Celebrating 50 Years Ways to Give
The Des Moines Civic Center and the illuminated Crusoe Umbrella on Cowles Commons at night

Des Moines Performing Arts 1979-2029

Honoring the Past, Building Our Future

Campaign goal
$25 Million
Civic Center capital projects
$20 Million
Building the Future Fund
$5 Million
The Des Moines Civic Center lit up at night
Letter from Leadership

A Community-Built Legacy.A Shared Future.

Nearly 50 years ago, a determined group of community leaders accomplished something extraordinary. When a bond issue to build a performing arts center narrowly failed, they organized and raised more than $9 million from private donors in less than 90 days. They believed Des Moines deserved world-class performing arts, and they made it happen. That same spirit of belief and determination brings us to this moment.

As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2029, the Civic Center stands as proof of what this community can create together. Since 1979, 13 million people have walked through our doors and experienced exceptional performances from around the world. More than one million students have taken their seats as part of the Applause Series.

The building that has served our community for nearly five decades now requires meaningful reinvestment. And the education programs, free experiences, artist engagements, and community partnerships that extend Des Moines Performing Arts’ impact beyond the stage need a permanent source of support.

Our vision is a complete home for the performing arts and community: a place where art is seen, created, taught, and lived; where Iowa’s next generation of artists get their start; where creative expression is a pathway to connection; and where everyone has access to life-changing arts experiences.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS is a $25 million campaign to strengthen Des Moines Performing Arts’ campus and build enduring support for the programs and ideas that bring it to life. Together, these investments will protect a landmark, create more welcoming spaces, and sustain the outstanding performances, transformative learning, and free community experiences that connect us all.

To our Board, donors, audience members, and community partners, thank you. You have made Des Moines Performing Arts a vital community resource and invaluable civic infrastructure. We invite you to help preserve this jewel and shape what is possible for the next 50 years.

With gratitude,

Rich and Kim Willis
Rich & Kim WillisCampaign Co-Chairs
Monica Holt
Monica HoltPresident & CEO
Who We Are

Built by Community,for Community.

Since 1979, Des Moines Performing Arts has grown to be Iowa’s largest performing arts organization. Here world-class performances open a window to the world, school field trips become lifelong memories, and shared experiences deepen our connection to one another.

Young performers in colorful costumes on stage

Access to the arts is vital to the soul of a community. DMPA is a critical access point for central Iowa.

Community Arts Advocate

Nearly Five Decadesof Impact

13 MILLIONattendees since 1979
6,000students annually served by IHSMTA, the nation’s largest program
$50 MILLIONannual economic impact from Willis Broadway Series
122Broadway production investments
$4.1 MILLIONannual investment in community engagement and arts education initiatives
15Tony Awards for Best Musical/Play/Revival won by Independent Presenters Network (IPN)-invested productions
5,000tickets provided through Vet Tix since 2022
6Broadway national tours launched at Civic Center
1 MILLIONstudents attended Applause Series field trips
$2.68

Every dollar invested in arts generates $2.68 in local economic activity.

Americans for the Arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6

Performance Series

  • Willis Broadway Series
  • Prairie Meadows Live at the Temple Series (concerts)
  • Prairie Meadows Temple Comedy Series
  • Wellmark Family Series
  • Hy-Vee Summer Arts Series
  • National Geographic Live Speaker Series
  • The Dance Series
  • Made in the Midwest (local musicians)
  • Applause Series (for students pre-K to 12th grade)

Performance Partners

  • The Des Moines Symphony (resident company)
  • Iowa Stage Theatre Company (resident company)
  • Des Moines Young Artists Theatre (resident company)
  • Ballet Des Moines
  • Iowa Dance Theatre
  • Capital City Pride Speaker Series
A child plays in the Lauridsen Fountain on Cowles Commons Lauridsen Fountain on Cowles Commons

The Civic Center campus is the infrastructure through which we serve the community. This campaign preserves that foundation while strengthening the experiences, programs, and connections it makes possible.

The Moment We’re In

A Jewel to Preserve.A Future We Build Together.

