WASH

(Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene)

WASH stands for water, sanitation, and hygiene – prerequisites for optimal health and well-being. In light of the family’s long-standing passion for all things aquatic health, The Palmer Foundation prioritizes WASH initiatives throughout the U.S. and around the world to improve water quality and availability.

Recent grants include efforts to

  • Bolster and more effectively monitor oyster populations for cleaner water

  • Distribute water filters to rural communities

  • Construct sanitation blocks comprised of latrines and handwashing stations 

  • Restore coral reefs

  • Support community legal and financial services advocating for related causes 

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in the water.”

-lOREN EISELEY

A peek at

recent WASH projects we support

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

REVIVING THE BAY’S NATIVE OYSTER POPULATION

LOCATION: Annapolis, Maryland

GRANT PURPOSE: To improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay by supporting the critically low native oyster population. Specifically, our funding helped:

  • Support the Maryland Oyster Restoration Center, which produces and plants approximately 25 million spat-on-shell oysters annually

  • Purchase additional equipment, including cages and trailers to collect recycled shells, to optimize the production of millions of spat-on-shell oysters used to seed reefs 

  • Bolster oyster advocacy efforts by increasing citizen engagement and policy work to protect sanctuary reefs and support science-based oyster restoration

ALDEA
(Advancing Local Development through Empowerment and Action)

LOCATION: Guatemala

GRANT PURPOSE: To reduce chronic childhood malnutrition and improve the living conditions of families, through improved sanitation, access to potable water, and hygiene classes in rural Guatemalan Mayan communities.

OUR SUPPORT FACILITATED:

  • In-home water filtration systems to purify the non-potable water pumped into the homes

  • Gray water filters to eliminate standing water around the homes which contributes to poor hygiene and chronic disease

  • Vented, wood burning stoves to reduce air pollution generated by indoor cooking

  • Training these families in proper hygiene and operation/maintenance of the filters and stoves 

Check out our Annual Report for a full list of grants.

*The Palmer Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications.