The Canal & River Trust, the new national charity for the waterways, has announced its first three corporate partnerships with Google, the People's Postcode Lottery and the Co-operative Bank.
The Canal & River Trust is the new identity for British Waterways, the non-departmental public body that will be spun out of government next month and will become the 13th largest charity in the UK.
It is expected to be launched on 12 July and will be responsible for maintaining more than 2,000 miles of waterways and one of the country's largest portfolios of historical buildings.
Its joint project with Google will enable people to find their local towpaths for the first time using the website Google Maps, with the maps being updated to highlight bridges, locks and tunnels on the network.
The partnership with the Co-operative Bank will enable people to support the trust through "everyday banking products".
A spokesman for the trust said the exact nature of the support was still to be finalised, but it is likely that people will be able to sign up to a credit card or similar product where a percentage of any spending goes to the trust.
The People's Postcode Lottery expects to provide £1m to support conservation work on CRT land.
Tony Hales, chairman of the CRT, said the existence of three new partnerships before the formal launch of the organisation was "a huge vote of confidence in the Canal & River Trust" and highlighted the importance of its role.