IDEA Conference

Presenter: Donna Browne

Are you new to grant writing? Do you want to brush up your skills? Grant Writing 101 takes you through preparing a typical grant proposal, including preparation, what information to include, developing goals and objectives, writing tips, creating a project budget, and time management. This session will demystify the grant writing process, teach essential skills to get you started, and address some commonly held misconceptions about grant seeking.

Presenters: Lauren Shank, John West

From Strong Neighborhoods to Growing Cities: What Muncie can learn from neighborhood planning in Fort Wayne Urban Planning graduate student Lauren Shank and Professor John West will examine planning strategies that helped to translate neighborhood and business leaders’ energy into sustained investment, coordinated development and population growth in Ft. Wayne. The discussion will conclude with a discussion about what the audience thinks could help Muncie continue to grow into another Indiana success story.

Presenters: Patricia Akins, Christah Brantley, Alexis Dishman, Bernice Graham, Napoleon Price Jr, Gracie Scholl, Judah Smith, William Thomas

Why are increasing resident engagement and improving leadership capacity important? Because a sense of ownership and agency makes residents more likely to manage issues effectively at the neighborhood level. MAP worked closely with its partner organizations, Shafer Leadership Academy, Ball State University Bowen Center for Public Affairs, 8twelve Coalition, Muncie Habitat for Humanity, and the Ball State Office of Community Engagement, as well as current neighborhood association leadership to develop the CenterPoint Scholars program. CenterPoint Scholars is a systematic training program that develops leadership capacity at the neighborhood association level. Our first cohort of Scholars will be presenting their community improvement projects – come see what they accomplished in this first year of the program!

Presenter: Melinda Messineo

Many neighborhood leaders report hesitancy among residents to get involved because they do not want to engage in conflict over differences. This session will explore a dignity and empathy-based approach to help neighborhoods leverage their different experiences and ideas as a way to support and enrich their neighborhoods.

Presenters: Seth Beckman, Kallie Sulanke, Laura Williamson

Discover how Muncie is shaping its future as a vibrant arts and cultural hub. This session introduces the Creative Space Action Plan, a community-driven roadmap to support local artists, expand creative spaces, and strengthen Muncie’s arts identity. Attendees will gain an overview of the plan’s development, key findings, and the community’s role in its success.

Learn about the bold actions being taken to create affordable spaces for artists, connect cultural hubs, and foster new opportunities for public engagement. The session will also highlight early progress since the plan’s release and outline key priorities for the months ahead. Whether you attended past public meetings or are hearing about this initiative for the first time, this presentation offers an inspiring look at how the arts can shape Muncie’s future. Join us to see how you can be part of this movement and help bring the plan’s vision to life.

Presenter: Linda Hanson

There is one important thing to note at the outset about political participation. Anyone can participate in politics. There are no age or citizenship restrictions on participation, with one exception: voting. Informed political participation is extraordinarily important to make our representative democracy function for all of us. Our elected officials make
decisions on our behalf–but they are not mind-readers.

This session will focus on using the League of Women Voters Citizens’ Handbook (available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole online at https://lwvin.org/ ) as a resource for intentional development and engagement for neighborhood associations. The Handbook is designed to enable citizens to make their voices heard at the national, state, and local levels, but we will emphasize working with Muncie and Delaware County government. using scenarios with actual neighborhood issues. We begin with an interactive civics quiz tied to content in the handbook.

Presenter: Joe Misiewicz

A group or groups from various associations would spend time on a ‘quilt’ brainstorming a range of ideas and then in a limited time break down their lists and ‘dreams’ into 1. We can do this early in 2025 2. Maybe we could start this in 2025 3. Hmmm…may need more time for these ideas and goals. All participants would leave with a commitment sheet to set up goals for 2025

Panelists: Jason Donati, Superintendent of Sanitation and REcycling; Tom Fouch, Building Commissioner – Zoning Administrator, DMMPC; Jeremy Pettigrew, Director of Environmental Programs, Delaware County Health Department; Cortney Walker, Property Coordinator, Building Commissioners Office | Moderator: Dustin Clark, Special Projects, City of Muncie

Learn how to best connect with code enforcement officials in the city of Muncie and Delaware County to effect real change in your neighborhood. This roundtable discussion will focus on responsibilities related to code enforcement within these departments. Come prepared to ask questions and make suggestions to streamline processes and current procedures.