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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.
Minnetrista Boulevard’s history goes back long before Muncie was founded, stretching back thousands of years.
Archaeological evidence suggests Native Americans lived along the north bend of the White River, between present-day Wheeling and Walnut streets, for thousands of years.
First and foremost, congratulations to Katherine Hughes as the recipient of Ball Brothers Foundation’s 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award. Ball Brothers Foundation is a 100-year-old private family foundation that provides grant funding and leadership in the state of Indiana, mostly targeted in Muncie and Delaware County. This teaching award is given annually in recognition of the values and spirit that were paramount to our foundation’s founders regarding education and student achievement.
In Katherine Hughes’ classroom at Muncie Central High School, history moves and unfolds outside of a textbook.
On any given day, students might analyze symbolism in a modern Olympic ceremony, take on the roles of peasants, clergy, and nobles during the French Revolution, or debate and make decisions that mirror the tensions of the time they are studying. The lessons stick because students get to experience the materials for themselves, and the content intentionally supports their interests.
Strong leadership shapes everything organizations do. For nearly 20 years, Shafer Leadership Academy has helped individuals across East Central Indiana build the skills to lead, communicate, and navigate change.
With long-standing support from Ball Brothers Foundation, the academy has grown from an early pilot initiative into a thriving organization serving thousands each year across East Central Indiana and beyond. Learn how this work is building a pipeline of leaders.
Organizations of all types face a challenge that rarely shows up on a balance sheet: building strong leadership.
They need people who can not only do the job, but also communicate clearly, navigate conflict, motivate others, and guide organizations through change.
Fifty years ago, in April 1976, Ball Corporation formally dedicated its new international headquarters at 345 South High Street in downtown Muncie.
Five decades later, the building remains a defining feature of the city’s landscape—its history reflecting the evolution of Muncie itself, from education to industry to workforce development.
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 updates on the BBF Fellows Program, aerospace STEM education at Burris Laboratory by NearSpace Education, and the Ball family history of Ivy Tech Fisher Building.
Walk into almost any hospital, manufacturing floor, or tech office in East Central Indiana, and chances are you’ll find someone who got their start at Ivy Tech Community College.
Ball Brothers Foundation is pleased to welcome Jena Ashby of Nonprofit Support Network and Ken Hudson of Whitely Community Council as our 2026 Fellows.
Over the next several months, they’ll join BBF's team in conversations around leadership, philanthropy, and the role foundations play in supporting our community. Get to know Ken and Jena and learn more about the Fellows program.
In its 100th year, Ball Brothers Foundation is continuing a long-standing tradition of learning alongside the community it serves. The foundation is pleased to welcome two new Fellows for 2026: Jena Ashby, Relationship and Resource Director at Nonprofit Support Network, and Kenyonta (Ken) Hudson, Executive Director of Whitely Community Council.
BBF’s President & CEO Jud Fisher joined Steve Lindell on Delaware County Today earlier this month to talk about what’s ahead for Ball Brothers Foundation. In 2026, BBF is projected to award nearly $9.6 million in grants—one of the largest totals in our history.
For more than three decades, Cardinal Greenways has connected communities across East Central Indiana. Stretching across five counties and weaving through cities, towns, and rural landscapes, Cardinal Greenways is Indiana’s longest rail-trail—and a defining regional asset. In this Q&A, Angie Pool, CEO of Cardinal Greenways, shares updates on major projects underway and on the horizon.
Approaching a Century
For Ball Brothers Foundation, 2025 was a year marked by both reflection and anticipation. It offered an opportunity to consider how a long-standing commitment to place continues to shape our work today—and into the future.
Ball Brothers Foundation is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026, placing it among the state—and the nation’s—oldest grantmaking foundations.
The foundation was formed in 1926 to continue the philanthropic legacy of the five Ball brothers and their families, who established Ball Brothers Manufacturing Company in Muncie to produce cans, bottles, and jars. Created to exist in perpetuity, Ball Brothers Foundation has supported countless initiatives over the past 100 years that have strengthened Muncie, Delaware County, East Central Indiana, and the state of Indiana.
