Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County Awards $256K to Community Organizations

Grants totaling $264,953 were awarded from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County to benefit the community between November and December 2022. Most grants are awarded through permanently endowed funds that benefit our community today and always.

Grants totaling $81,550 were awarded from the Quarterly Competitive Grants Program at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County during the final quarter of 2022. Quarterly Competitive Grants are awarded to fund projects and programs for which there is a demonstrable community benefit in one of the following areas of interest: arts and culture, community betterment, economic development, education, and human services.

The following grants were awarded through the Quarterly Competitive Grants Program:

• Christian Ministries of Delaware County, Inc. received $15,000 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation, Stefan and Joan Anderson Unrestricted Fund, Bassett Family Fund, Gordon and Pam Cox Fund, and Linda and Connie Gregory Fund) to support clients with rising rent and utility costs.
• Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District received $6,300 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation and KAKATU Foundation/David and Joanna Meeks Fund) to expand marketing, education, and outreach for the Upper White River Watershed Project by hosting events and having booths at many more events than the minimum required by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• Motivate Our Minds, Inc. received $20,000 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation and Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Fund) to support the cost of operations.
• Orchestra Indiana received $7,500 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation and MutualBank Charitable Foundation Fund) to support the cost of operations.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc. received $17,750 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation, Jeff and Beth Lang Fund, and Jeanne and John Smith Unrestricted Fund) to support the cost of procurement and distribution of food and resources throughout the Big Idea School initiative.
• Whitely Community Council received $15,000 (from The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation, Charles and Claudia Sursa Unrestricted Named Endowment Fund, and Faye Wingate Fund) to support the cost of operations.

Robert P. Bell Education Grants are awarded to teachers with innovative ideas, programs, or projects related to a classroom unit or lesson. Grants range from $50 to $600 and support projects designed to stimulate students' learning. The following grants were awarded through the Robert P. Bell Education Grants Program:

• Austin Williams, Wes-Del Jr./Sr. High School, received $574.70 for Animatronic Hand for Theatre Production.
• Jessica Edrington, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, received $90.00 for Visualizing Volume in Calculus.

The Funders Forum Fund was established at The Community Foundation to support collaborative grantmaking from local public, private, and corporate foundations, along with service club funders in Delaware County. The Funders Forum Collaborative meets regularly to pool knowledge, experiences, and resources to collectively impact homeownership in the community. Since 2017, the Funders Forum has awarded just over $500,000.

The following grants were awarded from the Funders Forum Fund:

• Habitat for Humanity received $16,000 to support housing and family education.
• Pathstone Corporation received $50,000 to support the Homebuyer Acquisition and Rehab Program (HARP) and a local extension of the individual development accounts (IDA).

Twenty-one grants were awarded to 15 organizations from donor advised funds managed by The Community Foundation, totaling $51,430. This included one donor advised grant of $5,000 to Motivate Our Minds, which complemented the Quarterly Competitive Grants Program.

An additional $65,308 was awarded to nonprofit organizations from designated funds. Designated funds are established by donors or by nonprofits to provide ongoing support for specified organizations.

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. encourages philanthropy, assists donors in building an enduring source of charitable assets, and exercises leadership in directing resources to enhance the quality of life for residents of Muncie and Delaware County. Since 1985, community members and businesses have helped the Foundation grow our endowment to $88 million. Using the earnings on the endowment, the Foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, including scholarships to support students through post-secondary education. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $63 million to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County.