A building that has welcomed 13 million people across nearly five decades of continuous use now carries that weight, and essential systems and public spaces require attention. The roof that shelters every performance must be replaced. Main Hall seating has reached the end of its lifespan and needs complete replacement. Public spaces must better welcome today’s audiences and support new community uses. Backstage spaces require updates to meet the needs of the first-rate artists and touring productions Des Moines Performing Arts brings to Iowa.

These investments are more than maintaining a building. Together, they preserve a community asset, make our facilities more welcoming, create more opportunities for people to connect through the arts, and sustain the future.

DMPA is a treasure. Because of their commitment to making the arts accessible to as many people as possible, our community is stronger in every respect.

Feasibility Study Participant
Campaign at a Glance

$25 Million.Transforming Our Spaces.Expanding Our Impact.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS brings together two essential investments that will strengthen how we keep our promise to serve the community for the next 50 years.

Together, these investments will strengthen our home and grow Des Moines Performing Arts’ impact and reach.

Civic Center Capital Projects

$20 Million

A phased, three-year investment in essential infrastructure, public spaces, and backstage artist spaces to preserve, modernize, and transform the places where our mission happens every single day.

Building the Future Fund

$5 Million

Liquid and documented planned gifts will create permanent support for education, access, community engagement, and future artistic innovation that enliven our spaces.

Where the $25 million goes$25,000,000

Select an area to see what it funds.

More Than a Venue

Des Moines Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Ticket sales alone cannot sustain all of our venues and programs. This organization is a community resource that belongs to everyone, and your support ensures that exceptional arts experiences remain available to individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

High school students perform together on the Civic Center stage

Being able to get on stage with the performers was so fun and engaging. We don’t have an actual theater class at our school — having this experience was amazing.

High school teacher
What This Investment Makes Possible

The Return IsCommunity Impact

Together, the Civic Center capital projects and Building the Future Fund will create a place that welcomes people more fully and a permanent source of support that carries our mission into the community. They will protect what generations of Iowans have built while opening the door to new experiences, new partnerships, and new possibilities.

Because of this campaign:

  • Audienceswill experience a safer, more comfortable, and inviting Civic Center.
  • Studentswill discover creativity and confidence through affordable arts education.
  • Artistswill connect more deeply with audiences, schools, and community partners.
  • Veterans, families, and community memberswill find more free and accessible ways to participate, from subsidized tickets to experiences at Cowles Commons.
  • Des Moines Performing Artswill have the flexibility to respond to community needs and pursue new opportunities.

This is an investment in the 350,000 people who experience our performances and programs each year. It is an investment in a student seeing live theater for the first time, a family gathering at Cowles Commons, and every person who finds joy, inspiration, or a deeper connection to others through the arts.

In 1979, this community imagined something extraordinary and came together to make it possible. Now, we have the opportunity to honor that legacy and shape what comes next.

Investing in the Civic Center: $20 Million

Infrastructure $8.75MPublic Spaces $9.35MBackstage $1.9M
Essential Infrastructure

What Makes It All Possible

$8,750,000

Every performance, field trip, and community gathering depends on a strong foundation: a sound roof, safe and comfortable seating, reliable technology, and functional spaces for the people working behind the scenes.

These essential investments will protect the Civic Center, improve the guest experience, and equip our staff and volunteers to deliver exceptional performances, education programs, and community experiences for years to come.

Main Hall Seating $3.5 Million

Replace aging seats to improve guest comfort, safety, and functionality.

Roof Replacement $2.75 Million

Protect the Civic Center and every performance, program, and event that happens within it.

Offices and Workspaces $2.25 Million

Create functional, collaborative workspaces for the teams who plan performances, coordinate education programs, cultivate community partnerships, and care for our venues, as well as those who welcome and assist our guests.

Archives and Preservation $250,000

Nearly five decades of irreplaceable history, including programs, photographs, recordings, and correspondence, remain uncatalogued and at risk for degradation. Digitizing these archives will preserve the living record of what this community has built together.

