About
Water4 is a faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that fights the global water crisis by building durable, market-based water utility businesses in Africa rather than relying on charity alone. Its guiding statement is "Water is Life. Business Empowers. Love Works." and its vision is safe water piped to every home and community — always.
Mission
Water4 is dedicated to developing durable, market-based water utility services that create economic opportunity for Africans. The organization believes charity and government combined have only 25% of the resources needed to provide safe water to the developing world, so it builds for-profit water businesses that create value with every transaction and reinvest it toward safe water access. Water4 is a Christian organization that pairs safe water with faith-based outreach, and states its faith commitments in terms of the Apostles' Creed.
What they do
- Builds for-profit safe water utility businesses across Africa under its NUMA brand, delivering piped safe water connections to homes, schools, and businesses
- Has created profitable water markets serving customers with an average income of about $2 per day
- Pairs safe water delivery with WaSH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) education and Christian discipleship programs
History
Water4 was founded by Dick (Richard) and Terri Greenly, owners of a successful Oklahoma pump distribution company. According to the organization, Dick Greenly was persuaded by his church community to start Water4 as a nonprofit after being offered a $100,000 check to drill wells around the world — and then built it into a nonprofit that creates for-profit water businesses across Africa. Per ProPublica, the IRS issued the organization's 501(c)(3) tax exemption in February 2009.
Scale and impact
Figures published by Water4:
- 21,304 all-time water projects
- 2,644,904 people impacted by safe water all-time
- 1,149,645 people educated in WaSH and the Gospel
- Operations in 4 countries — Ghana, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia — across 30 districts, serving over 836,000 customers daily with NUMA safe water
Water4 states it is an ECFA accredited organization and is recognized as Certified Transparent 2026 by Excellence in Giving.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending June 2025 Water 4 Inc (EIN 26-3260581) reported total revenue of $10,140,225, total expenses of $4,015,409, and net assets of $19,106,317, with about 99% of revenue coming from contributions.
Governance
Matt Hangen serves as President and CEO. Founders Richard and Terri Greenly remain involved, with Richard C. Greenly serving as Board Chairman per the organization's most recent IRS filing; board members serve unpaid.