As part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s strategy for its global growth and opportunity division — which focuses on market-based innovations to promote economic growth — the foundation has been supporting WASH programs for over 15 years.
According to a Devex analysis, the foundation allocated $1.1 billion for 514 WASH-related grants from 2006 to 2020. Out of the $676 million in financing that went toward global growth and opportunity through grants and charitable contracts in 2019, WASH received the third-highest allocation — 18% — after financial services and agricultural development.
Devex has identified the top WASH-related suppliers from 2006 to 2020. While development banks and other multilateral institutions were among the top grantees in this category, they have been excluded from this ranking, which focuses on private and not-for-profit organizations.