We believe water is the way

To break the cycle of poverty. To protect and save lives. To make a bright future possible for all.

Access to safe water can protect and save lives, just because it's there. Access to safe water has the power to turn time spent into time saved, when it's close and not hours away. Access to safe water can turn problems into potential: unlocking education, economic prosperity, and improved health. Every human being deserves to define their own future, and water makes that possible.

We are Water.org. We're here to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible and cost-effective because we believe that water is the way to empowering a better life that we can all share in, worldwide.

We are an international nonprofit organization that has positively transformed millions of lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, we have been pioneering market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis for more than 25 years, giving women hope, children health and communities a future.

You cannot solve poverty without solving water and sanitation."

Matt Damon
Co-Founder, Water.org

What makes us different

We think in terms of practical economic solutions. Charity alone is not a long-term solution. We seek sustainable financial solutions that last and grow, so more and more people can equip themselves with access to the water and sanitation solutions they need.

We believe in the power and autonomy of the people we serve. They are people with financial power, rights, and the capabilities to define their own futures. They know the specific needs of their communities and what will work; we have resources that can help make it happen.

We have the experience and the passion to go the distance. We've been dedicated to this issue for over 25 years, building solutions, making progress, and looking at the problem from every angle to find new and better ways to put water expertise to work.

Our journey

A dinner party and the founding of WaterPartners International.

Our very first fundraiser was a gathering of co-founder Gary White's friends and family the day after Thanksgiving. The event was geared towards finding a way to pay the gratitude of the holidays forward. Gary raised our first $4,300 for a village in Honduras called El Limon, and founded WaterPartners International later that year.

The beginning of WaterCredit.

Growing expertise helped us to see beneficiaries differently: As customers with preferences and desires, facing unique roadblocks. Access to financing was a huge obstacle. We started WaterCredit to create a way to secure more capital, to tilt the odds in favor of the poor, and to unlock a huge source of untapped potential.

Water.org is born.

Matt Damon founded H2O Africa in 2006 after seeing the water crisis first hand while filming. Gary and Matt met at the Clinton Global Initiative and discovered that they had a great balance of approaches and equal parts passion. After a few projects together, they combined forces and Water.org was born.

Water.org brings access to safe water and sanitation to more than 3 million people.

WaterCredit was a huge breakthrough. It created a growing body of evidence that brought real resources and significant partners to our mission. And while we've made significant progress, we've only just begun.

So, what's next?

Safe water and the dignity of a toilet for all