Visit The Experience Lab At The Factory At Franklin: Confronting The Global Water Crisis
Here in Franklin, Tennessee, we are blessed with easy access to clean, safe drinking water. Approximately 703 million people globally cannot say the same. Although we interact with clean water on a daily basis, usually without a second thought, there are people around the world who have to endure intense labor to retrieve water that isn’t even safe to drink. Despite modern advancements, there are still people groups who are actively suffering the consequences of water scarcity and contamination in 2025. And yet, we have the knowledge, resources, and technology to combat this heartbreaking reality.
Enter charity: water, a well-renowned organization establishing roots here in Williamson County through The Experience Lab, an extraordinary exhibit housed in The Factory at Franklin. We had the privilege of experiencing the hands-on exhibit, which arrived at The Factory in March of this year, learning more about the nonprofit and how to participate in the good they are doing for the world.
Foundations: About The Organization
charity: water is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to providing clean, safe drinking water to the 1 in 10 people worldwide who lack this basic need. To date, the organization has funded 186,000 water projects, reached 29 countries, and given 20,297,336 people access to clean water, as reported by implementing partners.
The mission remains: to end the global water crisis. The successful nonprofit began in 2006 in a shoe box apartment in Manhattan. Founder Scott Harrison, whose former career as a nightclub promoter reportedly led to spiritual, emotional, and moral exhaustion, returned from a 2 year stint on a hospital boat off the coast of Liberia with a clear mission. Having witnessed firsthand the realities of the water crisis, Harrison dedicated his life to bringing clean water to all.
Since the dawn of charity: water, Harrison has been widely recognized for his innovation and heartfelt work, with impressive accolades. He was included in Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40, Forbes Magazine Impact 30 List, and was ranked an impressive #10 in Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business Issue. His book Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and A Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World, published in 2018, is a New York Times Bestseller. 100% of the author’s net proceeds from book sales go towards supporting the work of charity: water.
charity: water’s Impact
As a result of charity: water’s work, 16,000 lives are saved each week. Clean water not only saves lives, it changes them, reaping incredible health, educational, and economic benefits. Organization partners are working tirelessly to combat a staggering reality; Diseases born of dirty water kill more people per year than acts of violence. In fact, children under the age of 5 are 20 times more likely to die from unsafe water and poor sanitation than from conflict.
Beyond critical health improvements, water access supports financial growth in local economies impacted by the crisis. The economic potential within each community speaks for itself, as every $1 invested in clean water has the potential to yield $4.30 in economic return, making clean water a powerful agent of holistic growth in vulnerable communities across the world.
Time is an incredible luxury, and one we often take for granted. Another truth: globally, women and girls are responsible for retrieving water in 80% of households. It is estimated that they spend around 200 million hours collecting water. With easier access to resources, the opportunity for education rises exponentially, giving individuals the time and freedom to pursue passions and knowledge.
You can see the carefully tracked, regularly updated impact of charity: water through their Our Work website tab, which shows the incredible reach of the organization, telling the story of the tangible changes made in communities around the world. In their “Stories From the Field,” visitors have the opportunity to read first-hand about the lives that have been changed.
How charity: water Works
Believing that effective change is best implemented by investing in local organizations, charity: water works with each community, alongside its local experts, leaders, government entities, members, and more to find the most sustainable solution for each individual case. In the field, charity: water teams up with their carefully selected partner organizations, bringing clean water to remote areas with the wisdom that solutions are not one-size-fits-all.
When planning out water systems, local experts are consulted. There are 8 kinds of water systems that can be implemented, each of which takes into account terrain, population, and existing water sources, ultimately ensuring that funding goes towards finding the most effective, beneficial system for each given area and the people group that resides there. Each system costs about the same to build. $10,000 funds a clean water project for a community, school, or health clinic long term, as systems are projected to last between 10 and 25 years.
Depending on conditions, implemented solutions include drilled wells, hand-dug wells, pipe systems, biosand filters, water purification systems, rainwater catchments, spring protections, and gravity-fed systems. These are employed to serve the needs of the community, alongside sanitation solutions like private latrines. Likewise, partners of charity: water coordinate hygiene and sanitation training, establishing a local Water Committee in each community to ensure the longevity of clean, safe water systems.
The partnership between local entities and charity: water is upheld through the Water Programs teams, which communicates daily with local partners in order to track progress and help alleviate any obstacles that may arise. The network of dedicated staff and partners remains a rock solid resource, aiding in continuous improvements across global communities.
Funding
The organization is committed to The 100% Model, meaning that 100% of public donations goes directly to fund clean water initiatives. This is made possible through the generosity of private donors, who cover the organization’s operating costs. These numbers are independently verified and organization spending is completely transparent, with public access to records via charity: water’s financials page.
Operating costs and clean water projects are funded through separate bank accounts, showcasing the commitment to the 100% model. Donors, fundraisers, brand partners, and volunteers make this level of financial dedication possible.
