For over 25 years, Palladium has committed 1.5% of its profit before tax to our global giving platform, Let’s Make it Possible. Through this platform and in partnership with the Kyeema Foundation, Palladium funds humanitarian relief efforts, supports community projects nominated by employees, and runs an annual Challenge Fund to tackle a major global problem.
This year, the Challenge Fund’s theme is Water for Prosperity: Safeguarding and Maximizing the Value of Water Resources.
“Water is essential to everyday life,” says Palladium CEO and Chair of Kyeema Foundation, Sinéad Magill. It supports our health, the food we eat, the energy we use, the products we make, and the natural environments we depend on. Yet, around the world, water systems are under growing pressure. Rising temperatures, growing populations, expanding cities, and overuse are making water harder to access, more polluted, and more unpredictable, putting communities, economies, and nature at risk.
Although water is fundamental to prosperity, it is often taken for granted and poorly managed.
Farming alone uses most of the world’s freshwater, while cities and businesses compete for limited supplies. At the same time, rivers, wetlands, and underground water sources are being damaged or depleted. When these natural systems are weakened, they can no longer store clean water, reduce floods, or protect against drought, leaving people more vulnerable in the long run.
“We rely on water for almost everything that enables people and economies to thrive, yet too often it’s treated as an afterthought,” continues Magill. “When water systems fail, it’s not just an environmental issue—it’s a direct threat to livelihoods, health, and stability. This Challenge Fund is about changing how water is valued and managed, so it can continue to support prosperity for generations to come.”
Seeing water as a shared asset
The 2026 Challenge Fund is built around a simple idea: water should be treated as a valuable asset, not just a utility. Healthy water systems connect people, economies, and nature. But too often, water is seen as free, limitless, or someone else’s problem. This leads to a cycle where damaged water systems limit growth, and limited growth makes it harder to invest in better water management.
The Challenge Fund is looking for ideas that help break this cycle by using water more efficiently, rewarding protection and restoration, and improving decision‑making through better data, rules, and accountability.
“We’re looking for ideas that show water stewardship and economic development are not competing goals,” Magill adds. “The strongest proposals will demonstrate that protecting water systems can unlock value—creating social, environmental, and economic returns at the same time.”
Supporting solutions that can grow
Through Water for Prosperity, Palladium is inviting practical, scalable ideas that can be tested or expanded in real‑world settings. Priority is given to solutions in regions facing severe water stress, including those that help farmers use water more productively, reduce water loss in cities, improve industrial water practices, support digital infrastructure, or restore natural systems like wetlands and floodplains.
Many promising ideas struggle to grow beyond early trials due to lack of funding, coordination, or data. The Challenge Fund aims to help overcome these barriers by combining grants with expert support and access to a global network.
Selected organizations will be supported to deliver lasting results, from saving water and improving quality to strengthening ecosystems and local economies.
“Water challenges are already shaping the future of development,” notes Magill. “With this Challenge Fund, we want to back the innovators who are proving that smarter water management isn’t just possible, it’s essential to shared prosperity.”
“Palladium’s Challenge Fund pulls ideas and solutions from across its extensive network,” says GISI Consulting Group CEO Derek Amidon. “We’re proud to be part of that network and to help pursue innovative solutions to a challenge that affects us all.”