11259 The role of corporate philanthropy in achieving SDG 6

As the 2023 UN Water Conference made clear, urgent action is needed from all sectors to achieve SDG 6. Corporates stand to play a larger role in this process going forward, thanks to expanding ESG agendas and growing funding commitments. However, significant challenges remain: corporates are often risk averse, prone to vanity projects, and too focused on short-term initiatives rather than long-term investments. At the intersection of these two realities is corporate foundations. When properly leveraged, corporate foundations can complement corporate ESG efforts while also overcoming corporate shortcomings. Corporate foundations can, among other things, fill gaps in the global WASH landscape by addressing neglected issues, investing in long-term, locally sustainable solutions, and taking risks to identify the best solutions for global scale. This session will talk to some of the most innovative leaders from corporate foundations today, showcasing the approaches that they’re taking, the things they’re learning, and how they believe corporate foundations can help the