Every Builder
Starts Here.
Free AI programs that equip every generation to solve real problems. From K-8 students to business owners and seniors, we build the tools to own the future.
Our Ideas. Our Future. We Build the Door.
Buildrs Nation gives under-resourced communities the same AI tools used by professional builders, consultants, and strategists — and asks them what they want to build. Our K-8 students design apps, games, and real-world solutions of their own choosing. Through our Builders Sector Network, we extend the same methodology to mission-aligned youth-focused nonprofits, supporting their strategic capacity. Across our eight interlocking programs, we prove what becomes possible when everyone — regardless of age, zip code, or resource level — has access to the same tools.
Same tools. All ages. Real builders.
Our vision is a future where every child, every parent, and every mission-aligned organization — regardless of zip code or resource level — builds with AI as fluently as the most-resourced organizations on earth.
The AI Revolution Is Leaving Kids Behind
Across Minneapolis and St. Paul, the gap between kids who have access to technology and those who don't isn't just an opportunity gap — it's a crisis. While some kids are already building with AI, students in under-resourced communities are being left out of the most important technological shift in a generation.
Minneapolis households lack high-speed internet — nearly 1 in 5 families, concentrated in North Minneapolis and communities of color
Source: City of Minneapolis, Digital Equity Program, 2022
students in Minneapolis Public Schools experienced homelessness in 2022–23 — 7% of all enrolled students, disproportionately Black, Hispanic, and Native American
Source: Minneapolis Public Schools, Homeless & Highly Mobile Student Services, 2022–23
IT job openings projected in Minnesota this decade, with tech occupations growing 15% — but our students aren’t being prepared to fill them
Source: Minnesota DEED, 2022–2032 Long-Term Employment Projections
children in North Minneapolis (55411, 55412) live below the poverty line — nearly double the national average
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates
In 2025, Minnesota eliminated all state funding for computer science education
Only 36% of MN high schools offer CS courses — ranking 48th nationally. The full-time CS coordinator position at MDE was cut to $0.
Sources: Code.org, 2024 State of CS Education · MnTech / CSforAll-MN Coalition, 2025
In May 2025, the federal government terminated Minnesota's $12 million Digital Equity grant
Community-based programs are now the primary path to digital access and AI literacy for under-resourced families.
Source: Minnesota DEED, Office of Broadband Development, May 2025
“The children who will build the future are already here. They're in North Minneapolis, in Frogtown, in Brooklyn Center, in Phillips. They just haven't been handed the tools yet.”
— That's why Buildrs Nation exists.
We Don't Teach Kids About AI.
We Hand Them the Tools and Say:
What Do You Want to Build?
Most technology programs teach young people to follow instructions. Buildrs Nation teaches them to give instructions — to think like founders, problem-solvers, and creators using AI as their building tool.
What Makes Buildrs Nation Different
Your child's idea comes first
Every builder starts with THEIR idea — a game, a business, a book, a community solution. AI helps them build it.
Kids lead, AI assists, mentors guide
Builders direct the AI — they give the instructions, evaluate the output, and make the decisions. Trained mentors coach without taking over.
Real projects, not tutorials
The output is something your child created and owns — not a worksheet or a completed exercise.
Community problems, community solutions
As the program grows, builders will tackle solutions for real challenges in their community — projects for local organizations, churches, food banks, and small businesses.
Public showcase, not a private grade
Every cohort ends with a Builder's Showcase where builders present their work to families and community.
AI Explorers
“AI is your creative partner”
Young builders discover that computers can be friends. They use AI to tell stories, make music, and build imaginary worlds — no typing required.
Sample Projects
AI Creators
“You are the boss. AI is your assistant.”
Builders take the wheel. They learn to give AI real instructions, think through problems, and turn their ideas into actual apps and businesses.
Sample Projects
AI Builders
“Build real things that matter.”
Advanced builders tackle real community problems. They launch actual products, run mini-startups, and present their solutions to real audiences.
Sample Projects
Your Child's Safety Is Non-Negotiable.
Before we talk about AI, we talk about your child. Here is exactly how we keep every kid safe — every session, no exceptions.
Background Checks Required
All mentors and adult volunteers must complete background checks before working with students. No adult will begin student-facing service until screening and onboarding are complete.
Two-Adult Rule
No child is ever alone with one adult. Two trained adults present at all times.
Data Protected
Your child's name and personal information are never entered into any AI tool. Ever.
Supervised Location
Planned sessions will take place in supervised community spaces with sign-in/sign-out procedures.
Insurance Coverage
General liability and participant accident insurance will be in place before the first session. No student participates without coverage.
AI Safety Controls
All AI tools run through age-appropriate content filters. Mentors screen every AI output before kids see it. No child's name, photo, or personal information is ever entered into any AI system.
Parents Welcome
Observe any session, any time. No appointment needed.
Measured Impact
Every cohort will be evaluated with pre/post skills assessments, project portfolios, attendance tracking, and parent surveys so we can prove what works and improve what doesn't.
Questions Parents Ask
WHERE WE'RE GOING
Starting in Community Centers.
