On any given day, more than two million people across the United States do not have basic access to clean water and sanitation and over 44 million don’t have water that’s safe to drink. Women disproportionately shoulder the burden of this water crisis, as they are often the ones tasked with hauling water, boiling water, and otherwise looking after their families' needs.
The people living on the Navajo Nation struggle with lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Although progress has been made, more than 30 percent of residents still do not have a tap or toilet at home. Native Americans are 19 times more likely, and Black and Latinx households two times more likely, to be living in this hidden water crisis than white households.
The Water is Life Microgrant Program is an innovation and training grant program created by Kohler and DigDeep. The first of its kind on the Navajo Nation, the program provides financial support in the form of microgrants for local entrepreneurs or community groups who present innovative ideas that will help solve challenges related to universal access to clean water and sanitation through community-based service models or new technologies.
Kohler, a global leader in in the design and manufacture of kitchen and bath products is partnering with DigDeep to provide innovation and training grants to entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to address water challenges. The program started on the Navajo Nation and will expand to communities across the United States.
In addition to funding new business ideas over the next three years, Kohler will provide mentorship opportunities by connecting grantees to Kohler associates who lend their expertise and work directly with grantees to help develop and build these businesses. Kohler will also leverage its internal product innovation incubator, Innovation for Good, to help offer solutions to challenges that the grantees may face as they develop their projects.
Kohler’s work with DigDeep is part of the company’s longstanding commitment to addressing clean water and sanitation issues around the world through Safe Water for All.