By Jeff Robinson, President of Muncie City Council, District 2—
MUNCIE, Ind.—Seventy-four non-profits applied for grant dollars earmarked to help those organizations and their clients who were hardest hit by COVID-19. In total, $2 million of the City of Muncie’s American Recovery Plan funding of $31.7 million will be awarded to help the non-profit sector and the people they serve.
District 2 Councilman and City Council President Jeff Robinson and Heart of Indiana United Way’s President & CEO, Jenni Marsh recruited a diverse committee for the ARP Non-Profit Awards Committee. There were representatives of the LGBTQ+ and Black Indigenous People of Color populations as well as local grantors to review and score the submitted grant requests. The committee included: Susana Rivera Mills, John Anderson, Charlize Jamieson, Jon Moll, as well as representatives including: the Community Foundation’s Kelly Shrock and Marcy Minton, Ball Brothers Foundation’s Jud Fisher and Rich Spisak, George and Frances Ball Foundation’s Tom Kinghorn, and Heart of Indiana United Way’s Jenni Marsh and Jim Flatford.
Each community member had one vote. Each grant making organization only had one vote (even if they had multiple staff members serving on the committee). United Way coordinated and facilitated the grant-making effort.
“I am so grateful to these committee members and United Way for creating such a thoughtful and thorough review process,” Robinson, who attended the ARP Non-Profit Awards Committee meeting, explained.
Also in attendance, to field questions and offer legal guidance, was Muncie City Council’s attorney Dan Gibson of Delk McNally. Gibson reviewed all applications to ensure only those that fit within the parameters established by the ARP Non-Profit Committee and/or the United States Treasury in their final interim ruling for eligible uses of funds. Five of the 74 applicants were determined to be ineligible.
To be eligible for funding, non-profits must be located within the City of Muncie, be a 501(C)3 in good standing, and must not discriminate based on age, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, economic status, or sexual orientation. Those agencies with religious affiliation must not refuse services to a client based on religion or require attendance at religious services as a condition of assistance, nor will such groups engage in any religious proselytizing in any program receiving ARP funds.
The ARP Non-Profit Awards Committee approved awarding 53 nonprofits ARP dollars. They kept the ARP Non-Profit Committee’s charge to be strategic and address equity and inclusion whenever possible at the forefront of their scoring.
“From folks determining how these dollars should be awarded to the folks making the final funding recommendations to the City, I cannot thank these people enough,” Robinson added. “The Awards Committee put in a lot of time reading all the applications and scoring them. To hear their arguments for their recommendations, as the committee worked toward consensus, was amazing. It speaks very highly of those 53 organizations who have been awarded funds.”
Last week, Robinson personally notified the organizations whether they will be awarded full, partial, or no funding. United Way will work with award recipients to get signed funding agreements and report forms in place. They will also explain to the organizations not receiving funding why they were not selected to help them with future applications to grantors.
The full list of awards is below. Other information about the process can be found on the American Rescue Plan page of the City of Muncie’s website under non-profits.
