Crooked Creek Cultural Campus, Inc.

We are asking for your support in bringing the Crooked Creek Cultural Campus to life—a transformative new destination for arts, culture, education, and community fellowship in northwest Indianapolis.

The Crooked Creek Community is a historic, culturally diverse neighborhood with a rich community spirit, yet it lacks a central gathering place, a local performing arts venue, and an accessible arts education facility. Our vision is to change that by creating a welcoming Cultural Campus where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn, create, perform, and connect. The Cultural Campus will also act as an “economic engine” creating a “cultural focal point” for this challenged area.

The Crooked Creek Cultural Campus is a newly established nonprofit organization founded on the belief that the arts and education strengthen communities, inspire young people and create lasting opportunities for future generations.

The Campus will offer more than 50 planned activities for all ages, including theater, music & visual arts programs, summer concerts, poetry events, inter-generational indoor/outdoor movies, family game night & book clubs, literacy workshops, environmental education and civic forums. These opportunities will benefit approximately 76,000 residents in the surrounding communities, including more than 22,000 students in our school collaboration network.

This vision is grounded in decades of successful community leadership. Our grassroots team has invested more than 30 years in neighborhood improvement, and our Campus plan reflects an 18-month community visioning process, an IFF feasibility study, and a zoning-approved site plan. We are also building partnerships with educational institutions, schools, arts organizations, and community groups, such as Pike Township Resident Association (PTRA). We have met with Deputy Mayor for Neighborhoods, Jordan Gathers, requesting a $100,000 Matching Grant for Phase One.

The Crooked Creek Cultural Campus is more than a building. It is an investment in our children, our neighborhood, our local economy, and the cultural future of northwest Indianapolis. The Campus’ three overarching goals are (1) youth engagement, (2) inter-generational community building & (3) to be an economic engine for this economically challenged area.

Thank you for considering this request for funding Phase One of the Cultural Campus and for helping us make this vision a reality. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how you can become a valued partner in this transformative project.

The Crooked Creek Cultural Campus is seeking to raise $1 million for Phase One land acquisition and related costs by August 31, 2027. Through our Founding 1000 Donors campaign, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, community partnerships and naming rights, we are working to secure this property and establish a lasting cultural resource for Indianapolis.

Our immediate goal (Phase One) is to acquire approximately 4.5 acres at 2602 W. 62nd Street, adjacent to 3.5 preserved wooded acres (located at 6250 Michigan Road) generously donated by community leader Joan SerVaas. Together, these eight acres will become (Phase Two) the home of a planned 15,000-square-foot cultural facility featuring a 200-seat multi-use theater, an outdoor amphitheater, an art gallery, an educational recording studio, art classrooms, and community gathering spaces.

Phase One Goal: $1,000,000