Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: $0 – $5K
Rapid Grants
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironment+3 more
Who can apply: Indiana-based nonprofits, government organizations, or schools.
Deadline: Available between February and November each year.
Ball Brothers Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
About Ball Brothers Foundation
The Ball Brothers Foundation concentrates its giving locally in Muncie and the surrounding region, prioritizing major investments in cultural institutions and community recreation. Grants are primarily large, multi-year or multi-grant commitments directed toward capital projects, general operations, and organizational capacity/leadership development for a small set of repeat grantees. The foundation appears focused on sustaining flagship civic assets (museums, gardens, cultural programming) and strengthening nonprofit infrastructure rather than broad, one-off giving.
Focus Areas
Museum and cultural campus capital and operations support in Muncie (Minnetrista-related organizations)Community recreation and youth services capital projects (YMCA of Muncie facility development)Nonprofit capacity building and leadership development (organizational support, leadership fellowships)Major capital campaigns and transition/innovation funding for regional civic institutions
Who They Fund
K-12 students (including laboratory school programs)Early childhood children and familiesCollege‑bound youth / students needing college & career counseling
About Ball Brothers Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation’s largest recent commitments cluster around Muncie civic institutions, especially Minnetrista Museum & Gardens and the former Minnetrista Cultural Foundation. The foundation has made repeated multi-million-dollar awards there for general operations, capital support, and transition-related work, showing a pattern of sustained backing rather than isolated project funding. Similar multi-year support appears in its repeated grants to the YMCA of Muncie for a new facility, cabin renovation, organizational support, and early childhood and family center work. Across the recent grants list, the foundation also backs public education and community infrastructure in Muncie and Delaware County. Muncie Community Schools received several sizable awards for pre-K–12 innovation and improvement, while Cardinal Greenway Inc., Greater Muncie in Habitat for Humanity, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation each appear with major awards tied to trail access, housing-related outdoor space, and community initiatives. Smaller, structured awards such as the Fellows Program and governance and teaching recognitions suggest the foundation also uses targeted mechanisms to strengthen leadership in the region.
What Ball Brothers Foundation Funds
In arts and cultural infrastructure, Ball Brothers Foundation gave $2,790,000 to Minnetrista Museum & Gardens for general operations and capital support, and $2,760,000 to Minnetrista Cultural Fnd for general operations and capital support, transition innovation fund, and Michigan Summit work. Those awards point to long-term support for major civic cultural assets. In community recreation and youth services, the foundation awarded $1,070,000 to YMCA of Muncie for a capital campaign for a new facility and Camp Crosley Hilltop cabin renovation, followed by $290,000 for Camp Crosley capital phase 2 and the Mitchell Early Childhood & Family Center. In education, Muncie Community Schools received multiple awards for pre-K–12 innovation and improvement. The foundation also supported housing and neighborhood space through a $245,000 grant to Greater Muncie in Habitat for Humanity for a housing program and outdoor space at A Home for Habitat.
How Ball Brothers Foundation Gives
Ball Brothers Foundation’s recent gifts are concentrated in the middle-to-upper range of its posted grant sizes: p25 is $5,000, median is $28,300, and p75 is $60,000. The recent grants list also shows that the foundation routinely makes far larger awards for selected civic institutions, including repeated seven-figure commitments. Recurrence is common: Minnetrista, YMCA of Muncie, Muncie Community Schools, Cardinal Greenway Inc, Project Leadership, and Ball State University Foundation each appear across multiple years. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF or PRI vehicle. Several programs accept unsolicited applications, including Rapid Grants, General Grants, and Project Sybertooth.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.3M
Total Assets
$173.8M
Total Revenue
$14.9M
Total Expenses
$11.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $60K, with a median of $28K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$28K
75th Percentile
$60K
Geographic Reach
Local3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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