EMPOWERING IMPACTFUL INNOVATION

RISE by Sundara Fund supports and empowers early stage female entrepreneurs working in water, sanitation, and hygiene.

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We provide mentorship, business education, seed funding, and access to a network of experts.

Our entrepreneurs provide innovative solutions to problems in their own communities.

Together, we make the world healthier, safer, and brighter.

THE PROBLEM

Every day, on average, over 800 children under 5 years of age die from diarrhoeal diseases due to lack of clean water, compromised sanitation and hygiene. 780 million people are currently utilizing water from an unsafe drinking source. 2.5 billion people lack access to decent sanitation. That's 1 in 3 people across the entire globe. 

In many developing countries, there is still an under-representation of women in leadership positions. While many desire to become catalysts of change within their community, female entrepreneurs have less access to mentorship, capital and role models in business compared to their male counterparts.

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SOCIAL INNOVATION FUND

Through our Social Innovation Fund we leverage our expertise in the water, sanitation, and hygiene field, giving fearless early-stage female entrepreneurs the mentorship, seed funding, and network they need to build their own self-sustaining businesses. Our fellows know first-hand the impact of having restricted access to clean water and basic hygiene services - and they are hard at work to improve these circumstances for generations to come.

COMMUNITY FUND

We recognize that sometimes communities need access to clean water and basic hygiene services on an urgent basis. Through our Community Fund we support communities across the globe who need immediate, short-term relief and assistance. We have proudly reached over 900,000 people across The United States, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, India, Rwanda and South Africa. 

BUILDING ON A FOUNDATION OF HYGIENE ACTIVISM

In 2013, Sundara was founded as a non-profit recycling gently used hotel soap. For seven years we worked across India, Uganda and Myanmar, hiring 40 women and providing them with their first ever formal employment.  We recycled over 1 million bars of soap, while reaching 200,000 people with intensive hygiene education each year. We were in awe at how many women we met that had innovative ideas on how to improve the health and hygiene of their own communities.

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In 2020 our entire globe came face-to-face with a devastating pandemic that intensified the need for good hygiene practices in every part of the world. We knew that it was time to pivot as an organization. Building on our time helping women run their own soap recycling businesses, we launched RISE. We know first-hand the benefit of providing women with the training, mentorship, and seed funding that they need, yet often lack access to. 

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SUPPORT RISE

BECOME A CORPORATE PARTNER

For every $1.00 investment into sanitation programs there is a $5.00 return - and for every $1.00 invested into clean water programs alone, there is a $7.00 return. Beyond your financial investment, by joining our CSR programs you’ll reduce the disparity gap between female and male entrepreneurs, helping women to act as thought-leaders and change-makers across the world.

MAKE A DONATION

When you donate to RISE, your support acts as a catalyst for long-term, sustainable change within underserved communities. You have the opportunity to support small, female-led businesses through our Social Innovation Fund or provide immediate assistance to communities in need through our Community Fund. Your donation will have a monumental impact on the health and hygiene of women and their families for generations to come.

APPLY TO OUR PROGRAM

If you are an individual or locally led non-profit with an idea on how to improve water, sanitation or hygiene issues in your own community, let’s join forces. Together we will RISE.

Join us as we report on our selected entrepreneurs from across the globe. We’ll share open and honest conversations about our experience and the entrepreneur’s trials and triumphs. 

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