The Mississippi River Water Action Collaborative (MRWAC) is a collaborative network advancing water resilience across the Mississippi River Basin. MRWAC connects project implementers with companies and other funders to support the development and scaling of projects that address shared water challenges. The collaborative is working toward a 2035 goal and aims to track, aggregate, and report progress toward basin-wide impact over time.
About MRWAC
Launched in 2023, MRWAC was established after the Mississippi River Basin was identified as one of the Water Resilience Coalition’s 100 Priority Basins. Managed by Pacific Institute and with America’s Watershed Initiative (AWI) and LimnoTech as partners, MRWAC serves as a platform to connect funding opportunities with high-quality, on-the-ground water stewardship projects across the basin.
MRWAC accepts project submissions from organizations with the expertise and capacity to implement effective water solutions. Submitted projects are evaluated against established eligibility criteria, and selected projects are included in MRWAC’s portfolio.
Projects in the portfolio are then shared with companies and other funders seeking to invest in water resilience. MRWAC does not directly fund or implement projects and instead facilitates partnerships that enable project implementation
Projects span a range of interventions, including wetland restoration, sustainable agriculture practices, green infrastructure, and more. Through this approach, MRWAC helps align funding with priority needs and supports measurable progress across the basin.
Aligning MRWAC with the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership (MRWP)
To align with basin-wide priorities, MRWAC works with AWI to better connect its efforts with those of the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership (MRWP). Through this partnership, MRWAC and MRWP are working toward shared goals, including improving water quality, enhancing ecosystem and community resilience, and accelerating action.
AWI brings a strong network of partners across sectors and a deep understanding of the basin, helping focus investments to maximize impact. In parallel, MRWP provides a basin-wide platform for coordination and shared priority-setting, enabling more strategic and collaborative action across stakeholders. By mobilizing private sector investment, MRWAC helps advance shared watershed goals and supports implementation of priority actions. Together, these efforts aim to accelerate and drive meaningful change across the Mississippi River Basin.
