Nalgene Outdoor Surpasses $1.2 Million in Water Access Impact

In America, where refillable water bottles are common, more than 2 million people still lack clean running water at home.

To help close that gap, Nalgene Outdoor, maker of reusable water bottles, is expanding its commitment to domestic water access after surpassing $1.2 million in funding and in-kind support since launching the Nalgene Water Fund in 2019.  The Fund is committing $50,000 to DigDeep, a national nonprofit advancing equitable water access, matching public donations to generate $100,000 for projects serving the Navajo Nation, Appalachia, and El Paso, Texas.

In addition, all proceeds from Nalgene.com sales on March 21–22 will support the Fund in honor of World Water Day. The announcement builds on momentum earlier this year: in February, Nalgene doubled the ongoing contribution from the sale of each Nalgene Water Fund bottle from $5 to $10, increasing the Fund’s long-term impact.

“Expanding water access across the United States requires more than sustained investment—it requires a groundswell of public engagement,” said George McGraw, Founder & CEO of DigDeep. “Matching campaigns like the one from the Nalgene Water Fund don’t just raise money. They help build a movement, bringing new champions to ensure every home in America has clean, running water.”

Since its launch in 2019, the Nalgene Water Fund, also supported by Thermo Fisher Scientific, has grown into a sustained platform advancing water equity through nonprofit partnerships and is now a core pillar of Nalgene’s sustainability strategy.

“Refill has always defined Nalgene,” said Eric Hansen, Marketing Director at Nalgene Outdoor. “But sustainability must include communities that don’t yet have water to refill. That’s why clean water access is central to our strategy.”

A key driver of the Fund’s continued growth is RockNRefill, Nalgene’s 13-year partnership with REVERB. Through the program, Nalgene donates reusable bottles for sale at major live music events, with 10% of sales supporting The Nalgene Water Fund. The effort has generated nearly $150,000 for domestic water initiatives since 2024 and will continue to do so in 2026 and beyond.

The Nalgene Water Fund invests in nonprofit partners delivering practical, community-driven infrastructure solutions across the country, from rural and Tribal communities to cities with aging water systems and areas impacted by natural disasters. Work centers on restoring critical water infrastructure, developing local tradespeople, and increasing water-access capacity. 

Communities and nonprofit partners to date supported by the Nalgene Water Fund include:

• Great Lakes Watershed Region: With support from Thermo Fisher Scientific, helped establish the Flint Community Lab by providing lab equipment, funding, and reusable bottles. The Lab is a model for community-led water testing. In Benton Harbor, installed lead-filtering refill stations in district schools and provided reusable bottles to students.
• Navajo Nation: Supported DigDeep’s Navajo Water Project  to connect families to clean, running water, while donating water transport containers, installing filtered refill stations, and partnering with Diné designer Jaden Redhair on limited-edition bottles supporting this work and the Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE) Program.
• Appalachia: Launched a limited-edition bottle supporting DigDeep’s Appalachia Water Project to advance rural water infrastructure, and supported emergency mobile filtration deployment with Water Mission following Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
• Texas: Supporting DigDeep’s Colonias Water Project to connect families in El Paso County to mainline water infrastructure for the first time.