1,000+ East Bay kids are building robots this season.
We're a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) putting hands-on STEAM within reach of families across the East Bay: FIRST Robotics teams from kindergarten through high school, a community engineering lab, a school maker faire, and grants that put tools into classrooms.
three ways to jump in ↓
Kids from across the East Bay at a season tournament.
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1,000+
kids on robotics teams
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90+
schools across 25+ East Bay cities
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$25K+
in teacher grants annually
-
40%
girls in LEGO League
The largest community-based youth robotics league in the United States.
It runs on parent coaches, high school mentors, and donors who cover what registration fees don't. Kids learn engineering by building something that has to work on competition day, and the older kids teach the younger ones.
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150+
teams across all four FIRST levels
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46%
of kids come from outside Piedmont
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10%
of participants come from Title 1 schools
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1,900+
volunteer hours logged in a year
Puts a robotics kit in a kid's hands
LEGO kits, competition parts, game tables, and uniforms, supplied to every team so families aren't buying their way in.
Keeps cost from deciding who participates
Financial aid is available at every level, quietly and on request. No kid gets turned away over the fee.
Backs the adults who make it work
Coach training, lesson plans, and a Slack community of 130+ coaches, so a parent with no engineering background can still run a strong team.
Three ways to back East Bay kids.
Keep the Bay Area's only community robotics field open.
Highlander Robotics 8033 built and runs the 10th Street practice field in Oakland, the only community-accessible full-size FIRST Robotics Competition field in the Bay Area. Piedmont Makers holds the multi-year lease as fiscal sponsor so the space stays open to everyone.
In its first six months, 32 teams across FRC, FTC, and LEGO League logged 1,300+ practice hours there. Teams that used to drive to East Palo Alto for full-field practice now practice close to home. Gifts at this level cover rent, tooling, and field parts for every team that walks in, not only ours.
Suggested levels
Give to 10th Street →Any amount welcome. To discuss a larger or multi-year commitment, email hello@piedmontmakers.org.
Fund a kid's season.
Smaller gifts buy kits and parts, cover competition fees, and pay for the financial aid that keeps cost from deciding who gets to participate. A season for one kid runs $200 to $800 depending on the level.
Go to donate.piedmontmakers.org →
tax-deductible!
Give your timeSpend your season with the kids.
Coach a team, mentor at a tournament, judge at the maker faire, or lend a few hours where they're needed. No engineering background required, and no donation either. We train you.
Email hello@piedmontmakers.org →
we'll write back!
Piedmont Makers is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 47-2831568. Serving the East Bay since 2014.