Celebrating 50 Years Rooted in Indy
Two-thirds of Indianapolis residents don’t have a park close to home.
What they often have instead is land doing nothing, or worse than nothing: asphalt that holds heat through the night, lawns too open and too hot to cross, lots that have sat vacant long enough that people plan their walks around them.
KIB’s work starts there. Every one of the three new GreenSpaces in this campaign is being built on ground that is currently working against the neighborhood around it.
$3.59 million committed. $410,000 to go.
The largest campaign in our history is nearly funded. The last stretch is the one that closes it — and right now every dollar counts twice.
With generous support from the Efroymson Family Fund, every contribution from now through December is matched dollar‑for‑dollar, up to $100,000.
Where your gift takes root
The largest campaign in our history, in three parts.
Create exemplary GreenSpaces
Three new signature GreenSpaces, designed and built with the neighborhoods around them: a bike skills park on the West Side with Nine13sports, an outdoor commons on the Far Eastside with P30, and an urban microforest at a soon-to-be-announced location.
Empower the next generation
The Urban Ecology and Workforce Development Center gives our Youth Tree Team and Urban Naturalists a permanent home — replacing a bare-bones rented warehouse, and giving us room to train more of them.
Sustain what we’ve built
The Perennial Fund will upgrade and maintain the 65 GreenSpaces we’ve built since 2005. Roughly 1 in 6 Indianapolis residents lives within a half mile of one.
Stories from the ground up
When young people lead and neighbors show up, whole blocks change. These are the neighborhoods your gift builds on.
Youth led the way
A neglected lot became a vibrant, mural-filled community space — proof of what happens when young people lead.
A safer block
Residents transformed a blighted lot into a gathering place. A study found a 12% drop in gun violence within a half-mile.
Designed by neighbors
Neighbors and volunteers came together to design, plant, and care for a space that captures their neighborhood’s pride.
From student to scientist
Nakayla Krahn is an environmental scientist today — doing wetland delineations, tree counts and endangered species surveys with field skills she learned at KIB.
Global vision, local action
Mayor Greg Ballard reflects on ten years of sustainability, partnership, and empowering young professionals.
Housed in the neighborhoods, which outlast all of us.
Five decades of administrations, budgets and priorities have come and gone. The work continued because it was never held by one person, or one office.
“The hardest thing in civic life is continuity. What Keep Indianapolis Beautiful built has come through five decades of all that, and the reason is worth understanding: the commitment never relied on one person alone. It was housed in the neighborhoods, which outlast all of us.” — Bart Peterson, Former Mayor of Indianapolis · Honorary Campaign Co-Chair
Together, we build a lasting legacy
Community health & happiness
New GreenSpaces serve communities who want parks that improve environmental quality, physical and mental health, safety, and pride.
Long-term impact
Spaces are maintained with KIB support in perpetuity, and young people build skills to care for the environment for the long haul.
Inspiring others to act
Your lead gift toward our 50th Anniversary Campaign inspires other gifts and builds a sustainable future for our whole city.
Campaign resources
Our campaign donors
Every name below moved this campaign closer to its goal. We are grateful to each of them.
- Allison Transmission Company
- Amos Butler Audubon Society
- Sabine Augustin
- David and Christine Becker
- Michael Berry
- Lisa and Bill Boncosky
- Morgan and Josh Bronson
- L’America Brown
- Burgess and Niple, Inc.
- Jenni and Michael Burton
- Briget Polichene Chamness and Chuck Chamness
- Karen and William Christensen
- Bill and Laura Cummings
- Maithilee Das Lappin
- Dorsey Foundation, Inc.
- Efroymson Family Fund
- Eli Lilly and Company Foundation
- David Feinberg and Maureen Keller
- Jennifer and Chad Franer
- Elizabeth and Fred Frick
- Morgan Galbreth
- Will Gardner and Katie Feary-Gardner
- Timothy George
- Glick Philanthropies
- Gregory and Appel Insurance
- Hanson Professional Services, Inc.
- Herbert Simon Family Foundation
- Glenda Hernandez and Hamid Zakaeifar
- Nora and Tom Hiatt
- Lisa and Rick Hurst
- The Indianapolis Foundation
- JD Foundation
- KeyBank
- Noelle and Bruce King
- Carol Kranowitz
- Jeremy Kranowitz and Jennifer Pleasure
- John Krauss and Marnie Maxwell
- Lacy Foundation
- Kal Mehta
- The Meyer Family Fund
- John Moriarty
- Cody Morris
- PNC Bank
- Myrta Pulliam
- Becky and Charlie Quintana
- Aaron and Emily Reddington
- Jessica Reiss
- Claire Rice
- April and Rick Sasso
- Phil Schaefer
- Jane Schultz
- Joan SerVaas and Larry Roan
- Mike and Sue Smith
- Loren and Morgan Snyder
- David and Lori Starr
- Denny Stephens
- Randall Stoesz
- Justin Sufan
- Sam Sutphin and Kerry Dinneen
- Shelby and Steve Swango
- Chris Tucker
- Katie and Rob Vrabel
- Charlie and Sachiko Wiles
- Margaret and Barry Wood
Given in goods and services
Design, construction, materials and expertise contributed at no cost to the campaign.
- August Mack Environmental, Inc.
- Heath Outdoor
- Midstates Recreation
- Schmidt Associates
- Shiel Sexton Company, Inc.
- Shook Construction Co.
Listing reflects gifts and pledges received to date. If you spot an error or omission in how your name appears, please let us know so we can correct it.
Give to Rooted in Indy
Every gift goes directly to the three initiatives above — new GreenSpaces, the workforce center, and the Perennial Fund that keeps them cared for.
Matched dollar‑for‑dollar through December, thanks to the Efroymson Family Fund.
Prefer to give another way? Open the giving form in a new window, or talk with our campaign team about a multi-year commitment.
We are turning 50. Help us grow the next 50.
Rooted in Indy is our $4 million campaign for new GreenSpaces, young green professionals, and the care that keeps it all thriving.