Where a dollar goes
One invoice, two lines, two accounts.
Two accounts, kept separateWater money sits in its own bank account and goes to grants. Operations run on the fee and on operating donors.
The fee is the cost of the checkEach tier's fee is published as what verification costs. Every water commitment reaches a project in full.
Unpaid in year oneDirectors serve unpaid. Any compensation, when it exists, is published with the role and the amount.
Cost per person-year, quarterlyWhat a person-year of safe water cost through each program, against GiveWell's bar.
The public ledger
Every transaction in both accounts, exported from the bank and published monthly. Example rows, so the format is public before the first entry.
| Date | Fund | Counterparty | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | Water | Example Co | Water commitment, DM-2026-00001 | + $4,500.00 |
| 2026-11-03 | Operating | Example Co | Certification fee, tier 2 | + $1,500.00 |
| 2026-12-01 | Water | Evidence Action | Grant, in-line chlorination, India, 2026 vintage | − $4,500.00 |
| 2026-12-01 | Operating | Vercel | Registry hosting, December | − $0.00 |
Example data. Individual donors' personal details stay private. Everything else is public.
What is published
Every transactionBoth accounts, monthly, with counterparty and purpose.
Every grant and its evidenceChlorine tests, GPS, photos, sensor data, the other funders sharing credit.
The registry and the ledgerPer company: liters committed, dollars received, project funded, proof of delivery.
The Standard and the factor tableWith its derivation and sensitivity range, every version.
The organizationArticles, bylaws, the conflict of interest policy, the Form 1023, the determination letter, every Form 990.
The annual reportWithin 120 days of each year end, with the year's grants, costs and registry totals.
The fee schedule and the cost of the checkWhat each tier costs to verify, and the published water price each year.
Every revocationWith the date and the reason.
Standards we align with
| Standard | What it covers | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| BBB Wise Giving Alliance, 20 Standards for Charity Accountability | Governance, finances, results, fundraising: five board members, three meetings a year, 65% of spending on programs, an audit above $1M, cause-marketing disclosures. | The governance spec. Board of three before the Form 1023, five by year one. |
| ISEAL Codes of Good Practice | How a credible sustainability standard is set, assured and measured. The codes behind Fairtrade, MSC, FSC and Rainforest Alliance. | The certification spec. Version 1 of the Standard is written against the standard-setting code. Membership when the registry is live. |
| Candid Seal of Transparency, Platinum | Goals, strategies, an impact metric, board demographics, published on the organization's profile. | Year one. |
| Charity Navigator | A rating from three years of Form 990s. | Year four, when three 990s exist. |
| EU Directive 2024/825 | What a lawful sustainability label is: third-party verified, public requirements, open to all who comply, developed with experts, with a non-compliance procedure. | The badge is built to meet every clause. |
Who we model ourselves on
charity: waterThe 100% model: public money to projects, operations from separate donors, separate bank accounts.
Open CollectiveEvery transaction on a public page.
GiveWellPublished cost-effectiveness models, called rough out loud.
Against Malaria FoundationEvery distribution published, households surveyed at 6, 18, 30 and 42 months.