The House of Darwin Foundation was created to scale impact, not just products. What started with a message on a T-shirt has grown into a full-scale movement that partners with communities to co-design infrastructure that matters.
This is Where Community Takes Centre Court.
What began as a T-shirt with a message evolved into a movement with a mission to reimagine infrastructure as something deeply cultural, collaborative, and community-led.
Hoop Dreams is where that mission takes shape. Powered by the House of Darwin Foundation, we travel thousands of kilometres into remote Indigenous communities not to build courts for them, but to create cultural landmarks with them. Designed by locals and inspired by stories, built with heart.
Because when you build with community, not for them, you create something that lasts.
What is hoop dreams?
Hoop Dreams is the flagship project of The House of Darwin Foundation, where culture meets concrete, and storytelling lives in colour.
This isn't about delivering infrastructure. It's about co-creating it. Each court is born from weeks of yarning, painting, listening, and designing alongside community. Not in a boardroom. These courts become spaces to gather, to play, to feel proud, and they work because they're built together, with purpose and heart.
This is community-led infrastructure. This is Hoop Dreams.
COURT NAME: XXXX
COURT NAME: XXXX
HOW IT WORKS
A FOUR-PART PROCESS GROUNDED IN LISTENING, COLLABORATION, AND CARE:
FIRST WE LISTEN
We don’t show up with answers. We show up with questions, and the time to ask them properly. Listening first lays the foundation for everything that follows.
WE CO-DESIGN
From kids sketching symbols to elders sharing stories, every court is co-designed by the community that will use it. Culture is embedded in every line, connection in every colour.
WE BUILD THE RIGHT WAY
Long drives. Torchlight mural mapping. Swag sleeping. This is the long road — but it’s the right one. We show up and stay because trust is built by being there.
CARED FOR & LOVED
These courts are maintained by the community that shaped them. Because when people help build something meaningful, they protect it. And it becomes more than just a court—it becomes a cornerstone.
EXPLORE THE COURTS
A visual showcase of just how far we go—and what it takes—to bring each court to life.
WANGKATJUNGKA
Minmarama
Barunga
Yirrkala
Gunbalanya
Donate to the Foundation
Your donation isn’t just funding a basketball court. It’s backing a model that puts community first, values culture, and builds infrastructure that lasts.
Every dollar goes where it counts: on the ground. From art workshops to material costs, and long road trips to community-led maintenance, your support helps make it all happen.
This work isn’t built from behind a desk. It’s built on Country through connection, storytelling, and trust. Your support helps us continue to show up and do it right.
Shop to Support
Proceeds from select products directly fund the Foundation’s work in remote Indigenous communities. That means more courts, more stories shared in colour, and more places where culture can thrive.
Get Involved
This work doesn’t happen without community on the ground or online.
Whether you donate, share the story, or partner with us, every action moves the mission forward. Every voice, every repost, every dollar adds to the momentum.
Together, we’re proving there’s a better way to build.