AWWA’s Water Equation is celebrating 10 years of providing scholarships and leadership funding to water professionals, as well as providing funding to Community Engineering Corps for projects in the USA.

In 2014 the AWWA Board of Directors recognized the need for a philanthropy that would support the water sector in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest employees for utilities, manufacturers, and service providers. 

They approved the creation of AWWA Water Equation to provide the One AWWA Operator Scholarship, leadership development for students and young professionals, and to partner with ASCE and Engineers without Borders to create Community Engineering Corps to provide pro-bono engineering services in underserved communities in the USA.

Since then, the impact of the philanthropy on our members in North America has exceeded our expectations.

• $300,000 awarded to water and wastewater operators for continuing education.


• $150,000 to young professionals attending the YP Summit, AWWA YP Leader Day, Water Smart Innovations & Water Quality Technology conferences, and DC Fly-In


• $43,000 to 22 STEAM education programs impacting over 1200 families.


• $140,000 to Community Engineering Corps for 60 projects in 29 states impacting over 55,000 people.


• $1.6 million in Academic Scholarships to students attending colleges & universities in North America, 98% of whom have remained in the water community.

AWWA Water Equation (WE) hasn’t done this alone. We are thankful to have generous donors who have helped build the philanthropic mission and provided resources for water professionals.