Final and accepted recommendations by the ARP Non-Profit Awards Committee
| Organization | Final Recommendation | Funding Purpose |
| A Better Way Services, Inc. | $ 175,000.00 | Housing Assistance/Domestic Violence Prevention |
| Alliance for Strategic Growth (DBA Eastern Indiana Works) | $ 114,000.00 | Job Training for Disproportionately Affected Population(s) |
| Blood-N-Fire, Inc. | $ 38,000.00 | To Expand Capabilities to Address Food Insecurity |
| Brothers2Brothers United, Inc. | $ 3,000.00 | Job Training for Disproportionately Affected Population(s) |
| Cardinal Greenways, Inc. | $ 35,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-being of Youth |
| Christian Ministries of Delaware County | $ 14,000.00 | Addressing Homelessness |
| Classroom Connections of ECI | $ 5,000.00 | Educational Resources to Underserved Classrooms |
| Concrete Rose Inc. | $ 4,000.00 | Youth Empowerment Programming |
| Cornerstone Center for the Arts | $ 50,000.00 | Educational Programming & Social Emotional Well-Being |
| Delaware County Special Needs Prom, Inc. | $ 10,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-being of Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Destiny Christian Academy Central | $ 50,000.00 | Childcare & Education |
| East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra | $ 1,225.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being |
| ecoRehab | $ 50,000.00 | Job Training for Disproportionately Affected Population(s) |
| Forward Visions Incorporated | $ 5,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Future of Work Muncie | $ 24,000.00 | Job Training/Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth (STEM) |
| Habitat for Humanity of Greater Muncie, IN | $ 95,000.00 | Housing Assistance/Construction/Repair for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Hillcroft Services, Inc. | $ 12,500.00 | COVID-19 Mitigation |
| Home Savers of Delaware County | $ 45,000.00 | Housing Assistance/Repairs for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Huffer Memorial Children’s Center, Inc. | $ 65,000.00 | Childcare and Education |
| Inside Out Community Development Corporation | $ 73,000.00 | Addressing Food Insecurity |
| Interlocal Community Action Program, Inc. | $ 20,000.00 | Housing Assistance/Repair and Weatherization for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Jackson Life Services | $ 14,000.00 | Youth Mentoring for Disproportionately Affected Population(s) |
| Little Red Door Cancer Agency | $ 5,495.00 | Nutrition and Transportation Assistance for Caner Patients |
| Minnetrista | $ 20,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Motivate Our Minds | $ 25,000.00 | Educational Programming & Social Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Muncie Arts and Culture Council | $ 40,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of the Community |
| Muncie Ballet Studio, Inc. | $ 7,500.00 | Educational Assistance and Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Muncie Boys and Girls Club Inc. | $ 75,000.00 | Education and Social & Emotional Well-Being |
| Muncie Children’s Museum | $ 35,000.00 | Education and Social & Emotional Well-Being |
| Muncie Civic and College Symphony Association, Inc. | $ 40,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of the Community/Education for Youth |
| Muncie Civic Theatre | $ 18,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of the Community/Education for Youth |
| Muncie Delaware County Black Chamber of Commerce | $ 40,000.00 | Job Training and Resource Navigation |
| Muncie Delaware County Senior Citizens Center | $ 7,500.00 | Social & Emotional Well Being of Seniors |
| Muncie Homeownership and Revitalization, Inc. | $ 20,000.00 | Repairs to Housing for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Muncie Innovation Connector, Inc. | $ 25,000.00 | Collaborative Work Space for Low-Income Business Owners |
| Muncie Land Bank, Inc. | $ 10,000.00 | Addressing Abandoned and Blighted Properties |
| Muncie Mission | $ 75,000.00 | Providing Services to Homeless |
| Muncie OUTreach | $ 15,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Muncie Public Library | $ 35,000.00 | Visitor Improvements and Carnegie Restoration |
| New Beginnings Daycare | $ 18,000.00 | Childcare and Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| Open Door Health Services | $ 125,000.00 | Mental Health Counseling |
| PathStone Corporation of Indiana | $ 100,000.00 | Housing Assistance for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Recovery Café | $ 30,000.00 | Drug Addiction & Mental Health Assistance |
| Red-tail Land Conservancy | $ 10,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of the Community |
| Ross Community Center | $ 25,000.00 | Assistance for Weekly Free Market |
| Serenity Club, The | $ 15,000.00 | Addictions Support and Resource Navigation |
| Soup Kitchen of Muncie | $ 25,000.00 | Addressing Food Insecurity |
| United Day Care Center of Delaware County, Inc. | $ 52,780.00 | Access to Childcare for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Urban Light Christian Development Corporation (DBA Urban Light Community Development Corporation) | $ 30,000.00 | Affordable Housing for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| Whitely Community Council | $ 50,000.00 | Health, Wellness, Safety, Housing for Disproportionately Impacted Population |
| YMCA of Muncie | $ 65,000.00 | Youth Programs and Chronic Disease Prevention |
| Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana | $ 8,000.00 | Social & Emotional Well-Being of Youth |
| YWCA of Central Indiana | $ 50,000.00 | Emergency Shelter for Homelessness and Resource Navigation |
| $ 2,000,000.00 |
