Where East Bay kids learn to make.
We run the largest community-based youth robotics league in the United States, a community engineering lab, a yearly school maker faire, and popup maker spaces across the East Bay. Free or low-cost. Run by parents and volunteers.
-
~1,000
kids on robotics teams
-
90+
schools across 20 East Bay cities
-
125+
robotics teams, K through 12
-
1,900+
volunteer hours logged
From LEGO bricks to championship robots.
Whether your kid is snapping a LEGO brick for the first time or driving a 120-pound competition robot at the championship, we have a team that fits.
Ages · K–3rd
Younger kids building LEGO Technic together
Your kid's first robot. LEGO bricks, simple programming, no pressure.
FIRST LEGO League ChallengeAges · 4th–8th
A Challenge team at the SUBMERGED season tournament
LEGO robots plus a research project. Kids design, code, and present.
FIRST Tech ChallengeAges · 7th–12th
A playoff match at the league tournament
Metal robots, Java code, regional tournaments. Middle and high schoolers building serious machines.
FIRST Robotics CompetitionAges · high school
Highlander Robotics 8033 around the robot at championship
120 pounds of competition robot. Built by high schoolers, season after season.
Come make something with us.
Year-round community maker events for kids and grown-ups.
Annual · next May 2027
Our biggest event of the year
Kids at the Maker Faire LEGO play table
K-12 kids show what they made all year: Rube Goldberg machines, robots, embroidered patches, soldered circuits, 3D-printed everything. Free, open to the public.
Learn more →
Popup Maker SpacesSporadic Saturdays · Sign up to hear first
Hands-on workshops, drop in and make
Kids and parents making at a popup maker space
A few times a year we open a space and load it with tools: soldering irons, sewing machines, 3D printers, cardboard, hot glue, whatever's on hand. Show up and make.
Learn more →
Build Like a GirlMultiple sessions · Watch the newsletter
Inspiring girls in STEAM
Older FRC students demoing a robot to a crowd of younger girls
Older girls from our FRC and FTC teams teach the younger ones. Hands-on robotics with serious tools. By girls, for girls.
Learn more →
From the community
Piedmont Makers is what makes this community special.
Latest from the blog.
Project recaps, season updates, photos from the field. For sign-up windows and anything time-sensitive, the newsletter is faster.
-
Apr 21, 2026
Highlander Robotics Team 8033 Update — April 2026
Team 8033 attended the first-ever Nor Cal District Championship. They won the Impact Award at the San Francisco District tournament, narrowly missed Worlds, and shipped a long list of outreach wins.
Read post →
-
Apr 20, 2026
Advanced Robotics Open House — May 17
Secondary students and their families are invited to an informational gathering on May 17 to explore opportunities for the upcoming robotics season.
Read post →
-
Apr 20, 2026
FIRST Tech Challenge Registration Now Open
Registration is open for the Piedmont Makers FIRST Tech Challenge fall season — grades 7–12, August through February.
Read post →
why we make
When students build something with their own hands, they build something else too: belief in themselves.
We're a 501(c)(3) run by parents and volunteers. Most of what we do is free or low-cost. Each year we give $25,000+ in STEAM grants to Piedmont Unified teachers, run robotics teams across the East Bay, host a community engineering lab, put on a school maker faire (now in its 12th year), and open popup maker spaces around the East Bay.
The reason it all works is the same reason most good community things work: a lot of people show up, regularly, and pitch in.
Three ways to keep this going.
We're an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit. Any of these helps a lot.
Donate
Direct to programs. Square-processed. Tax-deductible.
Go to donate.piedmontmakers.org →
we need you!Volunteer
We're volunteer-run start to finish. Coach a team, mentor at Maker Faire, help with the next popup. Every event has its own signup.
See upcoming events →
on BonfireBuy a shirt
Makey, in full color, on quality cotton. Proceeds fund the programs.
Shop the store →