Keep Indianapolis Beautiful launches $4M campaign to build $2M westside workforce center on West Morris Street
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful kicked off a $4 million fundraising drive in early September 2026 to upgrade 65+ green spaces, build three new sites and construct a $2 million urban ecology and workforce development center along West Morris Street in West Indianapolis. The group says it has raised about $3.6 million and needs $400,000 by Dec. 31, 2026.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) is raising funds to build a $2 million urban ecology and workforce development center next to Heath Outdoor LLC’s facility near West Morris Street and South Tremont. The center would be used to train dozens of high school and college students for tree care, horticulture, landscaping and water-infrastructure careers and would include space for education workshops and equipment garage bays, KIB President and CEO Jeremy Kranowitz said.
The $4 million campaign — launched in early September 2026 to mark KIB’s 50th anniversary — also aims to upgrade and maintain more than 65 green spaces and create three new parks. Kranowitz said KIB has raised about $3.6 million (roughly 90% of its goal through corporate donors) and needs about $400,000 by the end of 2026 to fund the planned projects. KIB’s training programs (Youth Tree Team and Urban Naturalists) currently pay participating students $13 to $17 an hour, the article says.
BusinessIndy examines this development and its implications for Indiana businesses and communities using the linked sources.
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