Many of the art and cultural programs and events the Downtown Austin Alliance implements are funded by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. The Foundation fundraises charitable contributions from business and community partners. The Downtown Austin Alliance absorbs all overhead and administrative expenses of the Foundation. This arrangement enables the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation to create more positive impact in our community, allows more people and organizations to get involved, and ensures every dollar raised goes toward projects, programs, and partnerships that enhance Downtown Austin.

The Foundation supports community-driven initiatives that celebrate the vibe of Austin through resource development, cultural placemaking in public spaces, and parks throughout downtown.

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Republic Square has been an important central gathering place since 1839. The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation keeps this tradition alive through diverse and inclusive programming in the park. We are also responsible for the park's operations and maintenance to keep it a vibrant and appealing place to be. 

This year, we invested in an extensive lawn beautification and garden restoration process to make Republic Square more resilient to foot traffic and more sustainable in the face of climate change. Improvements made included:

Writing on the Walls curates collaborative public art installations and events celebrating art, diversity and public spaces in Downtown Austin. This Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation program provides artists with opportunities to create and gives community members opportunities to get involved by selecting art they’d like to see in their city. The program transforms walls, transit corridors, electrical boxes and more to create more opportunities for art and expression downtown.

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Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium Mural

In an effort to transform and activate Old Bakery Park at 10th Street and Congress Avenue, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Austin Parks Foundation, and Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium partnered with the Downtown Austin Alliance to revitalize its green space and incorporate a new mural through the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation's Writing on the Walls program.

In August 2023, we released a Vision for the mural's design that reflected a year of intensive public engagement with input from over 1,000 Austinites. In September, we released a public call for artists, bringing in over 50 submissions. An independent panel of local creatives and art experts reviewed the submissions, interviewed finalists, and recommended a fifth-generation Austinite and local muralist for the project. With the community's vision as the foundation, Ruben Esquivel developed three mural design concepts that explore the Indigenous heritage of the land of Central Texas and the Swedish legacy of the Old Bakery building. In March 2024, over 800 community members voted on their preferred mural concept. That feedback will be incorporated in the final mural installation, anticipated in Summer 2024.

Musicians Activating Spaces brings life and vibrancy to downtown spaces and places through community and live music performances. The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation pays performers equitably for their time and intentionally brings increased visibility to artists through marketing efforts.

We recently launched the Downtown Austin Space Activation Program (DASA), which will bring empty and underutilized storefronts to life through long-term retail occupancy or short-term events and experiences. The Downtown Austin Alliance and our partners have organized many successful activations over the years, and this Foundation-funded program formalizes this work into a clear, effective way for the community to get involved.

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Peppermint Alley

This year, we added a new Peppermint Alley experience to our annual Holiday Sing-Along & Stroll, bringing the alley off 10th Street near Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium to life with a No Comply skate ramp, lighting dance wall, interactive graffiti wall, s’mores station and live set from DJ Kay Cali.

Want to support the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation in their work to continue to cultivate Downtown Austin as a premiere destination for arts, culture and innovation?

Learn more about the Foundation and its work.

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