The Sawyer Foundation

10/05/2026

Today, we’re celebrating the teachers who help turn access to clean water into lasting, everyday habits. 💧📚

As Waves For Water Philippines highlights, teachers play an important role in teaching students about handwashing, healthy habits, and the proper care and use of Sawyer water filters and handwashing stations.

We’re grateful for the educators and partners working together to make clean water a lasting part of school communities. 💙

Happy National Teachers’ Day!

08/25/2026

This summer, student-athletes from Hope College traveled to Zambia with Poetice, where they distributed 67 Sawyer bucket filters to children participating in their Ignite Camp.

These filters remove 99.9999% of bacteria, including E. coli, giving families a practical way to improve the safety of the water they drink every day.

We’re grateful for partners like Poetice and Hope College who are putting clean water into action around the world—and especially grateful for the students who are willing to step outside their own communities to serve others! 💙

All photos courtesy of Poetice 📸

08/11/2026

✨ FROM VISION TO ACTION: STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR NONPROFITS ✨

Does your nonprofit have a strategic plan that inspires action — or one that’s sitting on a shelf collecting dust?

Join us for an interactive 75-minute webinar with Daniel Alexander, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Perkins Ventures, as he shares a practical framework to help nonprofit leaders build strategic plans that actually get used.

Together, we’ll explore how to:
✅ Assess your organization and community to identify opportunities and priorities
✅ Develop mission and vision statements that inspire staff, boards, and funders
✅ Create measurable annual and quarterly goals your team can rally around
✅ Connect your strategy to fundraising and communications
✅ Build a one-page plan designed to guide real decisions and daily action

Daniel brings years of experience partnering with nonprofit leaders, boards, and funders to translate strategy into organizational growth and impact.

📅 Save the date and register here: https://bit.ly/4g7L92G

Share this with a nonprofit leader who is ready to move from vision to action!

08/06/2026

Clean water changes more than one life. It changes generations.

When families learn how to properly use and maintain a Sawyer water filter, they're gaining more than access to safe drinking water. They're gaining a tool that can provide clean water for years to come, improving health, reducing waterborne illness, and creating a healthier future for their children and grandchildren.

That's why we're so grateful for partners like Kingdom Ventures International working in Peru. They don't simply distribute filters. They take the time to train entire families, including children, so the knowledge is passed from one generation to the next. It's this combination of technology, education, and local leadership that creates lasting change.

Clean water isn't just a gift for today. It's a legacy for tomorrow. 💙

07/11/2026

💧 Clean water solutions don’t stop at distribution.

Sustainable access to safe drinking water requires training, follow-up, and local ownership.

That’s why we’re inspired by partners like Waves For Water and their “teach the teacher” approach—equipping community members to become trainers themselves and helping projects create lasting impact.

At the Sawyer Foundation, we believe proper training and ongoing support are essential to helping Sawyer filters work to their full potential.

We’ve recently given our train-the-trainer resources a major refresh and would love to share them with organizations looking to strengthen their own clean water programs.

Interested in learning more? Reach out—we’d be happy to connect! 💙💧

06/15/2026

🏆 We're always excited to see Sawyer recognized for creating products that help people stay safe and healthy outdoors.

After testing more than 30 repellents and consulting experts from the EPA and the American Mosquito Control Association, Wirecutter named Sawyer 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent their top pick:

"For one that's safe and effective—and that won't stink or leave a puddle of oil on your skin—try the picaridin formula in Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent. It's the best bottle of bug spray we found..."

At The Sawyer Foundation, we're especially grateful because our work is made possible in large part through the generosity of Sawyer and the proceeds from products like these. Together, we're helping share the gift of clean drinking water with communities in need around the world.

Congratulations to the Sawyer team on this recognition, and thank you to everyone who chooses products that help make a global impact.

Read the full Wirecutter review here:

Our repellent recommendations are EPA approved, backed by experts, and tested by us.

06/09/2026

As a recipient of a Sawyer Foundation grant, Saint Joseph's College of Maine worked alongside Maine Medical Center and Partners In Development, to bring clean drinking water to families in Guatemala.

Together, they distributed 500 Sawyer bucket filters, trained local leaders and families, and established ongoing follow-up to ensure long-term success. The project is expected to impact 2,500–3,000 people.

One story especially stood out: the mother of an 8-year-old boy who had previously suffered severe illness from parasites sought out the team simply to say thank you. Since receiving a Sawyer filter, her son has made a full recovery and remains healthy.

Clean water changes lives—and we're grateful for partners who are helping make that possible.

06/02/2026

Your organization is doing important work. Is anyone finding your story?

Join us on Thursday, June 25 at 3 PM EST for our next Sawyer Foundation Quarterly Webinar:

From Storytelling to Visibility: A PR Approach for Nonprofits

In today’s changing communications landscape, great storytelling is only part of the equation. This webinar will explore practical, low-cost strategies that mission-driven organizations can use to increase visibility, build credibility, and connect with new audiences across traditional media, search, and emerging AI-driven platforms.

Whether your organization has a dedicated communications team or no marketing budget at all, you'll walk away with actionable ideas you can begin implementing right away.

📅 June 25, 2026
🕒 3:00-4:15 PM EST
🔗 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fqnhYGbDQ0qKEwvTJX4WZw

We hope you'll join us!

05/27/2026

One of the most powerful things about the Sawyer filter is its versatility, but just as inspiring is seeing the creative ways our partners put that versatility into action.

Our partner Waves For Water continues to showcase innovative, practical ways these filters can be adapted to meet communities where they are and work within existing infrastructure.

💧 Attached to a simple 2-gallon bucket for household use
💧 Integrated into potable water depots alongside hand pumps
💧 Connected to communal rain catchment systems
💧 Designed for flexibility in emergency response, rural villages, schools, clinics, and homes around the world

The technology exists. Often, the challenge is simply getting it where it needs to go and creatively adapting it to the realities of each community.

We’re grateful for partners like Waves For Water who continue finding thoughtful, sustainable, and locally adaptable ways to expand access to clean water around the world.

05/19/2026

Some lessons can’t be taught in a classroom.

Thanks to the generosity of Sawyer, students from Calvin University recently had the opportunity to partner in clean water work alongside local communities, gaining firsthand experience in both global health and sustainable service.

“No amount of time in a classroom could be as valuable as those face-to-face connections with people of a different lifestyle and different culture.” ~ Drew

“Being there made everything we’ve learned in class real... I now see how deeply connected water is to dignity, health, and opportunity.” ~ Ark-Williams

“Something as simple as clean water carries profound dignity, hope, and opportunity.” ~ Mariana

“Seeing this tangible impact helped me understand how meeting a basic need like clean water can open doors for greater opportunities.” ~ Karis

These experiences are shaping not only healthier communities, but also future leaders committed to sustainable, compassionate solutions around the world.