About
Thirst Project is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that describes itself as the world's leading youth water activism organization. It educates and activates students around the global water crisis and funds safe water and sanitation projects, with a stated immediate goal of providing safe, clean water and sanitation to the entire Kingdom of eSwatini.
Mission
Thirst Project works to end the global water crisis by mobilizing young people. It highlights that 1,000 children under the age of five die from waterborne diseases every day, and channels youth-driven fundraising into safe water projects.
What they do
- School tours and speaking events that educate students about the global water crisis and activate them as fundraisers and advocates
- Funding of safe water and sanitation projects, with regular public project reporting and a Water Technical Board
- Student fundraising programs, internships, a Legacy Summit for young leaders, and the annual Thirst Gala
- An implementation model in which all paid program staff are local nationals leading work in their own countries, rather than Western staff sent abroad
History
Per the organization's Our Story page, Thirst Project was founded in 2008 by Seth Maxwell, then a 19-year-old college student in Southern California. After learning about the global water crisis, he and seven friends pooled $70 to buy 1,000 bottles of water and handed them out on Hollywood Boulevard to raise awareness, turning that $70 into $1,700 in donations that funded their first well rehabilitation. Speaking events at schools raised over $12,000 in the first month, leading to the organization's formal creation.
Scale and impact
Per its website, Thirst Project has raised several million dollars over more than a decade of work and has funded projects serving over 500,000 people with safe, clean water.
Financials
Per IRS Form 990 data on ProPublica for fiscal year 2024, Thirst Project reported revenue of $656,532, expenses of $783,587, total assets of $455,211, and net assets of $442,592.
Governance
Per the organization's 2024 IRS filing summarized by ProPublica, founder Seth Maxwell serves as President and Michelle O'droske as Board Chair; board members and officers report zero compensation.