Growing into Classrooms.
Our model is built to scale. We prove it works in community centers first, then bring the same curriculum into schools — so every kid gets access where they already are.
Community Centers in North Minneapolis
Summer 2026 pilot launching at community centers in North Minneapolis. Building partnerships with local organizations to bring free AI education directly into the neighborhood.
Every Community Center + Schools
Expand across Minneapolis and St. Paul — community centers and classrooms. Meet kids where they already are.
Statewide Access
Every under-resourced kid in Minnesota has access to free AI education — no matter their zip code.
Craig Clay
Founder & Executive Director
“A man named Kevin Dildy showed me what happens when someone invests in you. I'm building what he built — with AI as the new tool.”
Built by a Father.
For Every Child.
When Craig Clay was growing up in the Northside projects of North Minneapolis, the community centers were everything. Glenwood-Lyndale. Harrison Park. Phyllis Wheatley. North Commons. He practically lived in those buildings — pickup basketball, homework help, and adults who actually showed up for you.
One program at Glenwood-Lyndale paid kids $20 a week just to come in, do their homework, and get help from staff and mentors. Twenty dollars doesn't sound like much — but for a kid in the Northside projects, it meant someone was investing in you before the world told you whether you were worth it.
As a young man, Craig worked at the Minneapolis Park Board and at Project for Pride in Living (PPL), supervising kids on their summer jobs. At PPL, he met Kevin Dildy — a mentor, teacher, and father figure who was widely respected across the Minneapolis nonprofit world for his tireless commitment to young people. Kevin passed away years ago, but what he planted in Craig never stopped growing.
Years later, Craig taught himself to build technology — just determination and YouTube tutorials at 2 AM. He built Omo Quest — a complete learning platform for children — alone, for his own four kids, because they deserved better tools than what existed. And then he had a realization: every kid in his old neighborhood deserved the same thing.
When Craig looked at what AI could do — how a child could describe an idea and watch it come to life, how a 10-year-old could build an app by talking to a machine — he knew this was the moment. AI is the great equalizer, but only if the kids who need it most actually get access to it. Right now, they don't.
Buildrs Nation is Craig's answer. A return to what worked — community spaces where kids show up, feel valued, and build something real. Except now, the tool is AI. Instead of just homework help, kids get a personal building partner. Instead of $20 a week, they get skills worth a lifetime. But the core is the same: a place that feels like home, where someone invests in you.
Craig's four kids — the inspiration behind everything.
Built By People Who Show Up.
Our founding board brings marketing vision, legal governance, community trust, education expertise, and financial accountability to every decision we make.
Craig Clay
Founder & Executive Director
Former Minneapolis Park Board staff and Project for Pride in Living youth supervisor. Self-taught technologist who built Omo Quest, a learning platform for children, entirely on his own. Craig founded Buildrs Nation to bring AI-powered building tools to the kids and communities that shaped him.
Shondrelle Burkhalter
Chair — Marketing & Community Engagement
A marketing and communications professional with a passion for storytelling, community impact, and strategic engagement. With experience spanning nonprofit leadership, public relations, and creative direction, Shondrelle brings a thoughtful and innovative approach to advancing mission-driven work. Deeply committed to empowering communities and creating meaningful experiences that inspire connection and growth.
Marcus "Bud" Adail
Vice Chair — Youth Programs & Outreach
"The Mayor of the Northside." Founder of Ball 2U Fall Basketball. Youth coach, entrepreneur, and union worker. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, raised on the Northside. 16 years working with kids in North Minneapolis. Bud brings deep trust, visibility, and long-standing relationships across the North Minneapolis community.
Dr. Roderick Van Daniel, Esq.
Secretary — Legal & Education
Civil rights attorney. Ph.D. in Education from Mississippi State. J.D. from Birmingham School of Law. Rod brings legal governance and education policy expertise to keep Buildrs Nation compliant, protected, and credible. A family connection to the founder and a lifelong advocate for equity in education.
Jenna Porrazzo
Treasurer — Finance & Families
Born and raised in Minneapolis. 21 years dedicated to kids in Minneapolis Public Schools. Jenna knows the families Buildrs Nation serves by name — and as Treasurer, she brings that same daily accountability to every dollar the organization touches.
Karl "Killa" Gilleylen
Director — Community Partnerships & Parks
39 years of service at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board — one of the longest-tenured employees in the organization's history. A dedicated youth mentor who has spent nearly four decades investing in the development of young people across Minneapolis neighborhoods. Karl brings unmatched institutional knowledge of the park system and deep community trust to every partnership Buildrs Nation builds.
Builders Backing Builders.
A Grammy winning songwriter who helped build records that defined a decade. A nonprofit CEO running ten active programs. The head of global business development at one of the world's leading AI music platforms. A community organizer who scaled a festival from 525 to 10,000 attendees in four years. A tech entrepreneur expanding AI access in under-resourced cities. Between them, they helped raise $150 million for technology innovators and contributed to a $1 billion international trade program. They built things first. Now they back the kids in North Minneapolis building next.
