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This fall, Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded $5.1 million in grants. Included among the recipients is Muncie Community Schools which was awarded $600,000 to help continue the district’s transformation.
“Ten years ago, Muncie Community Schools was in a challenging situation. Today, the district is in a very different place thanks to the tireless dedication of countless teachers, community partners, students, parents, and Ball State University personnel. Enrollment has stabilized, facilities have been improved, and academic gains are well underway.
Ball Brothers Foundation capped off its 100th anniversary celebrations on October 1 with an evening marking a century of philanthropy and leadership in Indiana. Held at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, the gathering brought together over 175 guests, including statewide philanthropy leaders, grantees, government officials, community leaders, Ball family members, and others.
A century is a long time. Long enough for places to change, new generations to build on the past, and ideas to take forms no one could have imagined at the beginning.
As Ball Brothers Foundation marks 100 years, we’ve been looking back at the people, places, and ideas that have shaped our story since 1926. That reflection became Built to Last, a short video produced by Ball State professor, local historian, and storyteller Chris Flook.
Throughout its history, Ball Brothers Foundation and the Ball family have been closely connected to downtown Muncie—not only through buildings and businesses, but through a longstanding interest in the vitality and future of the city’s center. That connection began as Muncie was undergoing a remarkable transformation.
On any given night at the corner of Madison and Jackson, you might find people welding, sewing, brewing beer, or hanging from aerial silks, all under one roof.
Ten years ago, that 80,000-square-foot building sat empty. Today, MadJax Maker Force is one of downtown Muncie's most surprising spaces, home to maker labs, art studios, coworking space, and a growing lineup of classes and community events. Read on to learn how MadJax has grown its Maker Space membership fivefold in under two years and what's next for this downtown hub.
Walk to the corner of Madison and Jackson in downtown Muncie, and you'll find people welding, sewing, brewing beer, hanging from aerial silks, and pitching new business ideas, all under the same roof and sometimes on the same night.
Ten years ago, that same 80,000-square-foot building sat empty, a former industrial laundry facility with no clear future. Today, it's MadJax Maker Force, one of downtown Muncie's most surprising spaces, a growing hub for making, entrepreneurship, and community gathering that more people are discovering every month.
Red-tail Land Conservancy traces its roots to 1999, when more than 80 community members gathered at Minnetrista Museum and Gardens to explore a shared vision for land conservation in East Central Indiana. What began as an all-volunteer effort has since grown into a trusted regional organization, working to protect and steward some of the area’s most important natural spaces.
In 1917, a struggling college in Muncie sat on the auction block, its future uncertain. Worried an out-of-town buyer might snap it up, several Ball brothers anonymously placed a bid—and won.
Among them was Frank Ball, who had bigger plans than just saving the campus: he wanted to make it the best school in Indiana.
The origins of Ball State University trace back to 1899, when Muncie began efforts to establish a local institution for higher education. Several attempts followed, including the Eastern Indiana Normal Institute, Palmer University, and Indiana Normal School and College of Applied Sciences, but each struggled with financial challenges and enrollment issues. By 1917, the campus buildings had deteriorated and the future of higher education in Muncie was uncertain.
Muncie Arts and Culture Council was established in 2011 to celebrate and support arts in Muncie. Since then, MACC (now known as MuncieArts) has evolved significantly.
Today, MuncieArts finds itself at an important moment. Following the completion of several major public art projects, the launch of a new monthly newsletter, the revival of community programs like Box!Box!, and preparation for a new strategic plan, the organization is reimagining its role as a backbone organization for Muncie's creative sector.
Op-Ed by Jud Fisher
Indiana needs healthcare talent, and East Central Indiana is demonstrating what it takes to grow your own.
The state’s healthcare workforce challenges won’t be solved by recruiting talent alone. We must grow our own. The strongest workforce pipelines begin years before a student ever applies to medical school or a nursing program—they begin the moment young people can envision a future in healthcare.
Ball Brothers Foundation President and CEO Jud Fisher recently joined Steve Lindell on WMUN’s Delaware County Today to discuss several developments across Delaware County. This month’s feature includes the latest Project Blueways updates, from a new White River canoe/kayak launch coming soon to Memorial Drive to BBF’s support for White River Rising, a new documentary following a paddle from Muncie to Indianapolis.
Nearly 100 years ago, Ball Brothers Foundation made its first grant to Camp Crosley—and the partnership is still going strong today.
The Muncie YMCA had been camping on borrowed land for years before Edmund and Bertha Ball gave a gift in 1921 that helped the camp find its permanent home on Lake Little Tippecanoe, given as a memorial to their young son, Crosley.
