Martindale‑Brightwood’s neighborhood festival is rolling back into Polk Stables on July 30, and it is bringing more than a parade. The Pre‑Enact festival will run from 2 to 8 p.m. with a procession down the Monon Trail, family programming, food trucks, a community feast and kid‑friendly attractions. The day will also double as a stage for a major funding announcement tied to the Martindale‑Brightwood Quality of Life Plan, along with tours of the new Polklore micro‑museum and live performances.
According to a press release from KIPP Indy, the charter network received a $25 million grant from Lilly Endowment in December 2025. KIPP Indy says it plans to use the money to expand academic supports and deepen neighborhood partnerships that connect directly to the Quality of Life Plan. “This historic investment from Lilly Endowment will have a lasting impact,” KIPP Indy Executive Director David Spencer said in the release.
Local TV coverage says a piece of that larger award is headed straight into Martindale‑Brightwood. WISH‑TV reported that KIPP Indy, using a grant from Lilly Endowment, will invest $5.5 million over four years in six community‑based organizations serving the neighborhood. The groups named in that reporting include Edna Martin Christian Center, Soul Food Project, Felege Hiywot Center, the Harrison Center and Brightwood Forest Manor Community Center.
Event Schedule And Highlights
The afternoon starts with a parade down the Monon Trail at 2 p.m., followed by a Quality of Life Plan press conference at 3 p.m. From there, the day shifts into performances, workshops and porch parties spread across the Polk Stables grounds, the Indianapolis Recorder reported.
The Harrison Center’s Polklore Micro‑Museum at Polk Stables is slated to be a centerpiece. The small museum will host storytelling and a poetry reading, with guided tours running through the afternoon and early evening, according to the Harrison Center.
Why The Money Matters
The MOVE coalition, a neighborhood network anchored by groups such as Edna Martin Christian Center and the Harrison Center, created a five‑year Quality of Life Plan that outlines priorities in arts and culture, education, economic development and housing. Organizers say the new investment is intended to turn those priorities into on‑the‑ground programs, according to the Edna Martin Christian Center. Public materials and coverage emphasize putting resources behind resident‑led services and capacity, so long‑time neighbors can benefit as development pressures grow.
Immanuel Ivey, executive director at Edna Martin, told the Indianapolis Recorder that the plan is about bringing new and long‑time neighbors together and making sure residents “appreciate the amazing opportunities” available in the neighborhood. Organizers describe Pre‑Enact as a living example of the collaboration the plan is aiming for, a single afternoon where arts groups, service providers and local businesses can network and test ideas in public.
The Pre‑Enact festival is free and open to the public, WISH‑TV and local partners note, and some guided activities can be reserved in advance. For more information, organizers list Immanuel Ivey at [email protected] and Joanna Taft at [email protected] as contacts. Edna Martin’s site identifies Ivey as a point of contact, and public records list Taft at the Harrison Center.
Organizers say the day is more than a party, it is meant to serve as a working test of the Quality of Life Plan and a visible signal that funders and neighborhood groups are lining up resources to support students, small businesses and arts programming. KIPP Indy has framed the broader Lilly Endowment award as a multi‑year investment in both academics and community capacity, and supporters say the $5.5 million allocation being highlighted at Pre‑Enact is an early step toward putting the plan’s goals into motion.
