Blue Access
The missing market: people already spend what it would take to solve the water crisis
Each year, people in low- and middle-income countries spend hundreds of billions of dollars coping with unreliable water and sanitation. They buy bottled water, pay vendors and tankers, and spend time and money storing, treating, and hauling water.
Today, most capital for water and sanitation access flows from the top down into large-scale utility infrastructure projects: water resource development, treatment plants, and piped networks. This capital is critical— it finances the foundation for safely managed services. But alone, it’s not enough: to reach everyone by 2030, progress needs to move six times faster.
What becomes possible when top-down investment and bottom-up financing work together?
From fragmented to functioning
The opportunity is not to find new money. It's to help families turn the money they're already spending on water into lasting solutions.
When people can access affordable financing, they can invest in a water connection or toilet instead of relying on temporary fixes. As loans are repaid, that money can help the next family access safe water or sanitation, and the next
Over time, this creates a base of connected, paying customers. That base is what water systems and utilities depend on. Without it, infrastructure struggles to sustain itself; with it, the economics begin to work. Bottom-up financing helps build the customer base and revenue streams that make water systems viable, while top-down investment expands and improves the infrastructure that serves them. Together, they form a complete financing architecture.
Water is an economic opportunity waiting to be unlocked. Blue Access builds on Water.org's proven approach to expanding access at scale.
To date, this approach has reached 95 million people and helped catalyze more than $8 billion in capital
A coalition to mainstream bottom-up financing
Blue access will catalyze $10 billion and help 100 million people access safe water and sanitation by 2030. It brings together investors, financial institutions, service providers, and development partners to expand affordable financing for families alongside investment in water infrastructure. Blue Access goes beyond traditional blended finance, aligning concessional capital, commercial investment, and local financial institutions to build stronger, more resilient water markets.
Advance it
Shape the narrative, convene partners, and advocate for bottom-up financing
Fund it
Provide catalytic capital, guarantees, technical assistance, or investment
Deliver it
Expand lending and deliver measurable results on the ground
Launching on the global stage: 2026 UN Water Conference
Blue Access will launch at the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, building on decades of experience scaling household financing for water and sanitation. By launch, the coalition aims to mobilize $25 million in new capital and demonstrate what is possible when partners align around a shared goal: expanding access at scale.
Founding members will be recognized onstage at the launch. Join us in helping build the coalition and mobilize the capital needed to expand access to safe water and sanitation.
”The market already exists. The demand is already there. Capital is available. The opportunity now is to connect them at greater scale—bringing partners, capital, and bottom-up and top-down approaches together around a shared ambition.”
Gary White
CEO & Co-founder, Water.org
Want the full picture, including the model, the goals, and how partners are engaging?
Get the Blue Access deck
Cumulative Water.org Group performance and financial data listed reflect the combined activities of Water.org, WaterEquity, and WaterConnect as of September 2026. Please contact relevant organization for entity-specific financial, investment, and regulatory disclosures.
Nothing on this page or in any related materials is an offer to invest in any fund or investment product, and none of it should be relied upon when determining the risks and benefits of investment. Any related materials may contain forward-looking statements, which involve uncertainty and should not be unduly relied upon. WaterEquity, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of Water.org, is registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Any offer for investment will be made only pursuant to definitive offering documents, and only the information in those documents should be relied upon when making an investment decision. Prospective investors should consult tax, financial, and legal advisors prior to making any investment decision. Return, target return, and impact data referenced in related materials are presented for informational purposes only and are not guaranteed.