Battelle’s $968K STEM Grants push Central Ohio toward AI and aerospace careers

Battelle is awarding $968,000 to 16 Central Ohio nonprofits, backing STEM programs that are expected to reach 14,341 students and 1,421 educators in the coming year. The 2026 awards lift Battelle’s cumulative giving through its Central Ohio STEM grants to $8.8 million since the program launched in 2013.

This year’s portfolio leans heavily into emerging technologies and career-connected learning, with many grantees integrating artificial intelligence, data science, aerospace and applied engineering into K–12 experiences. The strategy reflects how one of Columbus’ anchor research institutions is trying to build local talent pipelines as Ohio’s tech, manufacturing, and defense sectors expand.

“These programs put real tools in the hands of students that build STEM skills,” said Wes Hall, senior vice president of philanthropy and education at Battelle.

Where the funding is going

Battelle’s Central Ohio STEM grants support informal, out-of-school programming for K–12 students in counties including Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union. In 2026, funded initiatives cluster around four themes: AI and data, aviation and manufacturing, applied engineering, and specialized access and literacy.

Artificial intelligence and data science

• Friends of the Conservatory will engage more than 9,200 students and 800 teachers in building an AI-driven app that powers field trips at Franklin Park Conservatory, blending coding with real-world technology skills.
• TECH CORPS will place 200 students inside real environmental datasets during week-long Techie Camp sessions focused on coding, data science, and AI fundamentals.
• The Ohio State University Foundation, via WOSU, will pilot Wild Kratts Creature Creator STEM Labs and an AI-enhanced field trip experience for 1,300 students and 45 educators.
• The Hardy Center’s Hardy Summer Pathways program will engage 120 youth in coding, engineering, environmental projects, and responsible AI activities to build early career awareness.

Aviation and manufacturing pipelines

• Urban Aviators Society will launch an aviation and aerospace pipeline for 200 youth, combining flight simulation, drone training, mentorship, and discovery flights.
• Central Ohio Manufacturing Partnership’s “Calculated Futures: Master the Math, Model the Path” will connect 500 high school students with manufacturing professionals in after-school workshops that blend engineering challenges, math, AI, and design.

Applied engineering and neighborhood labs

• Franklinton Cycle Works will teach 100 youth engineering, mechanics, and safety concepts through its Earn-A-Bike program, allowing participants to earn a bike while supporting peers.
• Educational Solutions Company will move 200 students through a four-week biomedical STEM Career Studio built around mobile lab experiences and biotechnology investigations.
• See Brilliance will operate a Neighborhood Tech Lab for 250 youth who will tackle neighborhood-specific problems and showcase their projects in schools and libraries.
• Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center will run the Build the Future Lab, engaging 75 elementary students in product design, math, and commerce challenges tied to local businesses.
• Central Community House of Columbus will connect 80 K–5 students and their families with STEM professionals, field trips, and mentors through its Future Innovators initiative.

Specialized access and literacy

• A Kid Again Inc. will deliver at-home STEM Welcome Kits and career exploration videos to 400 medically fragile children whose health limits access to traditional camps.
• Hurt/Battelle Memorial Library in West Jefferson will reach about 1,000 kids through The Sound of Reading, which pairs literacy with music and hands-on science experiments.
• The Village of West Jefferson’s Lunch and Learn series will bring 350 students into hands-on enrichment and conversations with local STEM professionals during the school day.
• The Ohio Academy of Science will guide 200 students through digital Research-to-Careers simulations that map independent STEM projects to real-world competencies.
• Final Third Foundation will blend soccer, literacy, environmental science, and wellness into a summer camp experience for 150 kids, positioning STEM as part of whole-child development.

Building Ohio’s AI and aerospace talent bench

The grants arrive as Ohio school districts move to implement new statewide guidance on the use of AI in classrooms and formalize local policies by mid-2026. At the same time, Central Ohio is positioning itself as a hub for advanced manufacturing, defense, and applied AI, drawing new investment and spiking demand for technical talent.

By anchoring advanced concepts like AI modeling, drone operations, and biomedical engineering in neighborhood nonprofits, libraries, and community centers, Battelle and its partners are trying to democratize access to high-wage career pathways early in the pipeline. For students across Central Ohio, those pathways now increasingly run through out-of-school labs, aviation hangars, makerspaces, and even soccer fields—not just traditional classrooms.