OVERVIEW: The Agua Fund’s grantmaking focuses on the environment, social services, elder care, disaster relief, Indigenous health, civic engagement and voting rights. The Shenandoah River Valley is a geographic priority.
IP TAKE: The Agua Fund is best known for its conservation and water quality funding, and it has been a great ally to nonprofits working in this space, particularly in Virginia and communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Past grantees describe this funder as being knowledgeable and responsive. It doesn’t accept unsolicited proposals, but networking could help you get on their radar.
PROFILE: The Agua Fund, established in 2002, is a private foundation based in Washington, D.C. The fund aims to “improve quality of life through support for efforts to protect the natural environment, help the disadvantaged, give voice to the underserved, and promote democratic values and full participation in civic life.” This funder maintains a low profile, and little is known about its financial origins or the individuals behind it. It is a member of several national and regional grantmaking associations, including the Association of Black Foundation Executives; the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network; Funders Committee on Civic Participation; and Grantmakers in Aging. Agua’s areas of grantmaking focus are the environment, social services and civic engagement.
Grants for Environment and Freshwater Conservation
Environmental funding is Agua’s largest area of grantmaking. The foundation’s giving in this area maintains a strong focus on water quality and conservation, especially in “the six-state watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.” Grantees include the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia’s Piedmont Environmental Council, Potomac Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health and Indigenous Rights
Agua’s grantmaking for Social Services names priorities including Native American Health and the elderly of greater Washington, D.C. as areas of interest. The foundation does not name more specific priorities for this work. Grants have gone to the First Nations Development Institute, the National Congress of American Indians, D.C.’s Iona Senior Services and Legal Counsel for the Elderly.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
Civic Engagement grants support organizations that aim to increase the civic participation among underrepresented groups and to protect the voting rights of all. This is a smaller area of giving, and grants tend to stay in the Mid-Atlantic region. Grantees include the New Virginia Majority, Virginia Organizing, Pennsylvania Voice and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of Washington, D.C.
Important Grant Details:
The Agua Fund’s grants range from $5,000 to $175,000. Conservation is this funder’s largest giving area; its largest grants support water conservation and protection in the Shenandoah Valley.
- This funder’s giving is national in scope but emphasizes the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Agua does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding.
- Contact the Agua Fund’s director, Ann Mills, via email at mills@aguafundinc.org. The fund’s phone number is (202) 944-9623.
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