Foundation Grants

Investing in America's Water Legacy

When River Network was founded in 1988, only a handful of small, isolated groups were working to protect and restore water resources in local communities throughout the U.S.

Today, after 20 years of work to build a vibrant river and water conservation movement, we have nearly 700 River Network Partner organizations in every state of the country working together to solve our nation’s most pressing water problems. That remarkable progress would never have been possible without the generous investment of many private, community, and corporate foundations.

We've come a long way but the need for foundation support is still great. For example:

• Hundreds of American communities are still suffering from water pollution that causes needless illness, especially within disadvantaged communities where resources are scarce. We need foundation support to build a network of experts in every region of the country that can help these communities solve their water problems and create a healthy future.

• Our Saving Water, Saving Energy Program is poised to emerge as one of America’s most promising and underestimated strategies for curbing climate change. Today, almost 10% of our country’s electrical supply is used to distribute, heat and treat fresh water. River Network believes a water use reduction of 25% is achievable within the next decade if our grassroots community takes collective action on this issue. This would eliminate the need for 25 coal-fired power plants, significantly reducing climate change while restoring a healthy water regime to drought-stricken regions.

• While our Clean Water Act Program has worked successfully for many years to implement federal policy at the state level, the advent of a new era in the national political arena presents another impetus for a bold and visionary strategic plan. Imagine the power of thousands of local watershed associations, keeper groups, and river organizations bringing to the Obama Administration a shared vision for rebuilding America’s failing water infrastructure through grassroots action on green technology. This could enlist federal support for our work in a way that has not been seen in decades.

• As we realize daily the full magnitude of the economic downturn we are now in, hundreds of local watershed organizations are facing ever greater challenges to stay afloat. By training these groups how to access a broader range of financial resources and how to plan and budget strategically, River Network is in a prime position to leverage foundation investments into broader benefits for the entire watershed community.

To discuss how your foundation can help River Network meet these needs and realize the potential that these opportunities present, please contact: Kevin Kasowski at 503-542-8381.

River Network has received the Best in America Seal of Approval from Independent Charities of America.