Non-Profit

By: Melissa Jones— Muncie, IN— Last month, Ball Brothers Foundation’s Board of Directors approved $1.7 million in its first round of grants for the year. Overall, the funding provides support to local efforts in arts, culture, and humanities; education; environment; human services; and public society benefit. These grants come in addition to the more than $300,000 in emergency grants the foundation has provided in the past three months in response to the coronavirus pandemic. While the most recent round of grants do not directly support COVID-19 needs, they do fund initiatives that contribute to the long-term quality of life in…

By: Geoff Mearns, Co-Chair & Jeff Bird, Co-Chair, Next Muncie— MUNCIE, IN—For the past two years, Next Muncie has been meeting to champion projects that have transformative potential for downtown Muncie and its adjacent neighborhoods. The group is already seeing a number of big wins for the community.  Next Muncie—a team of leaders representing Muncie’s largest employers, city officials, economic and downtown development representatives, and members of the private philanthropic sector—regularly consults with economic development groups from across the city and region to identify projects that could benefit from additional public, private and philanthropic partnerships. The group then works to…

By: Eileen Oaks— MUNCIE, IN—Muncie Habitat for Humanity serves as the convener of the 8twelve Coalition, a neighborhood revitalization initiative serving South Central and a portion of Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhoods on Muncie’s south side. Recently, this coalition received two national awards from Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) for its work. The Coalition received 3rd overall place in the Multi-Neighborhood Partnerships category, which features projects that are jointly produced by at least two neighborhoods or community organizations in a partnership effort, addressing either physical or social concerns. Special accolades were also given to the 8Twelve Newsletter, which earned 2nd place in the Non-Profit…

By: Melissa Jones— MUNCIE, IN — Every summer, Muncie & Delaware County BY5 Early Childhood Initiative hosts a series of community events as part of Nature Play Days, a state-wide event put together by Indiana Children and Nature Network. However, due to health and safety concerns, BY5 has announced that this year’s Nature Play Days—which run from June 6 through June 14—will consist of daily activities families can complete at home.  “Due to COVID-19, Nature Play Days look a little different this year,” said Missy Modesitt, executive director of BY5. “Instead of several community activities, we’ve put together a list…

By: Jason Newman, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie— For the past three months, our kids have been scared, in some cases, terrified, about a deadly virus, that has changed their lives completely. Over the past two weeks, all of our media are talking about the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently, George Floyd (and there are so many others, too many others). For those of us who are white, we are asking, should I talk about this with my kids? And if so, how? For black parents, many of them are just asking how? They already know…

By: Amy Logan— Muncie, IN—The Ball Brothers Foundation awards the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie with a $160,000 grant to support the Clubs’ mission to create a safe environment for the youth of our city. The Ball Brothers Foundation grant will allow the Clubs to employ 10 youth development professionals, pay for a portion of the utilities expense and be able to remodel a few rooms within the Madison St. site. Jason Newman, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie appreciates not only the financial support from the Ball Brothers Foundation but also the guidance of the…

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded $217,716 to 11 non-profit organizations during the second Quarterly Competitive Grant cycle of 2020. The Community Foundation’s purpose is to improve the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County for this generation and generations to come. Quarterly Competitive Grants are awarded to fund projects for which there is a demonstrable community benefit in one of the following areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic development, education, and community betterment. The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. is a publicly supported philanthropic institution…

By: Thomas Kinghorn— Muncie, IN—On May 14, 2020 the Board of Directors for the George and Frances Ball Foundation met virtually to award a number of grants received through the Foundation’s second quarterly grant application process. The Foundation awarded $570,209 to a variety of organizations across Muncie, Delaware County, and East Central Indiana. Grants were awarded as follows: Ball State University Muncie Community Schools Partnership – Awarded $335,000 as the second stint of a $1 million pledge, will be used to expand preschool offerings to all elementary school buildings, expand Project Lead The Way STEM curriculum to all buildings K-12,…

By: Kristen McConnell— Phased reopening to begin with Membership Branches followed by programs in coming weeks. Muncie, IN—After closing its facilities on March 17th due to safety concerns and Governor Holcomb’s stay-at-home order surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the YMCA of Muncie will reopen its Northwest and Yorktown facilities on May 26th. The reopening will be conducted under the guidance of state and local health authorities and will take place in phases. “The YMCA of Muncie has served the Delaware County community for more than 144 years, during which we have made it through many challenging times together, none perhaps as…