Meet the Founder
After a decade of indulging his darkest vices as a nightclub promoter, Scott declared spiritual, moral, and emotional bankruptcy. He spent two years on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, saw the effects of dirty water firsthand, and came back to New York City on a mission.
Watch how a radical decision to reset his life led Scott Harrison to build charity: water.
Upon returning to NYC in 2006, having seen the effects of dirty water firsthand, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water.
He established a small core team in a tiny Manhattan apartment and created charity: water.
The organization set out on a big mission, to bring clean water to every person living without it, and an even bigger vision, to reinvent charity with an innovative 100% model and radical transparency, proving every single water project funded.
Sixteen years later, with the help of more than 1 million supporters worldwide, charity: water has raised over $740 million and funded over 137,000 water projects in 29 countries. When completed, those projects will provide over 17.4 million people with clean, safe drinking water.
Scott was recognized in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, the Forbes Magazine Impact 30 list and was recently #10 in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Scott and his wife Viktoria have two children, Jackson and Emma. Read Scott’s story in his new book Thirst.
Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World
Buy the New York Times bestseller, an inspiring personal story of redemption, second chances, and the transformative power within us all from charity: water founder Scott Harrison. 100% of the author's net proceeds from the sale of Thirst will fund clean water.
Buy the book