Water.org's Get Blue: A Market-Driven Test of Scaling Impact

Water.org has launched a new platform today, Get Blue, designed to mobilize capital at scale for its market-driven solutions. The initiative brings together founding partners Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab to align corporate leadership, consumer engagement, and financial flows. The core idea is to treat water as a fundamental operating issue for businesses, turning their scale and influence into sustained investment.

The mechanics are built on Water.org's proven model. For every dollar donated, the organization leverages it to unlock $20 for water and sanitation solutions. This donor-funded capital acts as a catalyst, attracting private investment to finance the small, affordable loans that families use to access safe water and sanitation at home. To date, this approach has reached more than 81 million people.

Get Blue aims to extend this model by creating a new, scalable funding stream. It will mobilize capital through corporate brands, enterprise partnerships, and integrated business and consumer activations. The platform's long-term goal is to embed water as a core business imperative, demonstrating that when industries step up, they can help scale solutions that are already reaching millions. The campaign's consumer launch is planned for later in 2026.

The thesis here is a market-driven attempt to scale capital mobilization. Its success, however, hinges entirely on translating the initial wave of corporate and consumer engagement into tangible financial flows. The model has a track record, but Get Blue represents a test of whether that model can be amplified through a coordinated, brand-powered platform.

Scaling the Model: Past Performance vs. New Ambition

The Get Blue launch is a direct bet on scaling a proven model. To assess its ambition, we must look at the baseline it aims to exceed. In its most recent full fiscal year, Water.org mobilized $965 million in capital and reached 10.2 million people with access to safe water and sanitation. This is the operational scale the new platform must surpass.

The organization's broader impact provides context for that scale. Through its network of local partners, Water.org has now reached over 85 million people with access to safe water or sanitation, disbursing 18.7 million small loans at a 98% repayment rate. This track record demonstrates the model's durability and financial discipline. The new partners-Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab-bring significant new assets to this equation. They represent major consumer brands with vast reach and deep sustainability commitments. Amazon, for instance, has a specific goal to return more water than it uses by 2030. This alignment of corporate purpose with Water.org's mission is the core of Get Blue's new strategy.

The comparison is clear. The historical $965 million and 10.2 million people represent a year of steady execution. Get Blue aims to accelerate that by leveraging the combined consumer engagement and corporate leadership of its founding partners. The new partners don't just add capital; they promise to embed water as a core business issue across their operations and customer bases. The platform's success will be measured by whether it can translate that promise into a capital mobilization stream that grows the organization's impact at a faster pace than its own historical trajectory.

The Capital Gap: A Historical Lens on the Financing Barrier

The core problem Get Blue aims to solve is a massive, persistent financing gap. Globally, millions of families spend more than 15% of their income on water from vendors or unsafe sources. This isn't just a cost; it's a drain on time, health, and opportunity. For decades, Water.org's research has shown that charity alone cannot bridge this divide. The key barrier is access to affordable capital.

This is where the organization's model provides a direct answer. By offering small, affordable loans, Water.org empowers families to make long-term investments in safe water and sanitation at home. The results are clear: 90% of borrowers are women, who are often the primary water collectors for their households. This focus on women is not incidental; it's structural. When women gain control over water access, they reclaim time for education and income, improving family well-being across generations.

The scale of the unmet need is staggering. While Water.org has reached over 85 million people, 2.1 billion people still lack safe water. Closing this gap requires a radical increase in investment-triple the current flow. Water.org's own partnerships have demonstrated how to move capital. In FY24, the organization mobilized $965 million in capital, including innovative tools like the Peru Blue Bond that tapped institutional investors. These efforts prove that financial mechanisms can unlock the capital needed for impact.

Get Blue's success, therefore, must be measured by its ability to convert the new wave of corporate and consumer engagement into a similar, sustained capital stream. The historical lens is instructive. Water.org didn't start with a platform; it started with a model that proved financing works for people in poverty. Get Blue is now attempting to scale that model through a new kind of partnership. The question is whether this coordinated, brand-powered approach offers a structural advantage over past efforts, or if it simply adds another layer to the existing capital mobilization machine. The answer will depend on whether it can translate promise into the kind of tangible, flow-through capital that has driven the organization's past growth.

Catalysts and Risks: What to Watch for the Thesis

The Get Blue thesis hinges on a single, forward-looking question: can a coordinated, brand-powered platform convert corporate promise into tangible capital? The first key catalyst is the initial public report of capital mobilized. Investors and observers must watch for the first official figures detailing funds raised through the platform. The benchmark is clear: Water.org's most recent full year saw it mobilize $965 million in capital. Early results from Get Blue will be judged against this historical annual figure. A successful launch would show a meaningful, flow-through capital stream that begins to exceed the organization's own historical mobilization pace, proving the platform can act as a true engine.

The second catalyst is market adoption beyond the founding partners. The initial cohort-Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab-brings significant scale and credibility. The real test is whether their success attracts new financial partners from across consumer and business-to-business sectors. The platform's long-term viability depends on its ability to become a standard mechanism for companies to treat water as a core operating issue. Signs of this adoption will include announcements of new enterprise partnerships and the integration of the model into broader corporate sustainability strategies.

The primary risk is that consumer engagement fails to translate into sufficient capital. The platform's design is built on turning awareness into action through corporate brands and consumer activations. If the promised "sustained investment" does not materialize, the initiative risks becoming a high-profile branding exercise rather than a funding engine. This would validate the skepticism that such campaigns often serve corporate PR more than the cause. The risk is that the promise of scaling impact through a new capital mobilization play remains just that-a promise-without the hard numbers to back it up.

The bottom line is that Get Blue's fate will be determined by two specific milestones: the first public capital figures and the expansion of its partner network. These are the metrics that will separate a scalable new model from a well-intentioned but ultimately underwhelming campaign.