One Drop Foundation is a 3-star charity with Good demonstrated impact. It has a B+ Results Reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 36 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci's reasonable range. 

One Drop Foundation (One Drop) was founded in 2007 by Guy Laliberté, the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. Its mission is to provide sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for communities in need. One Drop uses a three-pronged approach to its WASH programs, consisting of Access, Behaviour Change, and Capital. It funds improvements to local infrastructure, raising access to clean water and sanitation. By funding social art interventions, such as local plays and radio shows, One Drop aims to change behaviours and promote proper hygiene. Finally, it encourages market-based solutions by training local people and businesses in WASH.

One Drop states that 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water at home and 1.7 billion people do not have basic water services at their healthcare facility.

One Drop groups its programs into four main areas. These include Lazos de Agua, Water and Art for Climate Action, Water and Art for Health and Wellbeing, and Water and Art for Education and Gender Equality. In 2022, One Drop spent $7.7m on its programs. In 2022, the charity reached 207,872 people, of which 100,196 were in Latin America, 77,916 were in Africa, and 28,760 were in India.

Lazos de Agua represented 45% of program costs in 2022. One Drop collaborates with artists, NGOs, and governments to increase water access in Latin America. In 2022, One Drop provided entrepreneurship training to 25 people. The charity also provided 55,955 people with sustainable access to wash services. One Drop is partnered with 70 local artists, 67 water user committees, 25 WASH service providers, and 4,469 community leaders. 

Water and Art for Health and Wellbeing represented 26% of program costs in 2022. One Drop helps prevent infectious diseases through access to clean water, soap, and decent toilets in Haiti, Mali, Burkina Faso, and India. Throughout its Shehoar 2 project in India, the charity reports it constructed or repaired almost 400 community handpumps and five filtration systems. The charity states in 2022 it positively impacted 222,523 people through this program. This is larger than One Drop’s total beneficiary count for 2022.

Water and Art for Education and Gender Equality represented 16% of program costs in 2022. One Drop aims to increase women’s access to a sustainable water supply. In 2022, the charity ran five projects that addressed menstrual hygiene and five projects that supported women-led entrepreneurship. One Drop also provided 140 schools with access to basic water services in 2022. The charity reports that 28,016 women and girls gained access to improved sanitation facilities at home in 2022.

Water and Art for Climate Action represented 8% of program costs in 2022. One Drop runs programs to change the behaviour concerning WASH and the protection of natural resources, such as riverbanks and groundwater. In 2022, the charity signed contracts with ten women’s associations, which provide women with training and capacity building for climate-resilient irrigation. One Drop reached 76,377 people in 2022 through this program.

The remaining 5% of program costs was spent on Indigenous and other smaller programs.

One Drop's audited financial statements report figures in US dollars and consolidate its full network of global affiliates. These include One Drop Canada, One Drop US, One Drop UK, One Drop France, One Drop Switzerland, and One Drop Spain. As such, Ci has presented the following consolidated analysis in USD.

One Drop Foundation received $4.0m in donations and special events revenue in 2022. The charity spent $7.7m on its programs in 2022, which is 225% of revenue. One Drop recorded a deficit of $7.0m, meaning it drew on its reserves to fund its programs.

Administrative costs are 13% of revenue (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 52% of donations. For every dollar donated to the charity, 36 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range. Ci’s reasonable range is between 65 and 95 cents. Ci included amounts received from the founder in other revenue instead of donations.

One Drop has $9.7m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Of which, $5.9m is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity’s reserves could cover 51%, or half a year of its annual program costs.  

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to One Drop Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 12, 2024 by Liam Chapleau.