What createMPLS does

createMPLS is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) public charity operating a direct-service youth STEM education nonprofit. The organization delivers hands-on STEM programming—robotics, coding, engineering design challenges, and 3D printing—to K-12 students from elementary through high school. Programs are offered in two formats: an In-school STEM Curriculum delivered during regular school-day class periods and grade-level groupings, and STEM Learning Labs delivered in before/after-school, summer, and community-based youth settings. Both formats share the same underlying toolkit of LEGO Education materials, robotics kits, coding platforms, and 3D printing equipment.

The organization's go-to-market is partner-first, working exclusively through schools, youth-serving nonprofits, libraries, and community organizations that already serve its target student population. createMPLS deploys its programming on-site at these partner locations, which eliminates transportation barriers and reduces coordination costs for families. Participation is free to students and families by design—the no-cost model is built into the operating model rather than retrofitted. The organization accepts donations and corporate sponsorships through the Givebutter platform to cover student-facing costs including materials, equipment, and program delivery.

Operating as a small, locally focused nonprofit (1–10 employees, EIN 47-5122723), createMPLS is concentrated in Minneapolis, MN, with a single mailing address (P.O. Box 8521). Its 501(c)(3) status and donor-visible operating model are positioned as central to its public trust posture. No parent company, institutional investors, or external funding rounds beyond a single dated Panera Bread Foundation grant (2024-03-19, $0 disclosed value) are reported in the available source material.

Name

createMPLS

Legal name

createMPLS

Website

https://creatempls.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

createMPLS is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, hands-on STEM programs—including robotics, coding, engineering, and 3D printing—to K-12 students through on-site partnerships with local schools and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL), Robotics & Engineering Summer Camps / Bootcamps (EDAMADAF)

Keywords

• Youth STEM education
• Hands-on STEM programs
• School partnerships
• Community-based learning
• Nonprofit STEM outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: 501(c)(3) nonprofit relying on individual donations and corporate sponsorships to cover student-facing costs including materials, equipment, and program delivery. Donations accepted via Givebutter platform.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

createMPLS is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on STEM education programs—including robotics, coding, engineering design challenges, and 3D printing—to K-12 students on-site at partner schools and community organizations. Programs are offered in two formats: structured in-school STEM curriculum during the school day and flexible STEM learning labs for before/after school, summer, and community settings. All programs are provided at no cost to students and families.

Product overview

createMPLS operates as a single unified offering—a youth STEM education program delivered on-site at partner schools and community organizations at no cost to families. The portfolio consists of two program formats built around the same hands-on learning approach: (1) In-school STEM Curriculum, structured school-day programming aligned to class periods and grade-level groups, and (2) STEM Learning Labs, flexible enrichment for before/after school, summer, and community settings. Both formats share the same core tools (robotics, coding platforms, LEGO Education materials, 3D printing, design challenges) and the same mission of repeated hands-on practice. The programs are partner-delivered on-site rather than a self-service software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-school STEM Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• Programs are free to students and families, removing cost as a participation barrier

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Black Girls CODE: Black Girls CODE is a nonprofit providing technology education — including robotics and coding — to girls of color from underrepresented communities. It shares createMPLS's focus on STEM access for students historically excluded from technical fields and its reliance on donations and corporate sponsorship.
• Citizen Schools: Citizen Schools is a national nonprofit that provides expanded learning time, including hands-on STEM apprenticeships, to underserved middle-school students through school and community partnerships. Like createMPLS, it relies on a partner-first, no-cost-to-families model supported by philanthropy and corporate sponsors.
• Iridescent: Iridescent runs the Curiosity Machine program, delivering hands-on engineering and STEM learning to underrepresented K-12 youth through family and community engagement. It shares createMPLS's equity mission, donation-based funding, and emphasis on engineering design challenges delivered in community settings.
• STEM For Kids: STEM For Kids delivers hands-on STEM programs (robotics, coding, engineering) to K-12 students through schools and community partners. It is directly comparable to createMPLS in target audience, delivery format, and curriculum mix, with the key difference being that STEM For Kids operates as a franchise rather than a single-city nonprofit.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs K-12 robotics competition programs (FLL, FTC, FRC) that engage students in hands-on engineering and coding through team-based challenges. It shares createMPLS's robotics/LEGO toolkit and STEM-equity mission, though its core product is structured competition rather than general enrichment delivery.

Regional players

• STEM NOLA: STEM NOLA is a New Orleans-based nonprofit providing hands-on STEM programming to underserved K-12 students through community events, school partnerships, and family engagement. It is a regional peer to createMPLS, with comparable mission, on-site delivery approach, and donation-driven funding model in a different metro.

Broad incumbents

• Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit running school-based clubs, summer immersion programs, and college-loops for high school girls interested in computer science. It overlaps with createMPLS on the equity-in-STEM mission and partnership-based K-12 delivery, but at much larger scale and brand recognition.
• Code.org: Code.org is a national nonprofit promoting computer science education in K-12 schools, with significant curriculum and teacher-training reach. It is comparable to createMPLS as a high-scale CS-education nonprofit but operates at a vastly larger scope focused on national policy and curriculum distribution rather than direct on-site delivery.
• MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement): MESA runs pre-college STEM enrichment programs primarily serving underrepresented K-12 students in California and other states through school-based programs. It is comparable to createMPLS on equity-focused STEM enrichment for underserved youth but operates at much larger scale and through a university-based statewide network rather than a single-city nonprofit.
• Project Lead the Way (PLTW): PLTW provides STEM curriculum and teacher training used in thousands of U.S. K-12 schools, with significant emphasis on computer science, engineering, and biomedical science pathways. It is comparable to createMPLS as a school-channel STEM curriculum provider but is curriculum-and-licensing focused rather than direct-delivery focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MPLScreate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creatempls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about createMPLS