About
WaterAid America is the United States member of WaterAid, an international nonprofit working to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere. WaterAid was established in the United Kingdom on July 21, 1981, out of a conference of the UK water industry, and since then has reached more than 29 million people with clean water. WaterAid America Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based at 233 Broadway, New York, NY.
Mission
WaterAid describes its founding purpose simply: it started because no charity like it existed, and it will end when no charity like it is needed. The organization works to reach the millions of people living without clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene, noting that 2.2 billion people — 1 in 4 — do not have safe water and 3.5 billion people lack access to a decent toilet where waste is safely managed.
What they do
- Delivers clean water, decent toilets, and hygiene programs with local partners in communities, schools, and healthcare facilities
- Advocates for water and sanitation policy — WaterAid successfully lobbied alongside other groups to get sanitation added to the Millennium Development Goals, and in 2014 helped influence 20 governments to commit to universal access to water and sanitation by 2030
- Publishes research and advocacy reports, beginning with its first report, Mega-slums: the coming sanitary crisis, in 1994
History
WaterAid was officially established on July 21, 1981, with its first projects in Zambia and Sri Lanka. By 1985 it was working with local partners in ten countries, and it expanded into Ethiopia and Tanzania (1983), Bangladesh, Nepal, and India (1986), and Pakistan (1993). In 1995 WaterAid was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize. In 2004, WaterAid became a global organization, welcoming Australia and the Americas as members. Work in Nicaragua, WaterAid America's first Central America program, began in 2011, and in 2013 Canadian charity WaterCan became WaterAid Canada. In 2015 WaterAid launched a global strategy to reach everyone, everywhere with clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.
Scale and impact
- Since 1981, WaterAid has reached more than 29 million people with clean water
- By 2016 it had reached 24.9 million people with clean water, 24 million with decent toilets, and 16.7 million with good hygiene
- WaterAid states that in 2025 it received the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar for the sixth year running
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending March 2025 WaterAid America Inc (EIN 30-0181674) reported total revenue of $18,473,150 and total expenses of $20,666,769, with net assets of $7,986,798. Contributions represented 98.9% of total revenue (about $18.3 million).
Governance
Kelly Parsons serves as CEO of WaterAid America, with total reported compensation of $294,968 per the most recent filing on ProPublica.