Primary growth engine
Institutional foundations
Multi-year support for sustainable service, monitoring, and innovation.
A$100K – A$5M+
Safe water
that lasts.
Sustainable
We specialise in water sustainability. We build the knowledge of why water projects fail and what keeps water flowing, so communities get reliable water, and the water sector gets a model it can adopt and adapt.
9+
years Iterative research and peer-reviewed evidence
8.4M+
people Covered by our ongoing diagnostic mapping
16+
metrics Reported live from every water system
~98%
reliability Across our water systems
The sustainability gap
The water crisis persists because the sector has not cracked sustainability.
Billions have been invested in ending water poverty. Too little of it has been invested in making sure water keeps flowing after the project ends.
The global picture
2.1B
people lack safely managed drinking water. Health risk, time poverty, and vulnerability stay high.
36%
of sub-Saharan handpumps are non-functional on average across 21 countries studied.
US$260B
lost each year through poor sanitation and water supply in developing countries.
Our research
We identified 265 sustainability challenges across six critical factors, and built a framework to address every one.
TechnicalFinancialEnvironmentalSocialPoliticalInstitutional
A water project that doesn't address all sustainability factors is a project waiting to fail.
Our rule
If a water project will not last, we will not build it.
Why this is our rule
Unsustainable water projects can leave communities worse off than before they were built. That is why we refuse to build what we cannot sustain.
How we build
sustainable water projects.
A water system that keeps working takes more than a good build. It needs careful work before, during, and after. Every FairAction project moves through three stages, each with its own role in the system's longevity.
01
Pre-constructionresearch & design
02
Constructionbuild & train
03
Post-constructionmonitor & improve
Impact
Real communities.
Replicable impact.
Every water project we deliver is a working system, and a test of a research-based model adaptable wherever water projects face the same sustainability challenges.
Watch stories from Igboho community
Examples of our solution in action.
Ready to fund a water project that lasts?
Partner with us to bring safe and sustainable water to a community.
100% of online donations fund water projects
Fund a sustainable water project
100% of online donations fund water projects
Our contribution,
beyond the pipes and pumps.
Ending water poverty cannot be solved one project at a time. It needs research shared openly, data kept live, and systems built to outlive any single organisation. These are the capabilities FairAction brings to the sector, so we can all get to clean water for all together.
Field research
Predictive modelling
Live system monitoring
Open community data
Sustainability frameworks
Lifecycle support
Partner & fund
More than one way
to move water further.
FairAction's strongest growth path is relationship-based. Different funders fit different parts of the model, and each plays a role in turning investment into lasting service.
Catalytic engine
Major donors
Flexible funding and bridge funding that unlock new capability.
A$25K – A$500K+
Project & visibility
Corporate CSR
Sponsor a community water project with visible outcomes.
USD 23K – 33K
Supporting channel
Individual giving
100% of online donations fund sustainable project delivery.
From A$10
All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible in Australia.
JOIN OUR MISSION
Safe water for communities.
Progress across every SDG.
FairAction's work on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 (SDG) also advances health, education, gender equality, and climate resilience. Join us in delivering water services that last, and the sector-strengthening capacity that makes clean water for all possible.