Public Art Investment Among $3M in Grants Awarded by Ball Brothers Foundation
The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County President & CEO Marcy Minton and BBF President & CEO Jud Fisher
Ball Brothers Foundation, a family foundation committed to place-based grantmaking in Indiana for nearly a century, has awarded over $3 million in its spring round of grants for 2025.
Among the funding awarded was a $75,000 grant that will significantly bolster public art efforts in Muncie—funding new installations, supporting long-term maintenance, and enhancing the city’s cultural landscape. The grant was awarded to The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.
This funding builds on another grant made by Ball Brothers Foundation to The Community Foundation in late 2024, underscoring a growing investment in public art as a catalyst for transformation in Muncie. Support from Ball Brothers Foundation is being used to seed two new funds: a Public Art Fund which is designed to exist in perpetuity to help support the long-term care and installation of public art and, second, a Public Art Pass-through Fund to allow for swift implementation of new art projects.
Funds will also support the “Creative Space Action Plan”—an initiative spearheaded by The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County. The Plan is designed to connect creative spaces in downtown Muncie, support local artists, advance economic development, and build community pride. The plan was developed in partnership with nationally renowned firm, Artspace Consulting, and shaped by input from more than 300 community members.
“Muncie’s creative economy is rooted in a long history of artistry, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Our region’s legacy of industrial design and glassmaking is reflected in today’s growing arts scene in an array of small businesses that have emerged across the city, and in a makers’ movement that continues to gain momentum,” shared Jud Fisher, president and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation. “Both Ball Brothers Foundation and The Community Foundation share a strong belief that art will play a key role in the next phase of downtown Muncie’s revitalization.”
“Public art serves as a magnet to attract talent, inspire innovation, enhance local businesses, and offer new opportunities for collaboration,” commented Marcy Minton, president & CEO of The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County. “With Ball Brothers Foundation’s support, we’re taking important steps to ensure that the existing public art is cared for long into the future and that a new generation of artists can make their own mark on the city.”
In addition to the Creative Placemaking grant to The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Ball Brothers Foundation’s first round of funding supports a wide range of initiatives, from education and healthcare to human services, public/society benefit, environment, and arts and culture:
Arts & Culture
Conner Prairie Museum, Inc. - $30,000 for new nature programming for children and families as well as trail maintenance.
Music for All - $35,000 for the 2025 Bands of America Summer Camp at Ball State University.
Sustainable Muncie Corporation - $200,000 for 2025-2026 operations and programming at MadJax.
Education
Anderson University - $25,000 to expand cybersecurity apprenticeships with other universities across the state of Indiana, building on an existing partnership between Anderson University and Ball State University.
Ball State University - $25,000 for the Cardinal Academy of Digital Security and Education (CADSE) which provides internships and certifications for students interested in cyber careers.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie - $350,000 to support general operations for two years at the Madison and Buley Sites.
Inspire Academy - $30,000 for window replacement.
Job Source, Inc. - $15,000 for programming and operations at Muncie Scholar House.
Project Leadership - $450,000 for general operating support across two years.
Ross Community Center - $300,000 for general operating support across two years.
Wes-Del Community Schools - $59,000 to upgrade the high school's computer science lab, improving opportunities for coursework in cybersecurity and networking operations.
Environment
City of Muncie - $40,000 to add 1.2 miles to the existing multi-use trail on the southeast side of Prairie Creek Reservoir.
Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District - $30,000 for educational events, water quality monitoring, and agricultural cost-share programs in the Upper Mississinewa and Upper White River watersheds.
Indiana Natural Resources Foundation - $100,000 to expand the Wilbur Wright Fish and Wildlife Area in Henry County.
Red-tail Land Conservancy - $166,000 for general operating support across two years.
Health
Muncie Sports Commission, Inc. - $70,000 for general operating and programmatic support.
Riley Children’s Foundation - $100,000 for research centered on early identification of Type 1 diabetes risk and delay of disease onset via the Luke Bracken Wiese Fund for Diabetes Research.
Human Services
Ball State University Police Department - $10,000 to update the department's training room.
Greater Muncie, IN Habitat for Humanity, Inc. - $400,000 for general operating support across two years.
Heart of Indiana United Way - $80,000 to provide matching dollars for the 2025 campaign.
Indiana Youth Institute - $45,000 for customized consulting services for up to four youth-serving organizations across East Central Indiana.
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana - $40,000 to repair, update, and install new sprinkler systems.
YWCA Central Indiana - $100,000 for general operating support.
Public Society Benefit
Cardinal Greenways - $425,000 for general operating support across two years.
Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office - $50,000 for the High Tech Crimes Unit's purchase of additional digital forensics tools, training, and internships in collaboration with Ball State University.
Delaware County Sheriff’s Office - $20,000 to upgrade digital forensics tools and software, including the expansion of digital evidence storage capacity.
Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District - $90,000 for a new canoe/kayak launch on Memorial Drive.
East Central Indiana Regional Planning District - $30,000 to support an internship program designed to help municipalities and organizations in Blackford, Delaware, Grant, and Jay counties.
Henry County Emergency Management - $21,000 to upgrade technology at the county's emergency operations center and enhance the training center located near New Castle.
Muncie Downtown Development Partnership - $100,000 to provide general operating support and add new event programming.
Muncie Innovation Connector, Inc. - $85,000 for branding/marketing refresh as well as kitchen, bathroom, and HVAC updates.
Muncie Police Department - $20,000 to upgrade digital forensics tools and software as well as cyber training.
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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.