Ball Brothers Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of Fellowship Program
Fellows Program 20th Anniversary Dinner attendees
Ball Brothers Foundation recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Fellows Program, bringing together nearly half of the program’s alumni for a special evening of reflection, connection, and recognition at the Delaware Country Club.
The Fellows Program, launched in 2004, was created to provide two East Central Indiana nonprofit leaders each year with an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the foundation world. Through meetings with Foundation staff, Fellows are invited to step away from day-to-day demands to reflect on current and future issues facing the nonprofit sector and to reflect on nonprofit leadership.
During the celebration, Ball Brothers Foundation President & CEO Jud Fisher shared remarks about the history of the program and the foundation’s ongoing commitment to investing in local nonprofit leadership.
“The Fellows Program has always been about more than just dialogue,” Fisher said. “It represents our foundation’s belief in the value of building strong relationships between grantees and funders, developing new leadership skills, and creating space for nonprofit executives to reflect on how they can best serve our communities.”
Retired Ball Brothers Foundation Program Officer Neil Schmottlach, who has continued to serve as facilitator of the Fellows program since his retirement from the foundation in 2014, also shared reflections. Schmottlach, who will step down from his facilitator role at the end of this year, was recognized for his leadership and dedication to the program.
As part of the evening, Fellows shared reflections, highlighting how their leadership journeys have evolved since their program year. In keeping with the program’s long-standing tradition of book discussions, all Fellows received a copy of The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek, a book that challenges leaders to think beyond short-term wins and instead pursue purpose-driven, long-term impact.
This year’s Fellows—Missy Modesitt of Muncie By5 and Joy Rediger of Urban Light Community Development Corporation—bring the total number of Fellows alumni to 40. Over the past twenty years, the Fellows Program has been designed to:
Help nonprofit leaders better understand how Ball Brothers Foundation and foundations in general operate
Provide opportunities to gain new nonprofit management and leadership skills
Foster two-way dialogue, allowing the foundation to hear insights, feedback, and ideas from local leaders
Ball Brothers Foundation staff express their gratitude to all Fellows, past and present, for their contributions to strengthening the nonprofit sector and the wider East Central Indiana community.
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About Ball Brothers Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation is one of the state’s oldest and largest family foundations. Annually, the foundation pays out more than $8 million in grants to support arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services, and public/society benefit. The Muncie-based private foundation gives priority to projects and programs that improve the quality of life in the foundation’s home city, county, and state.