Los Altos City Council members extended the city’s Downtown Performing Arts Center memorandum of understanding (MOU) to Nov. 18, 2027 just after the Los Altos Performing Arts Center (LAPAC) announced it had selected a fundraising consulting firm.
LAPAC is a volunteer group dedicated to finding funding for the performing arts center. Its capital campaigns cabinet, as outlined in the 2024-2025 MOU, is required to oversee the capital campaign firm or individual to ensure they are moving forward through its “quiet phase.” City council members also voted unanimously in April to allocate $300,000 to the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation (LAMVF) while a steering committee including the city, LAMVCF and Los Altos Stage Company hired professional fundraisers.
The steering committee successfully selected Indigo Skies Consulting to guide LAPAC’s fundraising efforts, according to a Nov. 6 press release. Community leaders Robin Abrams and Joe Beninato, as co-chairs of the capital campaign cabinet, will partner with Indigo Skies Consulting to better focus fundraising efforts.
The steering committee that selected Indigo Skies included Anthony Carnesecca, assistant to the city manager; Crysta Krames, CEO of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation; and Vicki Reeder, board member of the Los Altos Stage Company.
“Indigo Skies Consulting brings a track record of thoughtful strategy, community engagement and disciplined execution,” said Reeder in the press release. “As we’ve learned of their prior work during the consultant search, I’m genuinely excited about what their partnership with LAPAC can achieve. This is a major step forward for our community’s vibrant cultural future.”
Indigo Skies Consulting, founded by Sharon Papo, is based in Capitola and focuses on encouraging efficient fundraising strategies for community-based organizations.
“(The steering committee) laid a strong foundation by bringing on Sharon Papo and Indigo Skies Consulting. We’re energized and optimistic about the future as we invite the community to help make a vibrant downtown performing arts center a reality,” Abrams said in the press release.
The performance center would occupy part of Parking Plaza 2, located behind storefronts on Main Street between First and Second streets, according to previous Town Crier reporting. It’s expected to cost a minimum of $25 million, but supporters believe most of the cost can be raised privately.
Despite forward movement for the performing arts center, many in the community were hesitant because they were unaware that the consultant had been chosen; others continued to push against the center because of its impact on parking, instead encouraging the city to maintain and renovate the Bus Barn Theater.