Vincent Berry II
Chief Technology & AI Advisor
Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer, six time nominated, who wrote "Sandcastles" on Beyonce's Lemonade (named Album of the Decade by the Associated Press). Former emerging manager at JA Capital Partners, where he helped raise $150 million for tech innovators. Founder of Twenty2 Partners, connecting the African Diaspora with African nations, and Intra African Trade Goodwill Ambassador for AfreximBank, contributing to the $1 billion CANEX Programme. Founder of Write My Song, a nonprofit putting creative studios in schools and communities. Morehouse College. Beverly Hills, CA.
Yoshi Kondo
AI Industry & Strategic Partnerships Advisor
Head of Global Business Development at SOUNDRAW, one of the world's leading AI music platforms. Spent ten years at Warner Music Group before moving into the AI industry. Speaker at Mondo.NYC on generative AI dealmaking and co-host of the Human Unicorn Podcast. Brings deep connections across the AI, music, and startup ecosystems. New York, NY.
Mike Page
Festival, AI & Community Impact Advisor
CEO and Founder of the Mike Page Foundation, a 501(c)(3) running ten active programs serving thousands of families. Founder of IDMG and Love on the Lawn, a community festival that grew from 525 attendees to over 10,000 in four years featuring national headliners, earning an official proclamation from the Mayor of Elgin and the Kane County Community Impact Award. Lifelong musician, app developer, and AI practitioner. Built every program entirely self funded. Formerly based in Minneapolis. Elgin, IL.
Tyrell Thornton
Grants, AI & Strategic Expansion Advisor
Community organizer, nonprofit strategist, and app developer with deep roots in both Chicago and Minneapolis. Co-Founder and Director of Love on the Lawn, an annual community festival reaching over 10,000 attendees. AI practitioner and builder. Experienced in grant strategy, community development, and nonprofit operations through the Mike Page Foundation. Chicago, IL.
Curtis Stephens III
Tech Operations & AI Advisor
Tech entrepreneur and AI practitioner with hands-on experience building AI and tech businesses across Detroit's growing tech ecosystem. Committed to expanding AI education into under-resourced communities. Former college athlete at Siena Heights University. Detroit, MI.
Our Team in the Community
Bud Adail — 16 years coaching youth in North Minneapolis
Building trust, one huddle at a time
Our leadership team is growing. If you bring expertise in education, technology, community development, or nonprofit operations, we want to hear from you. Interested? Reach out.
Join the Movement.
We don't just teach kids. We build the whole community. Whether you are a student starting your first app, a parent learning AI career skills, or a business owner scaling with tech, there is a seat at the table for you. No fees. No barriers. Just building.
Choose Your Path
Pick from 7 programs designed for every age and goal. Kids, parents, teens, seniors, business owners, and career changers.
Show Up
Join our community space in North Minneapolis for hands on building and collaboration. We provide everything.
Build & Showcase
Launch your project and present it to the community. Resumes, apps, businesses, certifications. Real results.
Is this really free?
Yes. Every program for every age is 100% free. We believe tech education is a right, not a luxury.
Do I need to be a tech expert?
Not at all. We start with the basics and build together. Whether you are 8 or 80, you can learn this.
What kind of things do you build?
Kids build games and apps. Parents build resumes and career tools. Business owners build marketing systems. Seniors learn to stay connected and safe online.
How do the adult programs work?
Flexible schedules for parents, business owners, seniors, and career changers. Learn to use AI to save time, earn more, and stay connected.
Is AI safe for my child?
Yes. All youth programs use age appropriate AI tools with safety filters. Trained mentors supervise every session.
Where do sessions happen?
At a community center in North Minneapolis. Exact details are shared with registered participants before the program begins.
Enrollment is open. All programs are free. Choose your path.
The Future Doesn't Wait.
Neither Should These Builders.
Our summer pilot launches this year at community centers in North Minneapolis. Your support helps fund Chromebooks, AI tools, curriculum, and trained mentors for our founding cohort of young builders — at no cost to their families.
$2,000 puts one builder in a seat for a full year.
That covers a Chromebook, AI tools, trained facilitators, curriculum, snacks every session, and a Builder's Showcase where they present what they built. Every dollar is tax-deductible.
Invest in a BuilderGiving tiers from $25 to $250,000. Secure payment via Stripe. 501(c)(3) tax-deductible (EIN: 41-5051913).
Volunteer
Become a mentor
Have skills in tech, design, or entrepreneurship? Spend a few hours a month helping a young builder create something real. We train you. You show up.
- 3 hours/month minimum
- Full training provided
- All skill levels welcome
Partner
Bring it to your community
Are you a community center, church, school, or organization? Let’s bring Buildrs Nation programming to the young people you serve.
- We bring devices, curriculum, and mentors
- Your space, our program
- Co-branded community impact
Registered Minnesota Nonprofit
EIN: 41-5051913 · 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organization · Background checks required before launch · Two-adult rule at all times
Questions? We'd love to hear from you.
info@buildrsnation.org