Non-Profit

By: Melissa Jones— MUNCIE, IN — Every summer, Muncie & Delaware County BY5 Early Childhood Initiative hosts a series of community events as part of Nature Play Days, a state-wide event put together by Indiana Children and Nature Network. However, due to health and safety concerns, BY5 has announced that this year’s Nature Play Days—which run from June 6 through June 14—will consist of daily activities families can complete at home.  “Due to COVID-19, Nature Play Days look a little…

By: Jason Newman, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie— For the past three months, our kids have been scared, in some cases, terrified, about a deadly virus, that has changed their lives completely. Over the past two weeks, all of our media are talking about the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently, George Floyd (and there are so many others, too many others). For those of us who are white, we are asking, should I talk about this…

By: Amy Logan— Muncie, IN—The Ball Brothers Foundation awards the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie with a $160,000 grant to support the Clubs’ mission to create a safe environment for the youth of our city. The Ball Brothers Foundation grant will allow the Clubs to employ 10 youth development professionals, pay for a portion of the utilities expense and be able to remodel a few rooms within the Madison St. site. Jason Newman, CEO of the Boys & Girls…

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded $217,716 to 11 non-profit organizations during the second Quarterly Competitive Grant cycle of 2020. The Community Foundation’s purpose is to improve the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County for this generation and generations to come. Quarterly Competitive Grants are awarded to fund projects for which there is a demonstrable community benefit in one of the following areas of interest: arts and culture, human services,…

By: Thomas Kinghorn— Muncie, IN—On May 14, 2020 the Board of Directors for the George and Frances Ball Foundation met virtually to award a number of grants received through the Foundation’s second quarterly grant application process. The Foundation awarded $570,209 to a variety of organizations across Muncie, Delaware County, and East Central Indiana. Grants were awarded as follows: Ball State University Muncie Community Schools Partnership – Awarded $335,000 as the second stint of a $1 million pledge, will be used…

By: Kristen McConnell— Phased reopening to begin with Membership Branches followed by programs in coming weeks. Muncie, IN—After closing its facilities on March 17th due to safety concerns and Governor Holcomb’s stay-at-home order surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the YMCA of Muncie will reopen its Northwest and Yorktown facilities on May 26th. The reopening will be conducted under the guidance of state and local health authorities and will take place in phases. “The YMCA of Muncie has served the Delaware County…

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN– United Way of Delaware, Henry and Randolph Counties is pleased to announce that it has received a $1.1 million COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative Grant. The grant was made possible through a partnership between Lilly Endowment, Inc. and Indiana United Ways, the state professional association of which United Way of Delaware, Henry and Randolph County is a member. These funds will be used to invest in long-term economic recovery and resiliency efforts by supporting human and…

By: Jackson Eflin, Second Harvest Food Bank— Muncie, IN—The sky makes overtures of rain and a line of cars wraps around Heritage Apostolic Tabernacle’s parking lot, out onto Wabash Street and down the road.  Chandra Parks, of Muncie Southside Neighborhood Association, and other volunteers are packing bags of carrots, potatoes, canned beef, cheese, orange juice, and cleaning supplies into bags. They’re staying just ahead of Chandra, who along with her mother are checking in with the families as they load…

By: Muncie Land Bank—  Muncie, IN—The Muncie Land Bank is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to eliminate the negative effects of vacant, abandoned and blighted properties in the City of Muncie. Blighted properties lead to the lowering of property values, uncut grass, trash dumping, high crime and depletion of the local tax base. In July 2016, the State of Indiana passed IC 36-7-38 into law enabling cities to establish land banks. In July 2017, the City of Muncie passed an…