MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball Brothers Foundation awarded 33 grants totaling more than $4 million in its first funding round of the year.

Recipients included “several organizations with long historical ties to the Ball family that are undertaking transformative capital projects: Ball State University, Camp Crosley (YMCA of Muncie), and the YWCA Central Indiana,” according to a news release.

A $2.5 million grant awarded to the Ball State University Foundation will help fund the construction of a new Performing Arts Center adjacent to campus in the area known as the Village.

This state-of-the-art facility will offer expanded facilities for the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance and “stimulate further development in the Village to create a more vibrant district,” the release said.

“The potential and promise of the revitalization of the Village with a performing arts center at its heart will be transformative,” said Jud Fisher, president and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation. “This will provide a dynamic gateway to campus, and conversely to the community that will attract community members and visitors. And it will help to better physically connect the city of Muncie and Ball State University.”

Another major capital project awarded funding are renovations at Camp Crosley, a YMCA camp located on Lake Tippecanoe in northern Indiana’s Kosciusko County. The camp has ties to both Muncie and to the Ball family dating back over 100 years. A $250,000 grant will support upgrades to the camp’s lakeside cabins, ensuring year-round usability and increasing camp capacity.

Each summer, Camp Crosley hosts over 2,600 campers from across the Midwest, including nearly 200 campers from the Muncie area.

Funding from Ball Brothers Foundation will also support the first phase of a project underway by the YWCA Central Indiana to explore future options related to its location. The YWCA’s emergency shelter and supportive housing programs for women and children are located within a historic downtown Muncie building that was originally constructed in 1927 with strong support from the Ball family and the Muncie community.

“A grant of $35,000 from Ball Brothers Foundation will support the YWCA’s work to establish a fundraising campaign to coincide with possible relocation to better meet the needs of the organization and the women and children it serves,” according to the release.

The foundation will also provided a $100,000 grant to the Delaware County prosecutor’s office that will help facilitate the relocation and expansion of the county’s High-Tech Crime Unit, which is on the city’s south side. The unit, which serves both Delaware County and 11 surrounding counties, is one of only 10 in the state of Indiana, serving as a resource for local law enforcement agencies and providing forensic analysis of digital devices including computers, hard drives, and mobile phones suspected of having been used to commit or facilitate criminal activities.

The new facility will be in the Delaware County Building in downtown Muncie and will include state-of-the-art forensic labs, expanded office space, and, eventually, a dedicated training area.

Other notable capital funding awarded this spring included $80,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank for the installation of new cooler facilities.

This round of grants also supported a range of other organizations and projects in the areas of arts and culture, public/society benefit, health, education, environment, and human services.

The 2024 spring round of grants also included:

Delaware County Historical Society — $20,000 to hire a part-time executive director to help the organization prepare for its centennial in 2025, the bicentennial of the county in 2027, and other general operations activities.

Muncie Children’s Museum — $30,000 toward design and fabrication costs for new nature exhibits.

Music for All — $20,000 in support for MFA’s Summer Symposium, held locally on the campus of Ball State University each June. Funding will allow MFA to bring 900+ students and 150 directors from across the country to Muncie.

The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County — $15,000 to engage national consultant organization Artspace to conduct a study of the local arts/culture landscape and to develop an action plan to help inform economic development, tourism, downtown revitalization and historic preservation.

Anderson University — $25,000 for the Center for Security Studies and Cyber Defense, a “cybersecurity incubator” that recruits AU and Ball State University students for highly competitive cybersecurity internships.

Ball State University — $25,000 to establish a new on-campus cybersecurity internship space, the Cardinal Academy of Digital Security and Education.

Daleville Community Schools — $100,000 multi-year funding to establish a new staff position to oversee the district’s Outdoor Learning Lab.

Destiny Christian Center — $15,000 toward the purchase of new playground equipment for the McKinley Neighborhood childcare facility.

Huffer Memorial Children’s Center — $30,000 in general operations support for childcare and early education programs.

Ivy Tech Foundation — $50,000 to help establish a “college concierge” program to support high school to community college transitions.

Job Source — $10,000 to support start-up of the Muncie Scholar House, a housing and wrap-around support program for single parents pursuing post-secondary education.

Shafer Leadership Academy — $100,000 in multi-year support for general operations and growth.

Vision Corner — $15,000 for e-sports racing simulators at this downtown Union City hub for education, small business development, and workforce training.

YMCA of Muncie — $40,000 to support general operations of childcare and early learning programs.

Youth Opportunity Center — $35,000 to expand staffing for on-site academic programs in partnership with Muncie Community Schools.

Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District — $35,000 for educational programming, water sampling, and outreach centered on water and soil quality in Grant, Blackford, Jay, Madison, Delaware and Randolph counties.

Muncie Sports Commission — $70,000 in general operating support.

Riley Children’s Foundation — $100,000 to support large-scale diabetes screening research.

Brothers 2 Brothers United — $10,000 to grow staff capacity for a youth mentorship program in the Industry neighborhood.

Heart of Indiana United Way — $75,000 to support operational costs and to be used as matching incentive to help increase fundraising success of annual campaign.

Indiana Youth Institute — $45,000 for custom consulting projects for youth-serving organizations in East Central Indiana.

Muncie Delaware County Senior Center — $7,500 for electrical upgrades.

YWCA of Central Indiana — $50,000 to support general operations and services for women and children experiencing homelessness.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office — $10,000 to support equipment and training for fighting cybercrime.

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership — $50,000 to support operations and branding campaign.

Muncie Police Department — $10,000 to support equipment and training for fighting cybercrime.

Ross Community Center — $95,000 to support general operations and sports fields maintenance.

Sustainable Muncie Corp. — $175,000 to support general operations and expand maker education.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: New performing arts center to be funded by foundation grant