Blood:Water is an international nonprofit that partners with African community-driven organizations to end health disparities caused by the HIV/AIDS and water crises. These two issues are inextricably linked, and Africa is disproportionately impacted by both. Historically, clean water with proper sanitation and hygiene (WASH) was the only way to slow disease progression. So the interconnectedness of WASH and HIV/AIDS was life or death. Many locally-led African nonprofits address both challenges, and implement solutions that drive long-lasting change. But they are under-resourced and under-funded. As a result, civil society organizations struggle to strengthen their reach and effectiveness. Blood:Water finds, vets, and partners with organizations in East and South Africa that are community-driven and -led. We support them by pairing long-term, iterative, intentional organizational strengthening with flexible financial support. We make an eight-year funding commitment that includes four two-year cycles. During each cycle, we guide the partner through a proven organizational strengthening model, in which they identify key organizational needs. We then fund the needs with a flexible grant earmarked for capacity building. Our interventions are geared towards increased positive outcomes in four key areas: team capacity, financial health, program quality, and community representation. We’ll know we’ve succeeded when partners have the essential systems and structures in place to help them increase their reach and deepen their impact. We work towards the audacious goal to strengthen partner organizations, serving communities, and people every eight years. And ultimately, to share in the joy of ending the water and HIV/AIDS crises – with our partners and in this lifetime. Blood:Water is a faith-based organization, rooted to our work by a core belief: all people are equally created and purposed by God. This motivates us to act and work outside of ourselves and immediate communities to support needs of others around the world. Blood:Water was founded in 2004 by the multi-platinum, GRAMMY® Award-winning band, Jars of Clay, and advocate Jena Lee Nardella. Since our inception, we’ve supported partners with resources from a community of thousands of individuals and organizations who commit to our shared vision. We have a staff based in the United States and in Nairobi, Kenya.