Ball Brothers Foundation awards $5M in grants
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The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in its fall round of grants, including money for school initiatives, museum support, environmental stewardship and community development.
The foundation annually awards more than $8 million to support initiatives related to arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services and public affairs, the organization said in a news release.
The Muncie-based private foundation, established in 1926 by the family who launched the glass jar manufacturing company, prioritizes projects and programs that improve the quality of life in the foundation’s home city of Muncie, county of Delaware and state of Indiana.
Among the recipients is United Day Care Center, which will use its $125,000 grant to add onto its existing facility in downtown Muncie.
“As we continue to address the shortage of quality, affordable childcare, this expansion is a critical step in serving the growing needs of families in our community,” Carol Johnson, executive director of United Day Care Center, said in the release.
The following are the fall grant recipients:
- Minnetrista Museum & Gardens, $2,775,000 for general operating and capital support
- Cornerstone Center for the Arts Inc., $100,000 for general operations and consultant support
- Orchestra Indiana, $40,000 in general operating support for 2024/2025 season
- Muncie Civic Theatre, $30,000 to support 2024/2025 productions and general operations
- Muncie Arts and Culture Council, $20,000 for general operating support and staffing
- Muncie Community Schools, $450,000 to support preK-12 innovations and academic/extracurricular enhancements
- Burris Laboratory School, $175,000 for K-12 innovation and improvements
- Independent Colleges of Indiana, $100,000 for Ball Venture Fund seed funding supporting innovative projects at private colleges/universities across Indiana
- ecoREHAB, $85,000 for general operations support and launch of new panelized construction program
- Ball State University, $60,000 to support Longfellow Elementary School family-school-community coordinator position
- Muncie BY5, $50,000 for general operating support and expansion of the Professional Learning Institute for childcare workers
- TeenWorks, $50,000 to support 2025 summer employment program for Delaware County teens
- The Arc of Indiana Foundation, $50,000 for general operating support, marketing outreach and curriculum development for manufacturing training program at Erskine Green Training Institute
- Motivate Our Minds, $40,000 for out-of-school programming support
- Precious Hearts Development Center, $25,000 for a new vehicle to provide transportation for school and field trips
- The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, $75,000 to support seed funding for new environmental impact fund
- Muncie Sanitary District, $50,000 for technology and equipment for the White River education and research and freshwater mussel propagation facilities
- The Nature Conservancy, $50,000 for water quality monitoring and soil and water management education and support for mussel partnerships
- Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District, $15,000 to support White River branding and recreation promotion
- The White River Alliance, $10,000 to support continued work to implement recommendations outlined in the White River report card
- Indiana University School of Medicine – Muncie, $70,000 for enhancing physician training and improving community health through mentoring program for future physicians, expansion of summer internship program and new field trauma course
- Ball State University, $20,000 to support Healthy Lifestyle Center and Live-Learn Housing Program for IU School of Medicine-Muncie students
- Indiana University Health Foundation, $20,000 for the expansion of Congregational Care Network in Delaware County
- Ivy Tech Foundation, $20,000 to support development of new emergency medical technician certificate
- Taylor University, $20,000 for equipment for new nursing program launching in January 2025
- Indiana University Health Foundation, $15,000 to support virtual reality training to improve cultural humility and build cultural competencies.
- Open Door Health Services, $10,000 for medical assistant training program to build healthcare workforce pipeline
- 8twelve Coalition, $35,000 in general operations support for resident led neighborhood revitalization
- Open Door Health Services, $20,000 to embed community health workers in underresourced Muncie neighborhoods
- Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, $20,000 for general operating support to bolster food resources
- Urban Light Community Church, $20,000 to support construction of new social service hub in Industry neighborhood
- Urban Light Community Development, $10,000 for general operating support, including marketing costs, operation of the Lighthouse Recovery Home and staffing
- Whitely Community Council, $250,000 to support construction of Centennial Avenue resource center
- East Central Indiana Regional Partnership Inc., $110,000 for general operations support, including READI project management and marketing
- Nonprofit Support Network, $75,000 for general operating support and 2025 programming
- Muncie Land Bank Inc., $45,000 for general operating support and ongoing redevelopment efforts in the Old West End, Industry and Whitely neighborhoods
- Muncie Innovation Connector, $20,000 to support strategic planning initiative for 2025 and beyond
- Muncie Action Plan, $15,000 for general operating support, neighborhood mini-grants, and IDEA conference
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