Planet Water Foundation

What Planet Water Foundation does

Planet Water Foundation, based in Phoenix, Arizona, provides safe drinking water and hygiene education to schools and communities in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America, and responds to disasters worldwide. Working since 2009, it says it has reached 5 million people, with projects in 34 countries and at more than 2,000 schools.

Its main tool is the AquaTower, a gravity-fed filtration unit that needs no outside power. It combines ultrafiltration hollow-fiber membranes with activated carbon, produces about 1,000 liters of drinking water per hour, and can meet the daily drinking needs of up to 1,800 people. Each tower has six taps with built-in soap dispensers, so it doubles as a handwashing station, and installations come with an activity-based hygiene education program and educational banners on the tower itself.

Because the AquaTower needs no electricity, it can work in schools and communities without reliable power. Charity Navigator rates Planet Water four stars with a score of 97%. Donations can be made online as one-time or recurring gifts, or by check, ACH or wire transfer, stock, cryptocurrency or donor-advised fund.

Key facts

• 5 million people reached, with projects in 34 countries and 2,000+ schools (Planet Water homepage)
• Each AquaTower produces about 1,000 liters of drinking water per hour and can meet the daily drinking needs of up to 1,800 people (AquaTower page)
• AquaTower is gravity-fed (no external power), uses ultrafiltration hollow-fiber membranes plus activated carbon, and has six taps with soap dispensers for handwashing (AquaTower page)
• 1% for the Planet environmental partner (Planet Water ways-to-give page)

Before you give

• Accepts online one-time or recurring gifts (Donorbox), checks, ACH/wire, stock, cryptocurrency and donor-advised funds (Planet Water ways-to-give page).
• Disaster-specific appeals (e.g., Nepal floods) have their own donation pages on donate.planet-water.org.