Summer: 214 Nonprofit Organizations Receive $17.5 million Grants for Youth Programming and Community Stability

The City of Columbus has announced nearly $17.5 million in grant awards to 214 nonprofit organizations through the city’s competitive Summer Youth Program Grants and Elevate! grant initiative.

“At a time of real uncertainty across the nation, we continue to collaborate with trusted community organizations to keep our children engaged and safe, and to strengthen the stability and prosperity of our families,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

“By partnering with nonprofit organizations in every Columbus neighborhood, we can improve lives and community safety one summer camp, one job training program, one household at a time.”

This year, 206 organizations submitted grant applications to the city, collectively requesting $24,882,267. The competitive application review process narrowed that field to 105 nonprofit organizations selected to receive $7,490,500 that will offer academic advancement, career readiness, youth development, violence prevention and other programming and activities to Columbus youth.

The Summer Youth Program Grants complement youth programming offered by City of Columbus departments, including the Department of Building and Zoning Services, Department of Neighborhoods, CelebrateOne, Office of Education and the Office of Violence Prevention, budgeted at $16.4 this year.

In 2025, city-sponsored programs recorded more than 21,000 summer camp registrations, served more than 205,000 meals and engaged tens of thousands of young people through afterschool programming, sports leagues and outreach activities.

Summer Youth Program Grants have been a key part of Mayor Ginther’s youth engagement strategy since 2020, helping ensure that young people across Columbus have access to safe spaces, mentorship and opportunities to learn and grow during the summer months.

Elevate! is a competitive grant program focused on strengthening the capacity of established nonprofits serving Columbus and Franklin County households with incomes below the “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold, a measure that identifies families who earn more than the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic necessities such as housing, child care, food and transportation.

This year’s program will award $10 million to 109 nonprofit organizations in Columbus and Franklin County.

The Elevate! application period opened in May and closed in June 2025, generating 189 applications. Funding decisions were based on each application’s relative performance in the city’s first-ever applicant-led peer review, allowing for scaled awards rather than requiring full funding of requested amounts.

The top 10 recipients received the maximum $200,000 award, and 35 percent of awardees received their full eligible allocation. Thirty-nine organizations are new Elevate! recipients, alongside continued investment in programs that have previously received funding.

Columbus is the 15th largest city in the United States and one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the Midwest. With a diverse economy and strong neighborhoods, Columbus is nationally recognized for its affordability, quality of life and proactive approach to fostering growth to benefit all residents.

To view the full list of funded organizations click here.

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