The Seats
2,744Main Hall seats inspected
15performances between inspections
~144hours of labor each time

After every 15 performances, a specialized six-person crew inspects all 2,744 seats, requiring approximately 144 hours of labor. Our Main Hall seats are at the end of their life cycle and the manufacturer is no longer in business, making replacement parts difficult and costly to obtain or reproduce. New seating will improve guest comfort and safety while reducing the growing cost and labor required for repairs and maintenance.

Conceptual rendering of new red Main Hall seatsConceptual rendering
Rendering of the renovated Main Hall with new red seatingMain Hall rendering

Caring for the Civic Center now will protect both the community’s investment and our ability to serve Iowa in the future.

Public Spaces

Where Community Gathers

$9,350,000

The Civic Center has always been where people come together. This campaign expands what that means.

Reimagined public spaces will offer a warmer welcome and create new opportunities for people to gather before, during, and beyond performances. Renewed lobbies and lounges will support conversation, hospitality, and free programming throughout the year. Activations on Cowles Commons will extend Des Moines Performing Arts’ presence into the heart of downtown. Together, these investments will transform how Des Moines Performing Arts shows up for the community, ensuring all feel welcome and at home on our campus.

Our renewed spaces will host music classes, wellbeing programs, free performances, community programming, and events created with partner organizations. They will welcome someone experiencing Des Moines Performing Arts for the first time and give longtime supporters new reasons to return.

Lobbies and Public Spaces $5.35 Million

Transform and modernize the Civic Center’s primary public spaces including digital signage and wayfinding to improve guests’ experience, accessibility, and year-round community use.

West Balcony Lounge and Center Lounge Renovations $1.75 Million

Create more comfortable and multi-purpose spaces that strengthen hospitality, encourage connection, and host free programs.

Black Box Theater (formerly Stoner Theater) $1 Million

Renew an intimate, flexible theater that supports smaller-scale performances, education programs, and community events.

Crusoe Umbrella Restoration and Cowles Commons Activation $750,000

Preserve an iconic piece of Des Moines’ history while supporting more free programming and community activity downtown.

50th Anniversary Celebrations $500,000

Engage communities across Iowa through programs, partnerships, and participatory experiences that celebrate the community’s legacy and help shape our shared future.

A performance may bring people through our doors. Welcoming public spaces invite them to stay, connect, and return.

The Crusoe Umbrella has been a beloved symbol of downtown Des Moines since 1979. After decades of harsh Iowa weather, comprehensive conservation is urgently needed. Restoring it is part of preserving who we are.

Backstage Spaces

Where Artists Choose to Be

$1,900,000

When artists come to the Civic Center, their impact extends well beyond the stage. They lead student workshops and masterclasses, partner with local organizations, and create moments of inspiration throughout the community.

The quality of backstage spaces shapes the artists’ experience, influences our reputation as a destination for leading performers and touring productions, and affects whether artists want to return to Des Moines. Refreshing the Civic Center’s dressing rooms, Green Room, and artist-support areas will help Des Moines remain a competitive destination for the artists who inspire Iowa audiences and students.

CurrentRendering

Drag the slider to compare the current room with the rendering.

Behind-the-scenes improvements help bring exceptional artists to Iowa and create opportunities for their presence to inspire audiences, students, and the community.

Basement Dressing Rooms and Restrooms $1.3 Million

Modernize essential artists’ spaces that no longer meet the needs of today’s touring productions.

Green Room and Star Dressing Rooms $600,000

Create modern spaces that reflect our commitment to artists’ care and hospitality.

A young audience member raises her hand to speak into a microphone during a performance
Building the Future Fund: $5 Million

Permanent Support for What Matters Most

$5,000,000

While capital investments strengthen the spaces where our mission happens, the Building the Future Fund ensures we have the necessary resources to bring activities to those spaces, serve the community, and keep innovating year after year.

Just over $8.1 MillionCurrent endowment value
More than $400,000Current annual support generated by our endowment
Approximately $250,000Additional annual support once the campaign’s full $5 million endowment goal is received

Our endowment is currently just over $8.1 million. Through an annual 5% distribution, it provides funding that helps sustain programs and experiences that cannot depend on ticket revenue alone, including affordable student performances, free community programs, artist engagement, education initiatives, and community partnerships. But the endowment is significantly undercapitalized for an organization of our size.

