irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $42KRESEARCH AND EDUCATION: WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH AND SUPPORT ACADEMIC PARTNERS AND THEIR STUDENTS TO PROMOTE LEARNING ABOUT AGUACLARA TECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS CONDUCTING RESEARCH TO CONTINUE THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF CLEAN WATER TECHNOLOGIES. WE CURRENTLY WORK WITH THREE ACADEMIC PARTNERS: CORNELL, OSU, AND NJIT.
- #2 $84KTECHNOLOGY: CONTINUED EFFORT WAS INVESTED THIS YEAR IN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY WHEN NEW PROJECTS AND/OR IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS ARE IDENTIFIED.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
AguaClara Infrastructure Design Engine (AIDE)
Parametric design tool that generates customized, detailed process designs for community-scale water treatment plants using local parts databases and physics-based algorithms.
Research and Innovation for Drinking Water (RIDE)
Program supporting university research teams at Cornell, NJIT, and Ohio State to advance drinking water treatment technologies through student-led innovation.
Technology Development and Improvement
Ongoing engineering effort to refine AguaClara’s gravity-powered, electricity-free water treatment systems, including innovations like the Chemical Dose Controller and Stacked Rapid Sand filtration.
activities · 1 group
What they do
-
Clean Water Infrastructure and Access 6 activities
- Capacity building and technical training for partner organizationsConducts capacity building with local implementation partners by delivering technical support, training materials, and customized process designs to ensure long-term, independent operation and maintenance of water treatment systems. Emphasizes open-source access and local ownership to enable sustainable water system management in remote communities.
- Design and development of gravity-powered water treatment technologiesDesigns, develops, and continuously improves open-source, gravity-powered water treatment technologies for community-scale systems (1,000–50,000 people) that operate without electricity or motorized components, enabling safe drinking water production during power outages. These technologies remove particles and pathogens from surface water sources and are customized using a parametric design tool to generate accurate specifications, price estimates, and parts lists based on local materials.
- Implementation of water treatment plants in partnership with local organizationsDeploys and supports the construction of built-in-place and prefabricated water treatment plants in low-resource communities, primarily through partnerships with local implementation organizations such as Agua Para el Pueblo in Honduras, with expansion to India and pilot projects in Puerto Rico. To date, has supported the construction of 26 water treatment plants providing safe drinking water to over 105,000 people.
- Open-source dissemination and collaboration in water treatment designMakes water treatment design methodologies, tools, and plant designs openly available to promote public access, collaboration, and innovation. Includes publishing open-source designs intended to last decades in resource-limited settings and maintaining a living design platform for global adaptation and improvement.
- Provision of technical design and operational support to implementation partnersProvides state-of-the-art, customized process designs for core components of AguaClara water treatment plants and delivers technical support throughout fabrication, construction, and operation. This includes generating design specifications, parts lists, and price estimates, as well as enabling rapid updates through algorithm-based design tools.
- Research and education on sustainable water treatment solutionsConducts research and educational initiatives on gravity-powered, community-scale water treatment technologies in collaboration with university partners including Cornell, OSU, and NJIT. Activities include advancing safe water solutions, publishing technical knowledge (e.g., a textbook on water treatment design), and advising faculty and student teams through the RIDE program to support ongoing innovation.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$224K
Contributions & grants$160K71%
Program service revenue$65K29%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$208K
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$182K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$82K
Cash$51K
Investments$0
Liabilities$17K
Net assets$65K
Liquid reserves2.9 mo
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue +226.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MONROE WEBER-SHIRK | DIRECTOR | 40 | $86K |
board members · 10
- ANNA DOYLE — DIRECTOR (PART YEAR)
- BLIXY TAETZSCH — TREASURER
- CHEER TSANG — DIRECTOR
- ELENA TIFFERT VAUGHN — DIRECTOR
- JILLIAN WHITING — DIRECTOR
- KAREN SWETLAND-JOHNSON — DIRECTOR
- MATTHEW CIMINI — SECRETARY
- SERENA TAKADA — DIRECTOR
- SKYLER ERICKSON — DIRECTOR
- ZOE MAISEL — PRESIDENT
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- Agua Para el Pueblo Partner — Implementation partner that first deployed AguaClara Reach technologies in Honduras.
- Agua Para el Pueblo Partner — Local NGO in Honduras that co-initiated early discussions leading to AguaClara’s water treatment solutions.
- AguaClara Implementation Partners Partner — Collaborates with implementation partners to deliver customized water treatment plant designs.
- AguaClara Implementation Partners Partner — Collaborates with implementation partners to deploy safe drinking water technologies in communities.
- Cornell Partner — Academic partner collaborating on research and education related to water treatment technology.
- Cornell University Partner — Collaborates on research and development of drinking water treatment technologies through the AguaClara program.
- Cornell University Partner — Collaborates on student research and development of AguaClara water treatment technologies.
- Implementation Partners Partner — Organizations that work with communities to design and build AguaClara water treatment facilities.
- Implementation Partners Partner — Works with implementation partners who build and deploy AguaClara water treatment plants in communities.
- NJIT Partner — Academic partner collaborating on research and education related to water treatment technology.
- New Jersey Institute of Technology Partner — Engages students in the AguaClara program for water treatment innovation.
- New Jersey Institute of Technology Partner — Partner research organization in the AguaClara program focused on advancing drinking water treatment technologies.
- OSU Partner — Academic partner collaborating on research and education related to water treatment technology.
- Ohio State University Partner — Hosts student participation in AguaClara’s sustainable community water programs.
- Ohio State University Partner — Partner research organization in the AguaClara program focused on advancing drinking water treatment technologies.
- Researchers Partner — Collaborates with researchers to develop and improve water treatment technologies.
- Volunteers Partner — Engages volunteers to support the development, dissemination, and deployment of water treatment solutions.
- local implementation partners Partner — Builds capacity with local implementation partners to support deployment of water treatment technologies.
- university partners Partner — Collaborates with university partners on research and education initiatives related to water treatment.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Gravity-Powered, Low-Tech System Design for Resiliencemethodology: resilient_low-tech_designBy designing gravity-powered, energy-independent water treatment systems with no moving parts or electrical controls, AguaClara Reach ensures long-term reliability and reduces maintenance burdens in remote communities, because such systems are less prone to failure and can operate without technical infrastructure or skilled operators.
- Local Capacity Building and Community-Led Operationmethodology: local_capacity_buildingBy training local partners and community members to operate and maintain water systems independently, AguaClara Reach ensures long-term sustainability, because local ownership and technical capacity prevent system abandonment and enable responsive maintenance.
- Open-Source Collaboration and Iterative Innovationmethodology: open-source_engineeringBy sharing water treatment designs openly and engaging in collaborative, iterative design with universities and local partners, AguaClara Reach accelerates innovation and ensures field-adapted solutions, because open knowledge exchange and feedback loops lead to more durable and contextually appropriate technologies.
- Student-Driven Engineering Innovationmethodology: student-driven_innovationBy mobilizing university students in engineering and water treatment, AguaClara Reach advances technological innovation and global implementation, because student engagement provides a scalable, passionate workforce that drives research and field application through hands-on learning.
- Technology-Centered Design with Scientific Rigormethodology: technology-centered_designBy re-inventing water treatment technologies through scientific rigor and assumption-testing, AguaClara Reach produces more effective and sustainable solutions than conventional systems, because standard approaches often fail in resource-limited, off-grid contexts.