Leonardo’s Basement

This past year (our 25th!) has been very interesting. In January we lost our lease and had to find a new home in less than two months. But first we needed to raise funds for the unexcepted move and find a new space. We received commitment for the move from 234 people and found a wonderful building in the geographic center of the Twin Cities, the Prospect Park Neighborhood of Minneapolis.

After remodeling the new workshop was ready for summer classes and we saw nearly 1,000 kids and teens. It was exciting and they began work on a new outdoor Adventure Playground.

Funds raised through GTMD go directly to our Scholarship Fund which subsidizes the cost of workshops for 26% of families. Please help us meet our goal of $10,000 for 2023. Thank you in advance for your support.

"I just wanted to say thank you for the experience my son had last week. Leonardo’s is a very special place.  We appreciate the ability for him to create organically." Kelsey E, parent

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 was a favorite spot of my son’s about 10 years ago. I hope it’s around for decades more for all of the creative kids like him who take their mothers’ appliances apart without the creative outlet Leonardo’s provides. (He’s now happily working at an industrial engineering firm where he gets to “reverse engineer” and build to his heart’s delight!)" Jill H, parent

Over 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.

"My son took a class at Leonardo's Basement when he was in half day Kindergarten - 11 years ago. His teacher gave him a glove to wear when glue-gunning because he was too little to be able to wait for the glue to cool. :-)"  Rachel B, parent

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!