Sparkden gives teenagers free cloud hosting, laptops, hardware and mentorship so the only thing between them and a live project is the will to build it. Right now we have more students than our budget can carry, and your gift closes that gap.
That money is what lets us say yes to every student who signs up, and puts us on track to reach 20,000+ students by the end of 2027.
I'll be straight with you: Sparkden is in a hard stretch financially. More students are joining than our current budget can support. Every one of them needs their projects hosted on SparkCloud, and many need things we haven't been able to pay for yet: a laptop, materials for a project, a seat at a hackathon.
This isn't a goodbye note. Sparkden is not shutting down. Students keep their projects online, and we keep saying yes to new ones. But right now that promise is covered the hard way: constant fundraising, and working separate jobs to pay the bills, so that I can keep building the charity I've dreamed about for years.
Every gift makes that gap smaller. A monthly gift, even a small one, helps most, because our biggest cost is monthly too.
Largest cost first. Shares are our target split of the goal; they flex with student need, but SparkCloud is always the biggest line.
Servers, databases, storage, bandwidth and domains that keep every student project live.
Shipping, supplies, payment processing, compliance and the tools that run a nonprofit.
Sponsoring hackathons and student tech events so solo coders become teams.
Turning retired Chromebooks into capable Linux laptops for students without one.
Students upload 3D models, sticker designs and laser-cut files; we make and ship them.
Mentors, live AMAs, and real people who unblock students stuck on their code.
Flyers and campaigns, plus targeted outreach for region-restricted gifts.
We take old, donated Chromebooks, upgrade and modify the hardware, replace ChromeOS with a full Linux install, and hand them to students who don't have a laptop to build on. Funding covers replacement parts (storage, batteries, chargers), tools, and shipping each finished machine to a student.
Students upload a 3D model, a sticker design, or something they want laser cut, and we fabricate it in-house and ship it back within a few days. Everything is made by us, so funding goes to the hardware itself (3D printers, a laser cutter, a sticker cutter) plus filament, materials and upkeep.
The Builder Program is a working name. Have old Chromebooks to donate? Email ethan@sparkden.org.
Fund a line above outright (SparkCloud for a semester, a batch of refurbished Chromebooks, a hackathon) and we'll track and report against it. Region-restricted or earmarked grants are honored: those funds go straight to outreach and support in the area you specify.
A secure link shows exactly how every dollar of your grant is spent, allocated line by line and updated in real time. No report request needed.
The Spark Forward Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 42-2930302). You get an official, printable receipt right after your gift and can look it up again any time.
