Austin's Nobelity Project winds down
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Turk and Christy Pipkin at the Texas Medal of Arts Awards in Austin last year. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images
The Nobelity Project, an Austin-based nonprofit that has financed 60 rural Kenyan schools and many global conservation projects, is entering its final chapter.
Why it matters: In addition to the good it's done, the organization has tied Austin to ambitious overseas projects.
- Its mission is to drive educational and environmental progress in East Africa and Central Texas.
Driving the news: Turk Pipkin, who co-founded the organization with his wife, Christy, is hosting screenings of his films "Nobelity" and "One Peace at a Time" on July 2 at the State Theatre in Austin.
- The couple is now fundraising for permanent scholarship endowments at Dedan Kimathi University in Kenya and, in Austin, at Huston-Tillotson University and the University of Texas, to create a long-term legacy.
- "There isn't a single reason, but the time feels right," to shut the organization down, Pipkin tells Axios. "We've accomplished our goals on many fronts."
We corresponded via email recently with Pipkin, who turns 73 on July 2, as he was doing work in Kenya.
You've been so invested in this for so long. How are you feeling about this wrapping up?
"We are in essence putting up a victory flag. We started to make one feature, which led to more. And to build one school in rural Kenya, which led to building all or part of 67 more. And we've launched our Nobelity legacy projects, longterm scholarship endowments."
What are you most proud of?
"When we began the dedicated school partnerships, very few kids in rural Kenya were able to attend high school. We just cut the ribbon on our sixth high school and there are approximately 30,000 kids enrolled in our partner schools from preschool to high school. "
Austin does not have the reputation for philanthropy of, say, Dallas or Houston. What has been your experience running a nonprofit out of Austin?
"I've never done focused fundraising events and outreach in other Texas cities, but Christy and I have felt all along that we couldn't possibly have accomplished the scope of The Nobelity Project's work if we'd been based anywhere but Austin. My pride for this community's generosity knows no bounds."
What's next for you?
"After three feature and dozens of short films on five continents and 50+ trips to Kenya, and hundreds of new preschool, classroom, libraries and other school construction projects, I have some very specific plans. I'm going to take a nap."