Announcement
National Endowment for the Arts Grant
We're honored to receive a $20,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts!
Fear Less. Build More.
Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and building program and dedicated workspace for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9-18. Through classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art, we support and equip a community of fearless girls* who are building the world they want to see. Established 2013.
Speak up. Stand out. Make trouble.
*“Girls” refers to gender-expansive youth (cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth, and any girl-identified youth).
Upcoming Sessions
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After-School Program
Protest + Print
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After-School Program
Carpentry + Woodworking
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After-School Program
Advanced Design/Build
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Summer Program
Young Women's Design and Building Institute
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Summer Program
Builder Bootcamp
Testimonials & Impact
“Girls Garage has opened up doors to so many different worlds that I would have not known existed if it wasn’t for this program. It shows every girl that they have in each of them a person who can do anything. They give you tools that can be used throughout your whole life along with an amazing community that cheers you on every step of the way.”
— Iris
“Free tuition at Girls Garage has eliminated any barriers that could deprive me of an experience that I believe all girls should have access to. It has allowed me to practice something I am passionate about, in a safe space, without having to worry about fees, as well as allowed some of my closest friends to attend these empowering classes with me. If I wasn’t able to be a part of Girls Garage, I would have never found my love for engineering and design, which is what I’m going to do in college and as a career in the future.”
— Erica, 17 years old
“When I'm here, I do all the things people tell me I can't.”
— Solyana, 15 years old
“Working with these girls for a very long time has been amazing. I’ve know some for 5+ years and some for barely a week, but I feel like working on this huge project together has made us all even closer. One of my favorite things on the whole process was physically building the actual parklet with the other girls. It was so much fun to work together and hear everyone’s ideas and strategies. Another thing I really enjoyed was the woman from the landscaping architecture firm who talked to us about what they do and some of their advice on our parklet. It also gave me ideas of careers I might want to go into in the future.”
— Mikaela
558
participating girls since 2013
162
projects completed since 2013
100%
teen girls attending at no cost
Get the Girls Garage Book!
Girls Garage: How To Use Any Tool, Tackle Any Project, and Build The World You Want To See
Girls Garage is your can-do compendium of all things tools and building! Packed with over 175 illustrated tool guides, 11 how-to projects, 21 essential skills, and 15 profiles of awesome builder girls and women, Girls Garage will inspire you to fill up your toolbox and get building.
"I wrote this book as an invitation for girls to put on their tool belts and build the world they want to see. And I mean that quite literally: I want girls, who have big dreams, goals, and ideas, to have zero barriers to access the tools they need to be successful. That tool might be a hammer, a little extra confidence to try something new, or the ability to see yourself in the world of STEM."
— Emily Pilloton, Founder of Girls Garage