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.

In 2023 we moved our workshop to the Prospect Park Neighborhood of Minneapolis, centrally located in the Twin Cities. After 25 years in Southwest Minneapolis, this was a significant change. In additon to being more accessible to families, the physial space is remarkable:  30'-tall ceilings, giant overhead doors and an outdoor "Adventure Playground" whith a 24'-tall Death Star that teens built over the past two summers. In 2024 we will work with over 2,000 young people ages 6-17.

Funds raised through GTMD go directly to our Scholarship Fund which subsidizes the cost of workshops for 18% of families. Please help us meet our goal of $10,000 for 2024. 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

Nearly 20% 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!