Water Independence for 1 Billion+ People
Water connects everything. Our approach does too. We bring capital, technology and policy together to turn proven solutions into lasting water resilience.
- Verticals
- 3
- Hubs
- 6
- SDG Aligned
- 6, 13, 14
- Lives Targeted
- 1B+
© Prince Hussain Aga Khan / Focused On Nature
Humanity's Biggest Blind Spot
Water is becoming the world's most critical resource. As scarcity and contamination rise, so does the urgency for bold, scalable solutions.
Policy
Policy determines the conditions under which capital and technology can operate at scale.
Explore PolicyTechnology
Technology determines what is technically possible.
Explore TechnologyCapital
Capital enables proven solutions to move beyond pilots, finance infrastructure and scale across markets.
Explore Capital
Water
The defining issue of our time
The Water Foundation is set up to tackle a core blind spot of humankind.Â
The Water Foundation is stepping up to fill this gap at a systems level, using systems level and first principles thinking.
Learn about our approachFinancing Mismatch
about 3%
Disasters that are water-related over 90% Climate finance reaching water, 2016 to 2020 about 3% About 3% of climate finance reached water from 2016 to 2020; over 90% of disasters are water-related.
UNEP, 2024; UNDRR, 2018; IWMI, 2024; WaterAid, 2022 Resilience Gap
Wide-open weak spots in water strategies and implementation.
21 of 37
21 of the world's 37 largest aquifers are being depleted faster than they can be replenished.
Richey et al., Water Resources Research, 2015; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2015 Asset Neglect
Water assets are underpriced, fragmented, and underprotected.
about 3,400 to 1
Annual economic value of water and freshwater ecosystems $58 trillion Annual climate finance for water and wastewater $17 billion Water and freshwater ecosystems were worth about $58 trillion in 2021; climate finance for water and wastewater averaged about $17 billion a year in 2019 and 2020.
WWF, 2023; Climate Policy Initiative, 2021
Water Is Where Independence Begins
Where water systems are thought through and solved for, livelihoods are safeguarded.
Where water security is achieved, peace, socio-political stability and health follow.
420
water conflict events in 2024
2021
2024
2021 122 2022 231 2023 347 2024 420 Pacific Institute, 2024 and 2025; The Water Diplomat, 2024 Where resilience is built by a water innovation ecosystem, returns stabilise and become sustainable.
$4.30
returned for every dollar invested in water and sanitation
Sanitation $5.50 Water supply $2.00 Both together $4.30 Hutton, Journal of Water and Health, 2013; UN News, 2014 And where water circularity drives productivity, prosperity scales, both in impact and investment potential.
over 80%
of the world's wastewater is discharged without treatment
High-income countries about 70% Upper middle-income 38% Lower middle-income 28% Low-income countries 8% UN-Water, 2017; ReliefWeb, 2017
This Is More Than a Crisis.
It's a call to invest in the future, where innovation meets impact.
over 80%
Over 80% of the world's wastewater is discharged without treatment.
UN-Water, 2017; ReliefWeb, 2017
1 in 4
1 in 4 people, 2.1 billion, still lack safely managed drinking water.
WHO and UNICEF, 2025; WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, 2025
about 3%
About 3% of climate finance reached water from 2016 to 2020.
IWMI, 2024; WaterAid, 2022
over 90%
Over 90% of disasters are water-related.
UNEP, 2024; UNDRR, 2018
Who We Are
The Water Foundation is a mission-driven entity acting as both a charitable organisation and strategic investor, anchoring a global capital stack to advance SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and improve the lives of 1 billion people through resilient, equitable access to clean water.
Collaborating from
Munich, Dubai, Delhi, Vaduz, Amsterdam, Nairobi
Based in Munich, Dubai, Delhi, Vaduz, Amsterdam and Nairobi, we form a cross-border, non-partisan initiative to enhance water independence, affecting peace through socio-political stability, and creating net gains in shared prosperity through positive impacts on health, food, and land.
Strategic Capacity
The Water Foundation empowers individuals, organisations, and states to develop strategic capacity, increase resilience, and shape circular water and resource infrastructures for the future, through knowledge, cooperation, and systemic innovation.
Water Strategies
We develop water strategies and solutions across the water cycle and for each and every water challenge. We enable the research, development and scaling of new or hidden technologies.
Our Investment Vehicles
Strategic focus areas where we deploy capital and expertise to maximise impact and returns across three investment vehicles, from early-stage ideation to industrial-scale deployment, each feeding the next.
Core Strategy
Water Venture Builder
Early innovation & validation engine
We identify the best water IP and ideas, build teams around them, and provide the necessary capital and resources for success.
Explore ecosystem buildingGrowth Focus
Water VC Fund
Scaling-stage investment
We invest in the most promising existing teams and technologies, integrating them into the venture ecosystem to accelerate their growth.
Explore venture & growth capitalScale & Impact
Water PE Fund
Industrial execution & infrastructure integration
We acquire and enhance established players and hidden champions within the water cycle to build even greater impact and value.
Explore infrastructure & private equity
Water Innovation Flywheel
Our integrated approach creates a continuous cycle of innovation, investment, and impact across the water ecosystem
Anchor, capital, thought leadership
The Water Foundation
Each component of our ecosystem feeds into the next, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that accelerates water innovation. From early-stage ideation to industrial-scale deployment, we ensure that promising solutions receive the support they need at every stage of their journey.
Meet the Individuals Bringing Water Independence to 1 Billion+ People.
Founding Partner, TWF Institute, DACH Desk
Founding Partner, TWF Institute, DACH Desk
We Commit to Tangible Change
We want to create real and measurable transformation. To achieve this, we connect the brightest minds, set priorities, provide action impulses, and thus create sustainable and effective results.
About The Water FoundationThink With Us
Read the strategy behind the three investment vehicles and bring your expertise.
Invest With Us
Deploy capital across the three investment vehicles, for impact and for returns.
Partner With Us
Join a network of partners across the private and the public sector.