Private donors are a huge part of the mission. The Well at charity: water is made up of financial and visionary partners. These entrepreneurs, artists, business leaders, and musicians fund operating costs for the organization itself. These donations go towards office rent, staff salaries and benefits, flights, and office supplies. This donorship allows the 100% Model to remain fixed while logistic company needs are met.
The Pool is another category of sponsorship. The Pool is defined as a community of business leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs who donate a portion of their private holdings to support charity: water operations and provide a unique employee benefit. This giving community is the first of its kind, incentivizing and rewarding nonprofit employees through equity. This includes brand partnerships, investment earnings, and gifted equipment. This, again, makes it possible for 100% of public donations to go towards providing clean water worldwide.
Those who wish to donate have the opportunity to give monthly as part of The Spring, set up a fundraisers, become a water project sponsor, become a brand partner, or plan legacy giving. This generosity is met with the fortified knowledge that every dollar given will go directly to providing clean and safe water to those in need. Every $40 given is guaranteed to provide 1 person with access to clean water for 25 years. It takes about a year to complete each water project. Within the year following each donation, those who give monthly or provide the $10,000 to support an entire water project have the opportunity to see the community impacted by their funding through the charity: water site.
Inside The Experience Lab
The Experience Lab at The Factory at Franklin is an immersive exhibit that tells the story of charity: water, showcasing the realities of humanity’s search for water. Since opening in March of 2025, the exhibit has already hosted around 4,000 visitors.
The innovative space, equipped with interactive technology and passionate charity: water staff, guides visitors through an exhibit that presents the global water crisis, showcases its solutions, and inspires action. The Experience Lab will continue to be a long-term space in the Factory that supports charity: water’s progress through education and experience.
“One of the goals is to create a space that is connective and meaningful for a field trip of 3rd and 4th graders and also to a group of CEOs. How can one space be effective for both of them? I think we’ve created it,” shared Experience Lab Director Brian Seay, who touched on the power of interactive spaces in a digital age. The Experience Lab is a place where past and future collide, leading to a truly one-of-a-kind exhibit.
“We want people to come into a space and really experience it, but then also use technology in ways they’ve never seen it used for nonprofit storytelling. So past and future kind of come together to engage visitors, showcasing what we’re trying to get them to pay attention to.”
The Experience Lab gives visitors the opportunity to understand what a life without access to clean water looks like. Through the technology and virtual reality aided exhibit, guests are invited to learn about water contaminates, walk with a girl retrieving water in Uganda, and learn about the collective effort to solve the global water crisis. Alongside advanced technology, the exhibit brings together science and art, allowing visitors to witness water contamination through the microscope. An adjacent art installation, featuring glasses of colored water lined up on a breathtaking lit-up wall, showcases real-life colors of contaminated water encountered in the field.
The tour is split into a 3-tiered structured: Problem, Solution, and Action. Visitors are first encountered by an introductory video, the truth about the global water crisis, and the science of contaminated water. Hope follows this heartbreaking reality. There is a solution, and charity: water knows how to actively pursue it. Following the contamination installation, visitors can learn more about the different water systems implemented, interacting with technology to better understand the mechanisms. Then, a virtual reality experience brings us to a village in Uganda, where we witness a real family, whose life is being transformed by clean water. The tour concludes with the “give shop,” encouraging giving in any capacity.
“We encourage people to get to this point [in the tour] and think about what they can do,” shared Seay. “Problem. Solution. Action. This is the action part. The global water crisis will be solved when people like us, who now know about it, do something about it. You educate for those light bulb moments of ‘I want to do something bigger than myself.’ Here’s how.”
Visiting The Experience Lab is free; however, keep in mind that reservations are required in order to embark on the hour long guided tour. The exhibit is located on the 2nd floor of The Factory, accessible by stairs or elevator. A space dedicated to hands-on learning, kids are more than welcome. Separating the immersive experience from a classic museum or gallery visit, interacting with the exhibits is highly encouraged. Public tours are hosted Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12-5 p.m. You can reserve a tour here, or inquire about group tours, field trips, and more, by directly contacting The Experience Lab.
Serving Our Neighbors
It can be overwhelming to come face to face with suffering, especially large-scale, global suffering that feels so completely out of our control. Encountering organizations like charity: water, however, brings about a revitalized sense of hope. There is incredible, life-changing work being done around the world and you can participate in it. A walk through The Experience Lab makes this truth abundantly clear.
For more ways to learn about and actively participate in the good work being done within our community and beyond, check out Rooted in Love: 3 Incredible Williamson County Organizations That Support Women In Need. If you’re passionate about serving in a particular capacity locally, you can also look into individual volunteer opportunities in Williamson County.
These active spaces within our community prove that, although the world is full of harsh, terrible realities, there are people who fight against them, ultimately promoting life, above all else, and making sure our neighbors near and far have the resources they need.
