Leonardo’s Basement

Since 1998 Leonardo's Basement has inspired over 40,000 young people to learn critical thinking, technical, and crucial personal skills by designing and building engineering, art, and technology projects.

The past two years have been challenging but have forced us to look critically at the organization, programs, participants, and the role that we play in the community. We are proud to have made meaningful and lasting changes; and excited about the future. 

Funds raised through GTMD go directly to our Scholarship Fund which subsidizes the cost of workshops for 24% of families. Please help us meet our goal of $10,000 for 2022. Thank you in advance for your support.

"I remember getting to work on really cool projects that were entirely directed by the students with the teachers just assisting. This experience formed my expectations for how learning should be for the rest of my life. "  Sam R, alumni

Small class sizes allow for over 14 amazing teachers and 6 assistants, to personalize instruction. This is even more important for the growing number of students with special learning needs that are drawn to hands-on classes in an extraordinary workshop setting.

"Leonardo’s encouraged me to become a teacher. It’s where I got my foot in the door in terms of teaching. "  Jeff B, alumni

Nearly one-fourth of all students receive scholarships and your gift will make it possible for all children to experience the pride and satisfaction that comes from designing and building projects that they take home for further experimentation.

"Leonardo's Basement fosters a unique creative community where kids can start thinking of art/design as a process rather than a product. In my few years at RISD, I learned that process needs to be emphasized and that design thinking needs to be applied to other disciplines (science, politics, education...)."  Keela P, alumni

Leonardo’s Basement offers two core programs:

School Partnerships: Students in grades K-16 attend field trips at Leonardo's Basement for STEM and creative enrichment experiences that are not possible in most schools. In addition, Leonardo's Basement brings its unique programming to schools via residencies and family events.

Workshops: During the summer 125 different week long workshop options are presented to 1,200 girls and boys ages 6-17.  Birthday parties are a great introduction to programs that include youth, teen, adult, and family workshops throughout the year.

Learn more and register for workshops and events at leonardosbasement.org

In 2018 we celebrated 20 years of building!