As we begin Ball Brothers Foundation’s 100th year, I’m reminded what a rare milestone this is. Founded in 1926, BBF is one of the oldest family foundations in Indiana—and among the longest-standing in the nation. For a century, we have remained focused on East Central Indiana, building enduring relationships and providing steady, place-based support. That long view continues to shape how we approach our work today.
Throughout 2026, we’ll mark this milestone by sharing more of our history and by highlighting the partners who help define our community. You'll see the first of these features in this month's newsletter.
Ball Brothers Foundation President & CEO Jud Fisher was a guest of WMUN’s Steve Lindell on the February 10, 2026 episode of “Delaware County Today.” The duo discussed BBF’s plans for grantmaking in 2026 and projects currently in the pipeline including outdoor learning and nature play and youth sports and recreation.
In East Central Indiana, the future of healthcare is being built close to home. Over the past eight years, a growing network of hospitals, colleges and universities, and community partners has worked to strengthen the healthcare workforce pipeline—connecting education, training, and clinical practice so local students can pursue meaningful careers while helping improve community health.
Ball Memorial Hospital has long been shaped by strong local leadership and a deep commitment to the communities it serves.
Local leadership in Muncie remains central to the hospital’s work. Kreigh Cook, Chief Operating Officer of IU Health Ball Hospital will work closely with Dr. Ryan Johnston, Chief Medical Officer, and Melissa Hicks, Chief Nursing Officer, to guide day-to-day operations, patient care, and community engagement.
BBF’s President & CEO, Jud Fisher, recently sat down with Ball State University President Geoff Mearns for a thoughtful conversation about the Ball Brothers Foundation’s history, connections to Ball State University, Jud’s path to leadership, and what it means to steward an organization with deep and personal ties to its community.
This year, Ball Brothers Foundation marks 100 years of grantmaking in Muncie, Delaware County, East Central Indiana, and across the state. While the Ball brothers and their families could not have predicted the many changes, challenges, and opportunities that would shape our community over the past century, their commitment to improving the quality of life in the city and region that meant so much to them continues to guide the foundation’s work today.
Earlier this month, Ball Brothers Foundation convened local sports and recreation leaders for a conversation focused on youth sports and recreation, access, and coordination across Delaware County. The gathering brought together nearly 40 representatives from local leagues, school athletic directors and administrators, nonprofits that offer sports programming, tourism representatives, and city officials to share perspectives on what is working well—and where challenges and gaps exist—in the local sports and recreation landscape.
Technology is transforming the way we work, live, and solve problems. In response, Wes-Del Community Schools is redefining what career preparation looks like in a rural district. As employers across East Central Indiana are on the hunt to find skilled technical talent, Wes-Del has built a system where students graduate with a diploma, hands-on experience, industry certifications, and a clear sense of where they want to go next.
Before we turn the page to a new year-and the foundation's 100th anniversary-we wanted to pause and look back at 2025. This year, Ball Brothers Foundation paid out $8.9 million in grants to organizations across Muncie and East Central Indiana—supporting the people and programs working every day to strengthen our community.
As Ball Brothers Foundation looks ahead to its 100th year of grantmaking in 2026, we’re grateful for the opportunity to support this community. Our roots in Muncie and East Central Indiana run deep, and our place-based grantmaking approach reflects a long-held belief: that strong communities grow from local leadership, shared vision, and long-term commitments. This year, BBF paid out $8.9 million in grants supporting arts and culture, education, health, human services, the environment, and community initiatives.
Op-Ed by Jud Fisher
Muncie’s Old West End (OWE) is on the cusp of major redevelopment. Empty lots have plans attached to them, long-vacant properties have been mapped for future use, and the community has aligned around a vision for what’s next. Block by block, a historic neighborhood adjacent to downtown Muncie is gaining new life.
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