By Kelsey Harrington—
MUNCIE, IN—Founded in 1937, the George and Frances Ball Foundation has spent the last 87 years upholding the legacy of George, Frances, and Elisabeth Ball. The Foundation uses its role as a grantmaker to reflect the family’s passions rooted in improving livability and educational attainment for citizens in Muncie and Delaware County.
This commitment to local livability and education is displayed year-round through the Foundation’s community engagement activities and partnerships, including its work serving as the backbone organization for Cradle to Career Muncie. Additionally, these values are exemplified four times each year when the board gathers to award grants to area nonprofit organizations. This quarter, the Foundation awarded more than $1.1 million in grant awards, of which nearly $1 million was to support activities that undergird the collective goals of Cradle to Career Muncie.
Two of the most critical areas of focus within the cradle to career framework are Kindergarten Readiness and Family and Community Engagement. Kindergarten readiness sets up youngest learners for success; in fact, 90% of brain development happens by age five. Significant to a child’s first five years is their experience in high quality early learning settings. One of Muncie and Delaware County’s longest standing and nationally accredited early learning centers, United Day Care (UDC), is expanding their building in order to grow their capacity to provide high quality early learning experiences for more children. The Foundation awarded a $250,000 capital grant to UDC for this project. Their director, Carol Johnson, shared, “The addition of these classrooms will provide young children with the skills necessary to reach their full potential and enter school ready to be successful.”
Family and Community Engagement is another critical area of focus within cradle to career. Children are awake approximately 6,000 hours per year. Of those, only 1,000 are spent in school and that is if the child has perfect attendance. The other 5,000+ hours are spent with family and in community. The hyper-local availability of programs and services to families is critical to long-term wellbeing of children, families, and neighborhoods. For this reason, GFBF awarded a $300,000 capital grant to Urban Light for the social service hub building project.
Additional grants awarded in the third quarter by the George and Frances Ball Foundation include:
- Innovation Connector – $50,000 for operational support
- Ivy Tech Community College – $185,000 for two years of support for the Director of Community Education position
- TeenWorks – $50,000 to support the Summer and Pro Programs and Alumni Services
- Classroom Connections of East Central Indiana – $15,000 for operational support
- Open Door Health Services – $20,000 contribution to the local match requirement for the Covering Kids and Families (CKF) program
- Muncie Area Youth for Christ – $48,750 to support the Juvenile Justice Ministry at the Youth Opportunity Center and the City Life program at Southside Middle School
- East Central Indiana Regional Partnership – $65,000 for operational support and a matching challenge
- Cornerstone Center for the Arts – $90,000 for operational support
- The Nature Conservancy – $70,000 for water quality monitoring
- Ross Community Center – $40,000 for operational support
To learn more about the Foundation or to find information about 2024 grant opportunities, please visit www.gfballfdn.org or find the George and Frances Ball Foundation page on Facebook.
About the George and Frances Ball Foundation
Honoring the family’s interests and legacy for more than 85 years, the Foundation reviews and funds grants across 5 different focus areas including education and youth, civic enhancement, arts and culture, wrap-around services, and nature and historic preservation. The Foundation adopted a new 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 a community Cradle to Career Muncie initiative.
