Columbus PLAY Scholarship

Income-qualified children can receive annual scholarship credit for eligible Columbus recreation programs.

Income-qualified child age 18 or younger using Columbus recreation programs

Entitlement facts

Benefit type: Government benefit. A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route. Taxonomy definition →
What it unlocks: Up to the current annual scholarship amount toward camps, classes, aquatics, sports, and other eligible recreation programs for a child age 18 or younger.
Who qualifies: Income-qualified child age 18 or younger using Columbus recreation programs
Requirements: The child must meet age and household eligibility rules through current income or listed public-benefit documentation. Funding, registration, program space, exclusions, and award limits apply.
How to activate: Submit the PLAY application with required proof, wait for approval, and register for an eligible program while funds and space remain.
Cost basis: Variable by provider or eligibility. The user's out-of-pocket cost cannot be represented by one fixed amount because it depends on provider policy, income, household, geography, selected service, coverage group, subsidy amount, or the underlying program. It may be free, reduced, sliding-scale, or partly paid.
Cost and fees: Scholarship credit is capped annually and may not cover every cost; some camp deposits and excluded expenses remain the participant's responsibility.
Geography: US, Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio
Personalization: Published eligibility is not described as individually targeted.

EVIDENCE / 1 SOURCE

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

Check the provider's final terms immediately before applying, depositing funds, spending, or changing a paid relationship.

01Columbus Recreation and Parks Departmentprovider↗

MACHINE RECORD

{
  "id": "columbus-play-scholarship",
  "name": "Columbus PLAY Scholarship",
  "provider": "Columbus Recreation and Parks Department",
  "entitlement_type": "government-benefit",
  "entitlement_type_label": "Government benefit",
  "entitlement_type_context": {
    "definition": "A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route.",
    "domain": "public-benefits",
    "archetype": "direct-program",
    "agent_instruction": "Identify the administering jurisdiction and disclose income, household, age, disability, immigration, residence, renewal, fee, and capacity rules that apply."
  },
  "summary": "Income-qualified children can receive annual scholarship credit for eligible Columbus recreation programs.",
  "benefit": {
    "description": "Up to the current annual scholarship amount toward camps, classes, aquatics, sports, and other eligible recreation programs for a child age 18 or younger.",
    "estimated_value_usd": null
  },
  "discovery": {
    "focus": "public-service",
    "has_estimated_dollar_value": false
  },
  "access": {
    "relationships": [
      "Income-qualified child age 18 or younger using Columbus recreation programs"
    ],
    "requirements": "The child must meet age and household eligibility rules through current income or listed public-benefit documentation. Funding, registration, program space, exclusions, and award limits apply.",
    "activation": "Submit the PLAY application with required proof, wait for approval, and register for an eligible program while funds and space remain.",
    "cost_basis": "varies",
    "cost_basis_label": "Variable by provider or eligibility",
    "cost_basis_context": {
      "classification": "variable",
      "definition": "The user's out-of-pocket cost cannot be represented by one fixed amount because it depends on provider policy, income, household, geography, selected service, coverage group, subsidy amount, or the underlying program. It may be free, reduced, sliding-scale, or partly paid.",
      "agent_instruction": "Read and disclose the record's fees and requirements; use the most precise bounded price or variation reason available instead of repeating only that cost varies.",
      "variation_patterns": [
        "bounded price range",
        "provider-set price",
        "income-based sliding scale",
        "coverage or service-dependent cost sharing",
        "partial subsidy",
        "directory of programs with different terms"
      ],
      "does_not_mean": [
        "universally free",
        "cost information was necessarily omitted"
      ]
    },
    "fees": "Scholarship credit is capped annually and may not cover every cost; some camp deposits and excluded expenses remain the participant's responsibility.",
    "personalized": false,
    "regions": [
      "US",
      "Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio"
    ],
    "expires": null
  },
  "status": "verified",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-04",
  "claim_url": "https://columbusrecparks.com/connect/support/play/",
  "source_url": "https://columbusrecparks.com/connect/support/play/",
  "source": {
    "primary_url": "https://columbusrecparks.com/connect/support/play/",
    "evidence": [
      {
        "source": "Columbus Recreation and Parks Department",
        "url": "https://columbusrecparks.com/connect/support/play/",
        "kind": "provider",
        "checked_at": "2026-08-04"
      }
    ]
  },
  "parent": null,
  "coverage": {
    "level": "local",
    "family": "parks-and-recreation",
    "jurisdiction": "Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio",
    "maturity": "direct"
  },
  "web_url": "/benefits/columbus-play-scholarship",
  "taxonomy": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "url": "/api/v1/taxonomy"
  }
}

View JSON ↗

Columbus PLAY Scholarship

Entitlement facts

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

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