The Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
The Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, according to an Ohio State press release Monday.
The money will be used in part to help the Chase Center and Ohio State accelerate outreach programs that “equip K-12 students, teachers and communities to sustain the American experiment.” That according to a statement from Lee Strang, the center’s executive director, which was included in the release.
“This grant demonstrates the Department of Education’s confidence in Ohio State’s mission to equip leaders and engaged citizens,” Ravi Bellamkonda, executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, said in the release. “With this support, the Chase Center will be able to better serve our students and communities across the state in line with our land-grant mission.”
Chris Booker, university spokesperson, said in an email that the grant was applied for on July 22. Chase Center Executive Director Lee Strang said in the release that the grant was “a recognition that Ohio is leading the way.”
“Through the statewide civics consortium, our universities are working together to confront civic decline and provide a model for the rest of the country,” Strang said.
The Chase Center launched its inaugural courses at the start of the 2025 Autumn semester, per prior Lantern reporting.
The Chase Center was established in 2023 by the Ohio Legislature as a part of Senate Bill 117, along with other “civic engagement centers,” at Miami University, the University of Toledo, the University of Cincinnati and Cleveland State University, according to Special Commentary in the Ohio Senate by bill co-sponsor Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland.
Strang said that with the support of the U.S. Department of Education, the Chase Center and Ohio State will accelerate outreach programs that “equip K-12 students, teachers and communities to sustain the American experiment.”
More information about the Chase Center can be found on its website.