The CELEBRATING 50 YEARS campaign seeks an additional $5 million for the Building the Future Fund. As these gifts are received and invested, they will increase the dependable resources available for access, artistic excellence, education, community engagement, and future innovation, while providing the flexibility to be responsive, explore new ideas, and continue bringing exceptional artists and programs to Iowa.

A stronger endowment gives us the stability to plan beyond the next budget cycle, maintain high standards of artistry and service, and respond thoughtfully to emerging community needs. It ensures that the Civic Center is not only preserved but filled with meaningful experiences for years to come.

Today: $8.1M++ $5M goal
Current endowmentBuilding the Future Fund

What the Building the Future Fund makes possible

  • Applause Series and all current education programming
  • Subsidized tickets and free performances
  • Community partnerships and outreach
  • Arts and wellbeing programming
  • Morning music and community-based classes
  • Free lobby performances, singalongs, and gatherings
  • Partnerships with organizations like Ballet Des Moines and the Des Moines Symphony
  • New curated and produced programming
  • Expansion into humanities and community dialogue programming
Building the Future Fund: $5 Million

A Lasting Legacy:The Kruidenier Society

For many donors, the most meaningful gift they will ever make is one that extends beyond their lifetime.

Named for David Kruidenier, whose vision helped make the Civic Center possible, the Kruidenier Society recognizes individuals who have documented a planned or estate gift of $50,000 or more to Des Moines Performing Arts.

50+current Kruidenier Society supporters, each with a documented planned or estate gift of $50,000 or more

By making your intentions known, you help us plan thoughtfully for the future and join a current community of more than 50 supporters committed to ensuring that the performing arts continue to inspire audiences, educate young people, and bring people together for generations.

A campaign commitment may be made now, through an estate plan, or through a combination of current and future support. Those who have already included Des Moines Performing Arts in their plans may also choose to deepen their commitment during the campaign by letting us know of an additional gift or increased value of an existing plan.

Planned gifts may include

  • Bequests through a will or trust
  • Charitable trusts
  • Beneficiary designations
  • Charitable gift annuities
  • Retirement-plan assets
  • Other estate or financial arrangements
  • Life insurance

Let’s begin a conversation

A planned gift should reflect what matters most to you. Members of our development team welcome the opportunity to learn about your hopes, explore giving possibilities, and discuss the lasting impact your commitment could make. We can share examples of opportunities to create a named fund aligned with the programs and outcomes most meaningful to you. These conversations are confidential and carry no obligation.

A gift to the Building the Future Fund through your estate plan is not simply a donation. It is a declaration about what you believe this community deserves for decades to come.

A father lifts his young son to look over a railing at the Civic Center, next to an older woman

We have included Des Moines Performing Arts in our estate planning because the organization is like family to us. Both of us have loved the arts for a lifetime and our first date was at the Civic Center to see 4 Girls 4. That sparked a relationship and marriage of 40 years... The theater has educated us, entertained us, fostered relationships, and enhanced the community we live in. We want to continue that life-changing and joyful experience for performers and audiences for generations to come. It is a privilege to support Des Moines Performing Arts in their mission.

Kruidenier Society members
Recognition Opportunities

Join Us in Creatingthe Next 50 Years

Des Moines Performing Arts offers select naming and recognition opportunities for individuals, families, and organizations whose extraordinary generosity will strengthen its spaces, leadership, and permanent funds, while helping to keep the performing arts vibrant and within reach for our community.

