Ball Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Ball Foundation funds programs and organizations that promote STEM education, increase metal recycling and reduce waste in Denver, Colorado and beyond.
IP TAKE: This is a highly accessible corporate funder, but more than half of its grants remain in the greater Denver area. The exception to this geographic priority is Ball’s disaster funding, which tends to work through established partnerships with national organizations. Nonprofits working in recycling or STEM education in the Denver area can complete the foundation’s eligibility quiz, and will likely be invited to submit a full proposal. Due dates generally fall at the end of the September each year.
PROFILE: The Ball Foundation is the philanthropic branch of Ball Corporation, an aluminum packaging and aerospace technologies company based in Denver, Colorado. The foundation’s mission is to support “programs that create a positive, measurable impact in three key areas linked to Ball’s business and strategy.” These areas are Education, Recycling, and Disaster Preparedness and Relief.
Grants for Environmental Conservation
Ball’s commitment to environmental causes takes the form of its Recycling grantmaking. Ball funds programs that “increase metal packaging recycling rates,” “improve collection processes,” and “provide education about the benefits of recycling.” It has also supported a zero-waste initiative at Boulder, Colorado, schools. Past grantees include the Recycling Partnership, Eco-Cycle’s Green Star Schools program, and Oskar Blues’s CAN’d Aid Foundation.
Grants for STEM K-12 and Higher Education
Ball’s Education grantmaking supports “K-12 and higher education programs geared toward encouraging and preparing students for careers in engineering.” It prioritizes programs that provide quality educational opportunities to students of diverse backgrounds in terms of “racial and ethnic background, gender or economic status.” While this funder supports several K-12 initiatives, grants to individual schools only support institutions of higher education. Past grantees working in the K-12 arena include Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain, Impact on Education and Greenhouse Scholars. Higher education funding mainly supports the University of Colorado.
Grants for Disaster Relief
Ball’s Disaster Relief giving is not limited to Colorado. Ball is a partner of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, and also partners with the CAN’d Aid Foundation and Miller Coors to distribute canned drinking water in communities affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Important Grant Details:
The Ball Foundation’s grants may range from $1,000 to $100,000. Ball almost exclusively supports organizations based in Colorado, particularly the Denver area, except in the case of large national organizations whose work touches on Colorado in some way.
The Ball Foundation accepts applications online. Grantseekers must complete an eligibility review to be invited to apply. The application deadline generally falls on September 30, and applicants can expect a response within six to eight weeks.
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