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Battelle Invests $1.2M in STEM Programs at Central Ohio Non-Profits

via Business Wire

Battelle is deepening its investment in the next generation of innovators with a new portfolio of 18 out-of-classroom programs that will bring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to life for more than 22,000 young people across Central Ohio.

Totaling $1,215,500, the 2025 awards under the Central Ohio STEM Innovation Grants push Battelle's cumulative giving through this program to more than $7.8 million since its launch in 2013.

"These projects connect students to real-world STEM experiences—from artificial intelligence and aerospace to agriculture and the arts," said Wes Hall, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Education at Battelle. "By funding both proven programs and bold new ideas, we seek to help students see STEM as a pathway to exciting careers solving the problems that matter most to our communities."

Below are brief facts about the grant and grantees.

Facts about the 2025 Central Ohio STEM Innovation Grants

  • Total Funding Awarded: $1,215,500
  • Projected Student Impact: 22,000+
  • Projected Teacher Impact: 450+
  • Cumulative Funding Since 2013: $7.8 million+

Continued funding:

  • A Tribe for Jazz – Jazz Lab 2.0: This mobile, one-day STEAM experience transforms school gyms and community spaces into pop-up innovation studios. Middle-school students in rural and under-resourced districts will explore jazz, VR soundscapes, video game score remixing, and related career pathways. The program will operate from October 2025 through May 2026 in partnership with Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools and C-TEC of Licking County.
  • Central Community House of Columbus Inc. – STEM CENTRAL: This year-round after-school and summer program engages 75 low-income K-5 students in robotics, coding, environmental science, and data literacy. The curriculum also weaves in literacy, life skills, and social-emotional learning at this 88-year-old Near East Side settlement house.
  • Highland Youth Garden Inc. – Summer Garden Camp: This free, week-long camp serves 56 elementary students and uses hands-on gardening activities to teach agriculture, ecology, nutrition, and sustainability. The program maintains small groups, offers bilingual outreach, and uses a refundable deposit to keep barriers low, while new outdoor learning experts help deepen the STEM content.

New funding:

  • ASNT (American Society for Nondestructive Testing) Foundation – Ultrasound in a Box: Exploring Nondestructive Testing in STEM: This pilot program will deliver 500 “Ultrasound in a Box” kits to after-school and weekend clubs. The initiative introduces middle-schoolers, especially first-generation and underserved learners, to nondestructive testing and its high-demand career paths.
  • Capital City Young Aviators – CCYA School Year Program: Through monthly sessions at Columbus State’s Bolton Airfield, this program immerses 20 Columbus City Schools high-school students in flight simulation, drone navigation, and college life on days when school is not in session.
  • Columbus Children’s Theatre – StageBoss: This workforce-development track mentors 42 high-school girls in lighting, audio, set construction, and stage management. The program also reaches more than 1,000 younger students through camps and workshops.
  • Community Shares of Mid-Ohio (CoolTechGirls) – TechnoChallenge: After-school and summer programs for 200 students in grades 4-12 focus on circuitry, artificial intelligence, Python, and data science. The curriculum emphasizes technology for social good, accessibility for students with disabilities, and leadership development.
  • Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services – STEMpowerment: Across 11 sites, this program enables 580 low-income immigrant and refugee K-12 students to explore agriculture, computer, food, mechanical and chemical sciences, robotics, and digital arts. The experience culminates in a community STEAM showcase.
  • Franklin County Historical Society (COSI) – COSI EiPIC: Hybrid studios guide youth ages 13-21 through invention challenges, mentoring, and pitch sessions. These activities are designed to demystify innovation, intellectual property, and entrepreneurship.
  • Friends of the Conservatory – CCS STEM Career Exploration: This summer program for 250 Columbus City Schools students in grades 5-8 blends daily math and English language arts lessons with hands-on STEM career exploration at Franklin Park Conservatory and on themed field trips.
  • Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council Inc. – STEM Explorers: Field trips to state-of-the-art maker spaces and robotics labs provide immersive STEM learning and social-emotional supports for 500 K-8 students from Title I and other underrepresented schools.
  • I Know I Can – Academy Launch: Summer STEM & Career Exploration: This one-week experience prepares 300 rising 9th and 10th graders for Columbus City Schools Career Academies. Students participate in project-based labs, industry site visits, mentoring, and receive stipends.
  • Makerspace Central – Superstars of STEAM: Ten free events held during school breaks from November 2025 to September 2026 will engage 360 students and their families with hands-on projects, professional career talks, and take-home STEAM kits across Franklin County.
  • Naturewise Columbus – Ribbit! in Action: Print and digital issues of Ribbit! Magazine, along with videos and quizzes, will reach 10,000 children ages 8-14 citywide. This initiative aims to spark environmental curiosity and science identity in partnership with local Metro Parks.
  • PAST Foundation – STEMFusion: Maker and Mentoring Labs: Middle-schoolers from three Columbus City Schools will engage in maker workshops that intertwine STEM skills with social-emotional learning. Accompanying teacher training is provided to strengthen classroom practice.
  • TECH CORPS – STEM Innovation in Work-Based Learning: Artificial Intelligence: Fifty high-school students will complete a paid, six-week (150-hour) summer program focused on artificial intelligence concepts, programming, data analysis, and ethics. Participants will earn work-based learning hours and readiness seals.
  • The Ohio State University Foundation – Future Fluent Families: Co-designed with parents and students, this initiative delivers workshops, take-home kits, and culturally responsive digital lessons to 450 middle-schoolers and caregivers. The program aims to build artificial intelligence fluency and strengthen family-school connections.
  • The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology – How We Make: The Science & Art of Manufacturing: The 2026 “How People Make Things” exhibition and ten permanent displays will link the history, science, and art of manufacturing to creative problem-solving for 7,500 youth and families, both on-site and through outreach at parks, libraries, and homes.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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