, they awarded 71 grants. Given the invitation-only nature of most grantmaking, traditional success rates do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. As an invitation-only funder, reapplication depends on continued relationships and alignment with foundation priorities.

Application Success Factors

Since the Water Foundation primarily operates on an invitation-only basis, building relationships and demonstrating alignment with their strategic priorities is essential:

Strategic Alignment: The foundation emphasizes intersectionality and equity in water access. Organizations working on water challenges in disadvantaged communities are prioritized. For programs that do accept applications, proposals serving Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) receive more favorable consideration in the evaluation process.

Geographic Focus: Primary regions include California, New Mexico, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Washington), with expansion to other states including Great Lakes regions.

Coalition Building: The foundation values organizations that build coalitions and amplify community voices in water governance. Turner has emphasized "collaborating on one another's priorities also means using our access to power."

Capacity and Sustainability: The foundation invests in organizational capacity building to ensure partners can sustainably and effectively drive change.

Field Leadership: Organizations positioned to lead in water policy reform, implementation, and innovative solutions are prioritized.

Example Funded Projects: In 2022, the largest donation was $801,400 to PolicyLink. Other substantial grants went to Natural Resources Defense Council ($120,000), Anthropocene Alliance, Community Water Center, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Trout Unlimited. Recent projects include supporting sustainable groundwater management, safe drinking water in California, nature-based infrastructure in Los Angeles County, Snake River restoration in the Pacific Northwest, and the California Water Data Consortium.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only model: Most grants are awarded through foundation-initiated relationships rather than open applications. Building relationships with foundation staff and demonstrating work aligned with their focus areas is critical.

  • Emphasis on equity and justice: The foundation prioritizes lifting up voices of communities most affected by water challenges, particularly disadvantaged communities and communities of color.

  • Coalition and field-building approach: The foundation values organizations that convene stakeholders, build coalitions, and strengthen the overall water field.

  • Geographic targeting: Focus your outreach if you work in California, New Mexico, Texas, or Pacific Northwest states where the foundation has concentrated grantmaking.

  • Multiple funding vehicles: Beyond direct grants, explore opportunities through the Water Table funder collaborative and themed pooled funds like the Water Solutions Fund.

  • Policy implementation focus: The foundation emphasizes not just policy advocacy but ensuring effective implementation of water policies.

  • Contact proactively: While unsolicited proposals aren't accepted for general grantmaking, reaching out to info@waterfdn.org to introduce your organization and express interest in potential partnership may open doors for future invited proposals.

References

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