Deep Ellum Foundation • Authentic, Unique & Vibrant Community
Rooted in history.
Made by people.
Still creating.
Deep Ellum’s identity lives in its people: the artists and musicians, business owners and makers, residents and neighbors who give these streets their character.
The Deep Ellum Foundation works to carry that identity forward—connecting people with the neighborhood’s history, supporting local creativity, and creating opportunities to participate in its future.
A Texas Cultural District
Recognition that helps support creative opportunity.
The Texas Commission on the Arts designated Deep Ellum a Cultural District in 2020, recognizing the neighborhood’s cultural significance. Its music, visual art, historic places, and creative businesses are part of a story that continues to grow.
DEF helps turn that cultural identity into action. Through grants, private funding, and partnerships, we work directly with artists, musicians, and makers to bring creative projects into public spaces and connect their work with new audiences.
Our role is to help support the people and places that make this community distinctive, while inviting others to discover and participate in it.
Read the Texas Commission on the Arts designation announcement →Our strategic plan in action
Keeping community at the center.
Share the stories that shaped us.
Deep Ellum’s roots reach back to 1873. Its history includes Black entrepreneurship, immigrant communities, and the musicians who helped shape North Texas blues and jazz. Historical markers and cultural storytelling help people connect those histories with the places they encounter today.
Explore historical markers & sites →Make space for artists and makers.
DEF-led initiatives bring creative work into storefronts, onto streetlight banners, and across public spaces. Pop Up Galleries, Blues Alley, Musical Art Garden, Live Music Lens, and New Growth offer different ways to encounter the artists and stories behind Deep Ellum.
See our arts & culture initiatives →Connect local businesses.
Established businesses and new ideas both contribute to neighborhood life. DEF connects owners with resources, opportunities to meet one another, and ways to share their businesses with the wider community.
Find local business resources →Create places to come together.
The Deep Ellum Community Center brings local history, art, and community gatherings together. It offers a place to learn about the neighborhood, connect with others, and take part in its cultural life.
Visit the Community Center →Culture happens when people show up
From daytime discoveries to nights worth remembering.
Deep Ellum’s venues, galleries, shops, restaurants, and gathering places give people reasons to connect. A gallery visit, a meal with neighbors, or a night on the dance floor becomes part of a shared neighborhood experience.
DEF celebrates that energy while supporting the creative people and local businesses behind it. Neighborhood events—including Block Party, Tree Lighting, and Winter WTFLand—offer more ways to participate and discover what makes Deep Ellum its own.
Be part of what comes next
Support the people. Keep the character.
Buy from a local maker. Visit a gallery. Catch a show. Get to know the business owners on your block. Your participation helps keep Deep Ellum’s creative community connected and its distinctive character visible.
Connect with the Deep Ellum Foundation to get involved, or support our work to bring resources and opportunities to the neighborhood.