A Tribe for Jazz Awarded City of Columbus Youth Summer Programming Grant for Transformative Jazz Lab Summer Experience

A Tribe for Jazz is proud to announce it has received a 2025 City of Columbus Youth Summer Programming grant to support its Jazz Lab Summer Experience—a free, hands-on STEAM pop-up designed to engage underserved youth in music, science, and technology.

Held at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center from July 1 to July 31, 2025 (Tues–Thurs, 10 AM – 3 PM), the Jazz Lab Summer Experience transforms an entire wing of the Construction Arts building into a dynamic hub of music and innovation. The program invites Central Ohio youth ages 6–17 to explore culturally responsive STEAM activities in an inclusive, fully accessible environment designed to support diverse learning styles and abilities.

During the City’s Youth Summer Programming press conference, Mayor Andrew Ginther shared:

“The future of our community is only as bright as the future of our young people… The only way we make sure every family in every neighborhood is sharing in our success is by investing in our young people.”

City Council President Shannon Hardin added:

“We want today’s youth to have the same kinds of opportunities many of us in this room have had. By investing in these programs, we support the local organizations that have been doing this work for many years.”

Stephanie Matthews, Executive Director of A Tribe for Jazz, reflected:

“The Jazz Lab Summer Experience is an opportunity to position youth for the future by exposing them to creative, technological, and scientific pathways they may not have encountered before.”

The program builds on the success of the Jazz Lab Mobile Pilot Program, launched in Fall 2024 with support from the Battelle Central Ohio STEM Grant. Since its debut, the Jazz Lab Pilot Program has reached approximately 500 student engagements across ten Columbus schools and community events—serving consistent cohorts of students through recurring weekly sessions and establishing itself as a model of innovation, creativity, and interdisciplinary learning.

Summer Experience Program Highlights Include:

• VR Music Lab (with COSI)
• 3D Printing + Projection Mapping
• DJ + Sonic Exploration Labs
• Music Coding
• Jazz Lab Live: Percussion
• Sound Science Lab
• Arts Collaboratium

Education partners include: COSI, See Brilliance, Makerspace Central, OSU Innovation, and MuralRemix.

Registration: Organizations can begin reserving field trip days starting April 14, 2025, on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation is free.

For registration or more information:
Stephanie Matthews | SMatthews@atribeforjazz.org

About A Tribe for Jazz

The mission of A Tribe for Jazz is to preserve the legacy and advance the future of jazz through visual storytelling, live and virtual performances, education, and community engagement. For more information, visit www.atribeforjazz.org. IG: @atribeforjazz_ and FB: A Tribe for Jazz.