Established in 2006, The One Foundation empowers businesses to create social impact.
Our vision is a world in which everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Photo credit: Water for People
Photo credit: Bristol.Productions
Nearly 1 in 10 people globally* don’t have clean water close to their home. We believe the other 9 in 10 can change that.
Established in 2006, The One Foundation empowers businesses to create social impact.
Our vision is a world in which everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Our mission is to support the delivery of sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene solutions that transform the most vulnerable communities.
* Based on 703 million people that do not currently have access to a source of safe, clean drinking water – The World Health Organisation and UNICEF
Our approach
As a corporate foundation we bridge the worlds of business and development, enabling companies to drive meaningful change where it is needed most.
We support sustainable water and sanitation programmes for communities living in some of the most extreme poverty and in areas particularly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of climate change.
We support work in both rural and urban environments, varying the approach to meet local needs.
This means we support projects ranging from handpump repair and upgrades, to district-wide piped water and sewer networks.
Photo credit: FlatboxMedia
We are driven by a set of guiding principles:
- We believe in the potential of business to have positive social impact, and this can be translated into support for the most vulnerable in Africa
- We believe in supporting operationally and financially sustainable water and sanitation solutions through a range of models and approaches that are context specific
- We are a relatively small foundation with big ambitions; to achieve these, we will collaborate and partner with others to leverage our resources to have maximum impact
- We are partner led – we actively listen to partners and give them space to identify the best course of action, supporting them with flexible funding to achieve that
- We will fund and support innovation in all its forms and use our funding to drive change and bring new ideas into the WASH sector
- We look for opportunities and organisations that are well aligned with our philosophy, where we can add value
- We aim to be patient and are prepared to provide long-term support to promising organisations and initiatives
Our partners
We’re proud to partner with a group of long-standing, purpose-driven organisations who share our vision for a fairer, more sustainable world – starting with access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
These partnerships go far beyond funding. Our corporate partners stand with us year after year, deepening their impact and raising awareness through meaningful, ongoing collaboration.
These powerful partnerships show what’s possible when businesses align profit with purpose. Together, we’re creating meaningful change where it’s needed most.
One Water
Our founding partner and the heartbeat of our mission. Since day one, One Water has helped fund clean water and sanitation projects in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Co-op
A long-standing champion of responsible retail, Co-op has partnered with us since 2007, empowering customers to make a difference through everyday sustainable choices.
Impact to date
Over £30 million raised for water, sanitation and hygiene programmes
5 million lives changed
