Colleges Net Ball Brothers Foundation Grants

The application period for fall 2018 begins August 1.

Four Indiana colleges and universities have been named winners of the 2016 Ball Brothers Foundation Venture Fund grant program. Ancilla College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University and the University of Evansville will share $75,000 in seed funding.

Independent Colleges of Indiana says the money will be used for "initiatives to stimulate creativity and innovation while fostering competition and collaboration among Indiana’s 31 private, nonprofit campuses." This year’s recipients where chosen out of 36 proposals. 

Ancilla College will receive $20,200 to provide a web-based resource for high-functioning students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The program will be available for faculty and staff from Ancilla and other ICI member schools.

Indiana Wesleyan will receive $17,400 to form a partnership with the Brain Kitchen, a local nonprofit that serves as a community kitchen and homework space for low-income children. The money will be used to train volunteers and create space to provide activities for the students.

Taylor University will receive $17,400 to help bring a pilot program for English as a Second Language to full fruition. The grant will fund free one-on-one ESL instruction, benefiting immigrant parents and their children, along with Taylor University students.

The University of Evansville will receive $20,000 to build the "Changemaker Incubator," a space to support social entrepreneurs and their startups.

The winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges which included a representative from the Ball Brothers Foundation and others in the education, manufacturing, construction and financial industries. The fund has provided more than $1 million over the past 18 years.