About
Blood:Water is an international nonprofit that partners with African community-driven organizations to end water and HIV/AIDS health disparities through organizational strengthening and financial support. Founded in 2004 by the Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay and activist Jena Lee Nardella, the organization is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and works exclusively through local African partners rather than running its own field programs.
Mission
Blood:Water exists to address the interconnected water and HIV/AIDS crises in sub-Saharan Africa. Its stated vision is "to share in the joy of ending the water & HIV/AIDS crises — with our partners and in this lifetime." The organization's values are community, responsibility, integrity, dignity, and teachability.
What they do
Blood:Water's model centers on long-term partnerships with African-led organizations, structured as eight-year funding commitments divided into four two-year cycles. Partners identify their own organizational needs, which Blood:Water funds through flexible capacity-building grants focused on four areas: team capacity, financial health, program quality, and community representation. Through these partners, the work includes:
- Clean water infrastructure
- Sanitation and hygiene training
- HIV prevention services
- HIV testing and counseling
The organization states that 100% of its program funding goes directly to local organizations in Africa, in contrast to the 14% of international donor funding it cites as typically reaching local African organizations.
History
Blood:Water launched in 2004 to personalize the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and expand access to safe water as an intervention. Since then it has raised over $40 million through grassroots efforts and has worked with more than 33 partner organizations across 12 African countries.
Scale and impact
Figures reported by Blood:Water for its partners' cumulative work include:
- Nearly 1 million people provided access to safe water
- Over 1.1 million people trained in sanitation and hygiene
- Over 700,000 people provided HIV prevention services
- Over 250,000 people supplied with HIV testing and counseling
Among partner organizations, Blood:Water reports a 43% increase in program quality, 20% growth in financial viability, and 44% growth in overall organizational health. Its current stated goal is strengthening 19 partner organizations reaching 686,000 people every eight years.
Financials
According to IRS filings compiled by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (Blood Water Mission Inc, EIN 56-2483082), the organization reported total revenue of about $2.06 million and total expenses of about $2.32 million in fiscal year 2023, with year-end assets of about $1.32 million.