Support Our Work

Small donations fuel
the infrastructure behind
big solutions.

Wastewater treatment plants don't get built without years of water testing, legal advocacy, community organizing, and political will. Your gift — at any level — builds that foundation.

Why Every Dollar Matters

The work that happens
before the concrete is poured.

Fixing the Tijuana River isn't just an engineering problem — it's a legal, political, scientific, and community challenge. Treatment plants cost tens of millions of dollars and require government agreements between two countries. That kind of project doesn't happen without years of groundwork.

Before a single pipe is laid, someone has to test the water, document the damage, organize the communities affected, lobby the officials who control the funding, and build the public pressure that turns political will into action. That work is happening right now — and it's what your donation supports.

"Every major water infrastructure project in history was won first in a courtroom, a city council chamber, or a community meeting — not a construction yard."

When you give to Global Water Access Foundation, you're investing in the research, advocacy, legal filings, and community organizing that make large-scale restoration possible. You're not pouring concrete — you're making it inevitable.

Where Your Gift Goes

What your donation makes possible

$25
Funds water quality testing at one site
Water samples and lab analysis are the evidence base for everything we do. Every data point we collect strengthens our case with regulators and lawmakers.
$50
Covers one day of community outreach
Bilingual outreach to border communities — the people most harmed by this crisis — builds the public voice that drives political action.
$100
Supports grant research to unlock larger funds
Every $100 in grant research can unlock thousands in government and foundation funding. Small donations help us pursue the big ones.
$250
Funds one advocacy meeting with officials
Travel, materials, and preparation for meetings with elected officials and regulatory agencies — the conversations where real commitments get made.
$350
Pays for professional crisis documentation
Photos and video of the river's condition are powerful tools for media coverage, grant applications, and public awareness campaigns.
$500
Funds a water quality report for lawmakers
A professionally prepared environmental report submitted to city, county, or federal officials can directly trigger regulatory action and funding commitments.
Larger Gifts

We'll tell you exactly what
your gift builds — down to the
percentage of a plant.

A single 20,000 gallon-per-day decentralized wastewater treatment system costs $400,000. We're not going to pretend a $5,000 gift builds one. What we will do is tell you exactly what percentage of a system your gift represents — honestly, specifically, and to the decimal point.

One 20,000 GPD treatment system = $400,000
Hover or tap a gift level to see its share
1.25% of a system
$5,000
Engineering Feasibility Study
Funds an independent engineering feasibility study that determines whether a site can support a treatment system — a required step before any construction can begin.
2.5% of a system
$10,000
Full Permitting & Regulatory Approval
Covers the complete cost of filing for environmental permits with Mexican regulatory agencies — the legal clearance that unlocks construction of a treatment system in the Tijuana watershed.
6.25% of a system
$25,000
Full Design & Engineering Phase
Funds the complete design and engineering drawings for one treatment system site — the blueprint that everything else is built from, and the document that attracts co-funders.
12.5% of a system
$50,000
Named System Contributor
One eighth of a complete 20,000 GPD system. Includes named recognition on the project, a custom impact report, and a direct briefing from our engineering team on construction progress.
25% of a system — one quarter
$100,000
Quarter System Sponsor
One full quarter of a treatment system. Primary named sponsorship, board-level engagement, annual site visits, and a dedicated performance report once the system is operational.
50% of a system — one half
$200,000
Half System Sponsor
Half of a complete 20,000 GPD treatment system. Co-lead naming rights, full project documentation, site visit access during construction, and a launch event invitation when the system goes live.
100% — one complete system
$400,000
Build a System. Name It.
Full funding for one 20,000 gallon-per-day decentralized wastewater treatment system — treating the equivalent of the daily sewage output of roughly 200 households. Named in your honor or your organization's name. The most direct path from a gift to clean water flowing through a real community.