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Chattanooga nonprofits Songbirds Foundation, Dynamo Studios merge

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Mason Bonawitz, front, and Qeilen Brown, both 13, work together at a sound board at Dynamo Studios on April 5, 2022. Dynamo has merged with fellow Chattanooga-based nonprofit Songbirds Foundation, furthering the organizations' ability to help young Chattanoogans develop skills and pursue careers in the creative economy. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Mason Bonawitz, front, and Qeilen Brown, both 13, work together at a sound board at Dynamo Studios on April 5, 2022. Dynamo has merged with fellow Chattanooga-based nonprofit Songbirds Foundation, furthering the organizations' ability to help young Chattanoogans develop skills and pursue careers in the creative economy.

By Sam Still September 14, 2025 4 min read

Two Chattanooga nonprofits have merged, furthering the organizations’ ability to help young Chattanoogans develop skills and pursue careers in the creative economy.

The merger sees Dynamo Studios joining the Songbirds Foundation, with Dynamo becoming a brand under Songbirds, foundation Executive Director John Dooley said by phone. Songbirds’ education programs, like Guitars for Kids and Write to Rock, will continue through Dynamo in addition to Dynamo’s existing programming, Dooley said.

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“If you’re a student, this is excellent because if you have any interest at all in the creative economy, whether you want to be a content creator, you want to be a photographer, you want to be a musician, it just expands our services,” Dooley said of the merger. “So, we’re in a much better position to open up new after-school programming, in-school programming, master classes to get you where you want to go. If you’re an adult or an established creator in the city, we’re really excited to be opening up extended learning opportunities for established artists, and that includes resources and opportunities to get where you want to go.”