Franklin County Historical Society

Franklin County Historical Society, doing business as Cosi (Center of Science and Industry), is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit organization that develops and delivers STEM and STEAM education programs, informal science learning kits, museum visitor research, and public outreach to federal agencies as a prime grant recipient. Cosi competes in full and open competition with no set-aside designations across its federal footprint. The organization operates predominantly as a federal grant recipient (29 of 33 recent awards, or 88%), with a smaller subcontract footprint under state agencies receiving federal pass-through funding.

Cosi's capability portfolio centers on hands-on science education kit development and distribution, museum-based youth programming, informal STEM learning research, and public awareness outreach. Recent representative work includes a $799,921 cooperative agreement with NASA (awarded February 2022, completing October 2024) to create and distribute NASA Learning Lunchbox kits focused on the Artemis program and the James Webb Space Telescope targeting underserved youth nationwide; a $400,184 project grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded October 2025 to develop strategic planning capabilities and a reusable toolkit for Ohio museums in collaboration with the Ohio Museums Association; and a $229,580 cooperative agreement from the Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (awarded August 2026, completing July 2027) to develop interactive exhibits, digital learning resources, and community outreach programs addressing spotted lanternfly, spongy moth, and Asian longhorned beetle awareness and reporting in Ohio. Cosi also holds a $749,991 project grant from IMLS National Leadership Grants (awarded October 2025, completing September 2028) to conduct a needs assessment establishing foundations for research collaborations on intensive STEM-based youth programs in museum settings.

Customer concentration spreads across multiple federal agencies without dominant concentration. The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science jointly account for 58% of recent awards by count. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center anchors the potential-value ranking with two awards totaling $800 thousand. Cosi has worked with 16 distinct federal agencies in recent years, including the Smithsonian Institution (4 awards), the National Science Foundation (3 awards), the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (2 awards), the Department of the Navy, and the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Award activity has declined modestly — five awards in 2023 to two in 2026 — with four awards reaching completion within the next twenty-four months. Cosi subcontracts as a sub-recipient under the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services on workforce development and youth work readiness projects and under the Ohio Department of Development on state energy planning, performing STEM education and workforce readiness components within state-level federal pass-through grants.