Jud Fisher, President & CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation, has been selected as one of IBJ Media's 2026 Indiana 250, an annual recognition honoring Hoosier leaders whose influence and leadership are helping shape the future of Indiana across business, philanthropy, government, economic development, and the nonprofit sector.
What does it take to build a stronger healthcare workforce? How can we recognize the volunteer board members who help nonprofits thrive? And what's new at the YMCA of Muncie’s Camp Crosley?
For more than 20 years, Ball Brothers Foundation has partnered with Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) to help youth-serving nonprofit organizations build their organizational capacity and increase their long-term effectiveness.
Now in its twenty-fourth year, the “East Central Indiana Consulting Grant” provides selected organizations with customized consulting services designed to strengthen leadership, governance, fundraising, strategic planning, communications, and other aspects of organizational capacity.
On the shores of Lake Little Tippecanoe, surrounded by hundreds of acres of woodlands, wetlands, and open water, Camp Crosley has been helping young people discover adventure, independence, and belonging for more than a century.
Ball Brothers Foundation’s support for education in Muncie is deeply connected to the origins of Ball State University and the Ball family’s long-standing belief in the importance of teacher preparation and public education.
In 1917, after community efforts to sustain a struggling private college failed, the Ball brothers purchased the land and buildings of the institution and donated them to the State of Indiana.
Four Indiana independent colleges are the recipients of the 2026 Ball Venture Fund competitive grant program: Butler University, Manchester University, Indiana Institute of Technology, and the University of Saint Francis. They will share $100,000 in seed funding for initiatives to stimulate creativity and innovation and foster collaboration among the state’s 28 private, non-profit campuses.
In early June, Ball Brothers Foundation gathered over 30 community leaders, educators, and peer grantmakers for an inside look at institutions shaping the region’s healthcare workforce.
Ball Brothers Foundation’s staff were the first guests on Dr. Jeff Bird’s new WMUN radio show, “Taking Flight: Chapter 2.” The show—which originally aired on June 12—featured a wide-ranging conversation about the foundation’s work, history, and approach to philanthropy. The program began with President & CEO Jud Fisher sharing an introduction to BBF and personal reflections on the foundation’s work, followed by additional conversations that brought in staff perspectives across the 100 year-old grantmaking foundation.
More than 30 individuals gathered on June 11 for Ball Brothers Foundation's Optimus Primary Field Trip, a full-day exploration of the partnerships, facilities, and educational pathways helping prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals in East Central Indiana.
Delaware County nonprofit organizations are invited to nominate a board member for the John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award before the deadline on August 15.
The award, given annually by Ball Brothers Foundation since 2011, recognizes the important role board members play in strategic planning, financial oversight, and organizational leadership to help nonprofits achieve their mission. The award recipient will receive a $10,000 grant for their organization.
Over the past decade, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) has undergone one of the most significant periods of transformation in the district’s history. What began with difficult, but necessary decisions around consolidation and financial stabilization have evolved into an unprecedented collaboration that is positioning the district as a national model.
BBF’s President & CEO Jud Fisher joined Steve Lindell on Delaware County Today earlier this month to talk about programs and initiatives supported by Ball Brothers Foundation. Jud shared about recent grants supporting outdoor learning programs in the county, continued investment in the future of Muncie Community schools, and a recap of the foundation’s 100th celebration at Minnetrista in May.
The foundation recently awarded more than $1.8 million in its first round of grants supporting organizations and initiatives in Muncie, Delaware County, and East Central Indiana. This funding round placed a major focus on outdoor learning, helping schools and nonprofits create spaces where children can explore, discover, and learn through hands-on experiences.
Ball Brothers Foundation, one of Indiana’s oldest and largest family foundations, has awarded more than $1.8 million in its spring round of grants as the organization marks its 100th year of grantmaking in 2026. A major focus of this funding round supports outdoor learning and nature-based play initiatives across East Central Indiana.
In remarks from the front porch of the E.B. & Bertha C. Ball Center, BBF Board Chair Jim Fisher and BBF President & CEO Jud Fisher reflected on the meaning of the moment and the enduring importance of partnership in philanthropy.
As Ball Brothers Foundation marks its 100th year of grantmaking, the foundation celebrated May 14 with its “Garden Party of the Century,” an evening gathering held along Muncie’s historic Minnetrista Boulevard. The event brought together a small group of grantees, community leaders, peer funders, and board members to reflect on a century of philanthropy and partnership in East Central Indiana.
BBF’s President & CEO Jud Fisher joined Steve Lindell on Delaware County Today earlier this month to talk about programs and initiatives supported by Ball Brothers Foundation. Jud shared about Muncie Central High School teacher Katherine Hughes—the 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, the impactful work on the Shafer Leadership Academy, and plans to celebrate 100 years of the foundation.
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