NWCF was established in 1990 as a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization to conduct interdisciplinary research on interrelated issues that affect the use and management of water with specific focus on the Himalaya-Ganga region.

NWCF was registered with the District Administration Office Kathmandu in 2001. Since then it has dedicated its organizational focus to generate and disseminate knowledge of water management through research, publications and engagement in public debates to address the emerging challenges and ever changing educational needs of water management.

NWCF works with local communities as well as with organizations at local, national, regional and international levels.

Vision
NWCF envisions a world where the current needs for water are met without compromising the rights of the future generations and nature.

Mission
NWCF's mission is to improve understanding of the water and its intrinsic function in human society and nature through interdisciplinary research, sharing and dissemination, and capacity building of younger professionals. The aim is to evolve such ethos into institutions that analyze water issues at regional and international scales.

Competence
Well recognized at national and international community as the knowledgeable and effective research organization, NWCF maintains its status by focusing on three areas:

NWCF pursues cutting-edge research, dissemination and training. Our research focuses on finding solutions to emerging problems of resource management combining democratic ethos with traditional values. NWCF organizes conferences, seminars, and public debates focused on issues that matter to a larger community of resource managers, policy-makers, and academicians. Our trainings are designed to be a complete learning experience with a combination of presentations with interactive exercises, case studies, group discussions and lectures. We also train water users to develop proposals for water management.

Besides research, NWCF is also involved in building knowledge, raising awareness and disseminating insights through innovative actions carried out in partnership with its field partners. NWCF promulgates research findings through education and advocacy with a specific focus on capacity building both of the upcoming generation as well as of disadvantaged groups.

NWCF helps strengthening of institutional capacity of grass-root level community and civil society groups for informed participation in decision-making processes. NWCF supports initiatives of building capability of young professionals to analyze issues related to water resource management, thus creating a pool of interdisciplinary analytical expertise. The staffs working at NWCF are qualified with extensive field experiences both nationally and regionally.

NWCF board consisting of fifteen general members provides the overall guidance, directives and supervision. The general members of the foundation come from diverse professional field including science and engineering, journalism, natural resource, socio-economy, and social sciences. The chairperson and the executive council elected by the general members handle day-to-day activities of the foundation starting from proposal development, program planning, and implementation to the supervision and control.

NWCF has a total of 34 staff that includes 13 core staff, 17 project based staff and 4 support staff. It includes professionals of various fields such as institution building, natural resource, socioeconomics, legal experts, environment, watershed, social science, gender and biodiversity. The project based staff provide services for specific research projects while the core staff carryout regular research activities of the organization.