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13h ago

Chad Smith Establishes Need-Based Music Scholarship at University of Michigan

The gift links his Midwest roots to a plan to expand access to high-quality music education for aspiring performers.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith performs with the Michigan Marching Band in Hill Auditorium on the campus of the University of Michigan Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith holds a pair of drum sticks in Hill Auditorium on the campus of the University of Michigan Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
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Overview

  • The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is partnering with the Chad Smith Foundation to create the Curtis & Joan Smith Scholarship.
  • The award will go to an incoming undergraduate starting in fall 2026, with selection focused on financial need and commitment to a music career.
  • Smith unveiled the partnership during a surprise Band-O-Rama appearance, performing “Can’t Stop” with the Michigan Marching Band at Hill Auditorium.
  • Named for his parents, Curtis and Joan, the scholarship follows a similarly titled award launched two months earlier at the University of Minnesota, where his parents studied.
  • Smith’s Detroit-area upbringing and his foundation’s mission shape a multi-institution effort aimed at widening opportunity for Midwestern music students.