By Lindsey Cox, Program Officer, George and Frances Ball Foundation—
MUNCIE, IN—The George and Frances Ball Foundation has served the Muncie-Delaware County community and the East Central Indiana region as a funder, convener, advocate, capacity builder, and thought partner alongside organizations for the past 89 years. George and Frances Ball Foundation today serves as the backbone organization of Cradle to Career (C2C) Muncie. C2C Muncie is a collective impact effort dedicated to uplifting the community by supporting individuals on a lifelong pathway full of opportunities leading to the education and wages needed to thrive. Ultimately, this passion and intention is what drives the Foundation’s activities, including grantmaking.
During the past two grant cycles, the Foundation’s grants were reviewed, and $1.8 million was awarded by the Board of Directors. More than $1.5 million was allocated to organizations for a variety of purposes, all aligned to the efforts of Cradle to Career Muncie, driven by The Opportunity Blueprint: 2030 strategic plan:
- Classroom Connections of East Central Indiana
- Cradle to Career Muncie’s Middle Grade Math Collaborative Action Network (Muncie Community Schools, fiscal agent)
- Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
- Huffer Memorial Children’s Center
- Motivate Our Minds
- Muncie Community Schools – Preschool Program
- Muncie Innovation Connector
- Ross Community Center
- TeenWorks, Inc.
- United Day Care Center
- Whitely Community Council, Inc.
- YMCA Mitchell Early Childhood and Family Center
- Youth Opportunity Center, Inc.
- YWCA Central Indiana
Over $275,000 in grants were awarded to the following quality of life and arts and culture partners:
- Cardinal Greenway, Inc.
- Cornerstone Center for the Arts
- Muncie Civic Theatre
- Music For All
- Youth Symphony Orchestras of East Central Indiana
About the George and Frances Ball Foundation
Founded in 1937, George and Frances Ball Foundation was organized exclusively to promote charitable, scientific and educational purposes, with a strong commitment to the needs of East Central Indiana. The family is well known for their philanthropy and for numerous other accomplishments including championing education, collecting items such as rare children’s literature, and creating the Ball Jar Blue Book. The Foundation adopted a place-based proactive grantmaking strategy in 2018, which carries forward the education-focused legacy of George and Frances Ball with efforts to increase educational attainment through the community Cradle to Career Muncie initiative.
To learn more about the Foundation or to find information about 2026 grants, visit www.gfballfdn.org or find the George and Frances Ball Foundation page on Facebook.
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