A Tribe for Jazz Recognized with 2025 Excellence in Diversity Award

A Tribe for Jazz, a leader in promoting jazz through visual storytelling, education, and community engagement, has been honored with the Columbus Business First 2025 Diversity in Business Award in the Outstanding Diversity Organization category. This prestigious recognition underscores the organization’s transformative efforts to promote equity and inclusion, showcasing jazz as a powerful connector that bridges generations and cultures.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award,” said Stephanie Matthews, Executive Director of A Tribe for Jazz. “Jazz embodies a timeless legacy of resilience, unity, and cultural expression, and we are honored to carry that tradition forward with purpose and passion. Through community partnerships with organizations like COSI, Columbus City Schools, PAST Foundation, and Otterbein University, we’re building bridges through innovative programming to inspire the next generation by showing how jazz can bring everyone together.”

Through its key initiatives, A Tribe for Jazz redefines the experience of jazz, bringing its transformative power to education, community engagement, and expanding access to the arts.

Initiatives include:

• The Jazz Lab™ Mobile Pilot: A groundbreaking STEM initiative funded by the Battelle Central Ohio STEM Grant, combining music and science to inspire creativity and collaboration among underserved youth through activities like building 3D-printed instruments and exploring the physics of sound.
• Exploration Film: An award-winning documentary demonstrating the power of jazz and collaborative art to foster emotional wellness, healing, and community connection.
• Columbus International Jazz Series: Showcasing diverse artists from around the globe and celebrating the universal language of jazz.

“This award marks a pivotal moment as A Tribe for Jazz expands its reach in 2025. It reaffirms our commitment to harnessing the transformative power of jazz to inspire and connect. By fostering meaningful conversations, expanding access to the arts, and embracing jazz’s rich history of diversity, we aim to unite even more communities and create new opportunities for shared humanity,” said Matthews.

Join us on March 20th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Columbus Museum of Art as we celebrate this year’s honorees. Don’t miss the feature profiles in the March 21st issue of Columbus Business First.

For more information about A Tribe for Jazz’s programs and mission, visit 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.