  • Name a DMPA Landmark
  • Create Spaces Where People Belong
  • Invest in the People Who Lead the Work
  • Permanent Fund
$5 million
Main Hall
$3 million
Black Box Theater (formerly Stoner Theater)
$2 million
President and CEO position
$1 million
East LobbyWest Balcony LoungeCenter LoungeProgramming leadership positionEducation leadership position
$500,000
Green RoomNamed fund in the Building the Future Fund (begins at $500,000)
$350,000
Civic Center Doors 1-5 (10 available)
$250,000
Civic Center Doors 6-8 (6 available)Star Dressing Room (2 available)
$100,000
Ensemble Dressing Room (2 available)

Establish a Permanent Fund for Community Impact

Named opportunities within the Building the Future Fund begin at $500,000 and support education, community engagement, artistic excellence, arts access, artist engagement, innovation, and venue preservation.

Recognition Guidelines

Naming opportunities are subject to availability and organizational approval. Naming terms and recognition schedules will be defined in the written gift agreement, generally beginning when recognition is installed or the named space opens for use. Recognition may be provided for documented cash pledges and is not contingent on full payment before recognition begins.

Scale of Giving

Many Gifts.One Shared Goal.

Reaching our $25 million goal will require leadership commitments and gifts of many sizes from people and organizations who believe in the future of Des Moines Performing Arts.

Together, these gifts will renew the Civic Center, strengthen the experiences it makes possible, and build permanent support for its impact across Iowa.

The scale illustrates the range of commitments typically needed to complete a campaign of this size. It is a planning model, not an expectation for any individual donor. Every supporter has the opportunity to participate in a way that is meaningful and right for them.

We invite you to consider what Des Moines Performing Arts has meant to you, what you hope it can mean to others, and the role you would like to play in shaping what comes next.

Students look out over a balcony railing
Scale of giving typically necessary to raise $25,000,000
Number of GiftsGift Amount
(over up to 5 years)		Gift TotalsShare of goal
Total$25,000,000

There is a place for you in this campaign. Together, our gifts will shape how we serve Iowa for the next 50 years.

Ways to Give

How to Participate

All gifts and multi-year commitments will count toward the campaign goal. Pledges are generally payable over a period of up to five years.

Donors may make outright gifts of cash or appreciated assets; recommend grants through donor-advised funds; make qualified charitable distributions from an IRA; or combine current and planned support.

Qualifying gifts to an eligible Des Moines Performing Arts endowment fund through the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines may receive Endow Iowa tax credits, subject to availability and applicable requirements.

The campaign offers naming and recognition opportunities across its capital projects, leadership positions, and permanent funds. Please discuss these opportunities with a member of our development team.

Consider Giving

  • Cash, check, or credit card
  • Appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds
  • Qualified charitable distributions from an IRA
  • Donor-advised fund grants
  • Employer matching gifts
  • Closely held business interests
  • Real estate or other property, subject to applicable gift-acceptance policies

Planned and Estate Gifts

  • Bequests through a will or living trust
  • Retirement-plan or life-insurance beneficiary designations
  • Charitable remainder or lead trusts
  • Charitable gift annuities
  • Other estate or financial arrangements
Ready to make a commitment?

How to Give

  • Single giftCash, stock, IRA distribution or donor-advised fund grant
  • Multi-year pledgeGenerally payable over up to five years
  • Planned giftDocument a bequest, trust or beneficiary designation
  • CombinationPair current and future support

A separate campaign commitment form provides instructions and designation options.

To discuss a campaign commitment, transfer assets, or document a planned gift, contact the Des Moines Performing Arts Development Team.

Email the Development Team Call 515-246-2354
give@DMPA.org
515-246-2354

We encourage donors to consult their legal, tax, and financial advisors when considering a significant or planned gift.

All gifts are subject to Des Moines Performing Arts’ gift-acceptance policies. Naming and recognition opportunities are governed by written gift agreements and remain subject to acceptance and approval.

Campaign Leadership

Built by Community.Led by People Who Believe in Its Future.

  • Rich & Kim WillisCo-Chairs
  • Emily Abbas
  • Jennie Balcom
  • Jeff Freude
  • Mark Glowacki
  • Matt McCoy
  • Maribeth Mulready
  • Kevin Patrick
  • Melinda Ruperto
  • Mike Simonson

Your investment is a commitment to how our community learns, connects, and thrives. Together, we can build a stronger foundation for the next 50 years.

Ways to Give