Grants Demonstrate Investment in Education and Youth

Ball Brothers Foundation awarded grants totaling over $2.7 million during its first grant making period of the year. Approved by the board of directors at the board’s May meeting, the grants support the efforts of thirty-one organizations. Many of the grants will have a direct impact on the lives of students and their families:

• A $350,000 grant to Muncie Community Schools provides funding to support the merger of Muncie’s two high schools. Beyond general funding to help manage the transition, funding specifically supports band and athletic programs as well as academic and facility needs related to the transition.

• The Boys and Girls Club received a grant totaling $92,500 to help the organization stabilize and strengthen its programming as well as to make much-needed facility improvements.

• Support to the Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County in the amount of $75,000 will bolster the community’s Birth through Age Five Early Childhood Initiative which is coordinating efforts to help ensure children in Delaware County are kindergarten-ready.

• Grants of $35,000 to both Motivate Our Minds and the Roy C. Buley Community Center will support after-school and summer programming.

• Pro100 (TeenWorks) received a $35,000 grant to support a six-week summer program that combines paid employment, classroom training, and civic engagement opportunities for economically disadvantaged teens in Muncie.

• A $125,000 grant to Ivy Tech Foundation includes support both for renovations to its downtown campus as well as for a special accelerated associate’s degree program (ASAP) targeted to students from low-income families.

“Ball Brothers Foundation recognizes that strong schools create strong communities and strong local economies. With the merger of the city’s two high schools, we saw an important opportunity to support transition efforts during a key time for our city,” said Jud Fisher, BBF president and chief operating officer. “We also know that learning takes place outside of the classroom, and our grants this cycle demonstrate our commitment to educational opportunities that promote learning from birth through career and college. These grants touch on the full range of Ball Brothers Foundation initiatives from our Early Childhood Development initiative to our Quality of Place initiative to our Workforce Development initiative. Investments in the children and youth of Muncie and Delaware County are critical for making our community one where people want to live and work both now and in the future. ”

Also approved by the board of directors through the Ball Brothers Foundation’s first general grants cycle were the following grants: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Community Based Mentoring, $10,000; Camp Adventure (Muncie Community Schools), Renewal Project, $85,000; Camp Crosley, YMCA Centennial Project, $600,000; Cardinal Greenway, Inc., Operating Support, $175,000; College Mentors for Kids, Delaware County Programming, $12,000; Community Enhancement Projects, Landscape Updating for Appeal to the Great Spirit Park, $14,000; Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Land Conservation Fund, $200,000; Cope Environmental Center, Educational Program Expansion, $50,000; Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Ongoing and New Project Support, $110,000; Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District, Agricultural Conservation Grant, $35,000; Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Investing in Families and Neighborhoods, $125,000; Indiana Youth Institute, Capacity Building and Youth Development, $62,000; Inside Out, CDC, Bathroom ADA Upgrade, $50,000; James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association, Luke Bracken Wiese Fund for Juvenile Diabetes at Riley Hospital for Children, $100,000; Muncie Arts and Culture Council, Operational Support, $15,000; Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Muncie Three Trails Music Series, $15,000; Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, “The Next Muncie” Campaign, $40,000; Music for All, Summer Symposium, $30,000; Project Leadership, Way-Pay-Stay, $130,000; Ross Community Center, Operational Assistance, $22,500; Roy C. Buley Community Center, Muncie P3, $17,350; Shafer Leadership Academy, Program Assessment & Implementation-Program Director, $50,000; United Day Care Center of Delaware County, Facilities Updates and Professional Development, $45,000; Youth Opportunity Center, Inc., Wellness and Communications, $40,000.

Other awards approved through separate programs outside the Foundation’s general grants cycle include: Beech Grove Cemetery, History Project, $5,000; Cardinal Greenway, Inc., Erosion Engineering and Feasibility Study, $2,500; Committee for a Positive Influence, Eva Kor Holocaust Presentations, $5,000; Daleville Community Schools, Excellence in Teaching Award, $15,000; Delaware County Emergency Medical Service, Automated External Defibrillation Program, $5,000; Huffer Childcare Center and Resource Referral, Summer Professional Development Outreach Program, $750; Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, Statewide Conference, $5,000; Liberty Perry School Corporation, Excellence in Teaching Award, $1,000; Masterworks Chorale, Collaboration with Muncie Symphony Orchestra and Ball State University, $420; Monroe Township-Cowan Volunteer Fire Department, Gear and Equipment, $5,000; Muncie Arts and Culture Council, Muncie Maker District Symposium, $2,000; Muncie Community Schools, Early Transition Initiatives, $5,000; Project Leadership, Inner City Educational League, $25,000; Red-tail Land Conservancy, Inc., Boy Scout Camp Partnership, $700; Ross Community Center, Design Week ’14, $5,000; Shafer Leadership Academy, 2014 BBF Fellows Program, $7,500; TEAMwork for Quality Living, Computer Upgrade, $2,000; Whitely Community Council, Community Wellness and Fitness Space, $2,000; Yorktown Community Schools, Excellence in Teaching Award, $1,000; Youth Opportunity Center, 2014 BBF Fellows Program, $7,500; YWCA of Muncie, Facility Assessment, $5,000.

The next deadline for organizations interested in applying for general grant funding from Ball Brothers Foundation is July 15. Details about all Ball Brothers Foundation funding opportunities are available on the foundation’s website at www.ballfdn.org.