October 2026: New Grants Announced, Century Celebration Highlights, and Downtown Roots
$5.1M in Grants Support Public Education & More
Ten years ago, Muncie Community Schools faced an uncertain future. Today, enrollment has stabilized and academic gains are underway thanks to the district’s teachers, families, and partners.
As part of Ball Brothers Foundation’s $5.1 million in fall grants, a $600,000 award will help MCS build on this momentum. Support will help expand the district's popular Spanish Dual Language program into high school, add new equipment for carpentry, HVAC, and fire/rescue students at the Muncie Area Career Center, and more.
Other grants this round include a Ball State-produced documentary on the Muncie Fieldhouse and a new pilot program for broadcasting high school sports.
100 Years Celebrated at the Indiana State Museum
“The Ball brothers certainly built things to last,” Jud Fisher told more than 175 guests gathered at the Indiana State Museum in October to cap off BBF’s centennial celebrations.
The evening premiered Built to Last, a short film by local historian and Ball State professor Chris Flook that traces the people and places behind the foundation’s first 100 years.
Built to Last offers a look back at where the Foundation came from, the work that has unfolded over the past century, and some of the people and organizations who have been part of that story.
Also featured during the celebration was a panel of guests including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Governor Eric Holcomb, and Indiana Philanthropy Alliance’s Angela Carr Klitzsch. Moderated by Gerry Dick of Inside INdiana Business, the panelists discussed the role of philanthropy in Indiana.
The Ball Family's History in Shaping Downtown Muncie
When the Ball brothers moved their glass business to Muncie in the late 1800s, the family quickly became part of the city’s civic life, serving on boards, supporting fundraising campaigns, and even helping guarantee deposits at Muncie banks during the Great Depression.
That commitment extended to the health of downtown itself. In 1934, as the Depression dragged on, Ball Brothers Company bought downtown Muncie’s leading department store at auction. More than 50,000 people turned out for the grand opening of Ball Stores at Charles and Walnut Streets, and it remained a downtown shopping anchor until the late 1980s.
Down the street, the 2,000-seat Rivoli Theatre served as Muncie’s flagship cinema for decades, with air-conditioning and tickets for as little as a dime. After its final film in 1987, the site became home to the Ball Associates building, where BBF moved its offices in the late 1980s.
During ArtsWalk in October, visitors saw both buildings return to downtown through new augmented reality experiences in the Echoes of Muncie app, created by Ball State University’s IDIA Lab with BBF support through Muncie Downtown Development Partnership.
Behind the Mic with Steve Lindell
Ball Brothers Foundation's President & CEO, Jud Fisher, recently joined Steve Lindell on WMUN's Delaware County Today. They discussed BBF's recent announcement of grants and the foundation's 100th anniversary.
October Snapshots
October was full of site visits and celebrations. Here's where October took us:
Fellows: We celebrated Ken Hudson and Jena Ashby's completion of the 2026 BBF Fellows program.
Field Trip: BBF's board spent a morning at Conner Prairie, exploring the history of Indiana while seeing the impact of BBF grants stretching back to 1984.
BBF 101: Program Officer Dan Wolfert, a past president of the Muncie Rotary Club, shared an overview of the foundation with his fellow Rotarians.
Bertha Ball: We highlighted the contributions of Bertha C. Ball who served as a founding BBF board member and Vice President for an extraordinary 32 years.
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