Ball Brothers Foundation awards $6.5M in grants

MUNCIE (Inside INdiana Business) – Muncie-based Ball Brothers Foundation is awarding more than $6.5 million in its second round of funding for 2021. The foundation says the grants will support a variety of healthcare and education efforts.

As part of the healthcare support, the foundation awarded six grants of $40,000 each to partners in Optimus Primary, a partnership that aims to strengthen the pipeline of medical professionals training in Muncie.

The grants were awarded to:

• Ivy Tech Foundation for the continuation of its new sonography certificate program
• Ball State University for expanded programming at the Healthy Lifestyle Centers and for further development of a live-learn community at the Village Promenade for IU School of Medicine-Muncie students
• IU School of Medicine–Muncie to establish a property manager at Village Promenade Learning Laboratory for medical students, to improve its point-of-care ultrasound program
• IU Health Foundation to improve its internal medicine residency programs
• Meridian Health Services for the creation of an education program to help physicians in training and mid-level providers practicing in Delaware County for trauma care, mental health, and substance abuse, among others
• Open Door Health Services to purchase two point-of-care ultrasound machines that will allow it to provide expanded imaging capabilities on site as well as training opportunities

The foundation has also awarded $425,000 to Muncie Community Schools for PreK–12 “recovery, rebuilding, and innovation.” The grant will be used to support projects including WiFi hotspots for students, a college and career preparation summer camp, and a monarch butterfly waystation, among others.

The foundation says a $175,000 grant will support Burris Laboratory School at Ball State. Additional education grants were awarded to Inspire Academy and Ball State.

“We have long been dedicated to providing focused support where the community needs it most, and as the world continues to transition into post-pandemic life, it is evident that much of our community is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, especially within the healthcare and education sectors,” said Jud Fisher, president and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation.

Additionally, the foundation awarded a number of grants in the areas of arts, culture, and humanities, education, health, human services, and public society benefit. The grants include:

Arts, Culture, & Humanities

• Cornerstone Center for the Arts: $25,000 for operating support
• Minnetrista: $2,750,000 for 2022 operating and capital support
• Muncie Arts & Culture Council: $35,000 for operating support for the PlySpace residency program, which brings artists from around the world to Muncie
• Muncie Symphony Orchestra: $62,000 for operating support, branding, and community expansion

Education

• Ball State University: $100,000 for the hiring of an additional Family-School-Community Coordinator at Longfellow Elementary School
• Independent Colleges of Indiana: $105,000 for the 2022 Ball Venture Fund, which provides seed funding for innovative projects at private colleges throughout Indiana
• Indiana Historical Society: $50,000 for “The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story,” a documentary on Erskine’s life-long impact on race relations and the treatment of those with intellectual disabilities
• Precious Hearts Development Center: $51,000 for upgraded playground facilities
• Purdue Polytechnic Institute: $30,000 for Future of Work initiatives
• TeenWorks: $40,000 for the TeenWorks local summer program

Human Services

• ecoREHAB: $75,000 for general operating support and staff expansions
• Greater Muncie, IN Habitat for Humanity: $225,000 for a campaign to renovate the organization’s new office/warehouse space and for future planning for the 8twelve Coalition
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana: $40,000 for Operation Full Pack (intended to reach military personnel, veterans, and their families) and van distribution programs
• YMCA of Muncie: $1,500,000 to support the construction of a new facility on Muncie Central High School’s campus

Public Society Benefit

• Community Enhancement Projects: $8,000 for enhancements to the Martin Street/White River Greenway ramp
• Delaware Advancement Corp.: $350,000 for vision planning and implementation
• East Central Indiana Regional Partnership: $90,000 for 2022 regional marketing
• Innovation Connector: $50,000 for operating support
• Muncie Land Bank: $40,000 for strategic growth and development funding

The foundation says applications for its next round of General Grants, to be awarded in the spring, will open on January 1. You can connect to more information by clicking here.