hackclub.com

Hack Club is run by teenagers and funded by donors, operating as a nonprofit movement rather than a company. That structure shapes almost everything about how it works: teens lead and build the projects, donors cover the costs, and partners help specific programs succeed. If you're a teen aged 13–18 wondering who's actually behind the site, or a parent or educator checking whether it's a legitimate organization, the short answer is that it's a donor-supported nonprofit with teen leadership at its core.

Who runs Hack Club

The site describes Hack Club as "run by teens, made possible by donors, successful with partners." That single line is the clearest summary of its operating model:

• Teens run it. The people making projects and driving the community are teenagers themselves. The homepage frames the whole thing around that idea — "Where teens make cool stuff" — and notes that 100,000 teens started exactly where a new visitor is now.
• It's a movement, not a product. Hack Club describes itself as "the world's largest nonprofit movement of teenagers making cool projects." The word "movement" signals that participation is the point, not purchasing anything.
• It's a nonprofit. The organization is explicitly nonprofit, which is why funding comes from donors rather than from charging the teens who take part.

The homepage also shows a physical address — Hack Club HQ in Burlington, VT — which is consistent with a real organization that has staff and a base of operations, even though the community-facing work is teen-led.

How it's funded

Funding comes from donors. The site states plainly that Hack Club is "made possible by donors," and pairs that with "successful with partners." Read together, those two phrases describe two distinct roles:

The distinction matters. Donors keep the lights on; partners help individual programs land. The homepage mentions "Stardance, the largest free STEM event of the summer" — an example of a program that exists because of this kind of support. The word "free" in that description is consistent with the donor-funded model: the teens attending aren't the ones paying.

One thing the available material does not specify is the identity of individual donors, the size of any donations, or the terms of any partnership agreements. If you need those details, they aren't established by the homepage content.

What this means if you're deciding whether to join

The run-and-funded structure has practical consequences for a teen considering Hack Club:

• You don't need to pay to take part. The model is donor-funded and the flagship event is described as free. That said, the site doesn't publish a full pricing page, so treat "free" as applying to what's described — not as a blanket guarantee about every possible program or cost.
• The projects are made by people your age. The homepage lists concrete examples: Deltea (16, US) made Starbird for Hack Club Milkyway; Clément (17, France) made AngstromIO for Hack Club Blueprint; Yessa (18, Philippines) made Specter for Hack Club Milkyway; Alexander (16, US) made Brew75 for Hack Club Blueprint; and Andromeda, Nihaal, and Rimma (18, 16, 15, UK & US) made Kamikamace for Hack Club Daydream. These are teen-built projects attached to named Hack Club programs.
• There's a clear age range. Hack Club is "for all teens aged 13–18." If you're outside that range, the site's framing doesn't address you.
• You can start without a finished idea. The homepage explicitly says it's there "to help you build your first crazy thing," and notes that 100,000 teens started from the same position.

Common questions about the model

Is Hack Club a company? No — it's described as a nonprofit movement. That's the key difference from a startup or a paid platform.

Do teens pay to join? Nothing in the available material indicates a fee for teens. The funding is attributed to donors, and the highlighted summer event is described as free.

Who decides what gets built? The teens do. The "run by teens" framing, combined with the project examples credited to individual teenagers, points to teen-led creation rather than a top-down curriculum.

What role do partners play? They're credited with making programs "successful" — a supporting role alongside donors, who make the organization possible in the first place.

The bottom line

Hack Club's model is simple to state: teenagers run and build, donors fund, partners support specific programs, and the whole thing operates as a nonprofit. If you're a teen aged 13–18, that means the community you'd be joining is led by people like you, and the cost barrier that usually comes with tech programs is handled by outside funding rather than by you.

Hack Club is open to all teens aged 13–18, anywhere in the world. That age range is stated directly on hackclub.com, and the projects featured on the site come from members in the US, France, the Philippines, the UK, and elsewhere. If you are outside 13–18, the site does not present a path for you to join directly.

The age requirement

The homepage states plainly: "For all teens aged 13–18." That is the single eligibility rule the site makes explicit. It is not framed as a recommendation or a typical range — it is the stated condition for joining.

A few things follow from that:

• 13 is the floor. The site does not describe any program for younger members.
• 18 is the ceiling. Once you turn 19, you are outside the stated range.
• The range is global. Nothing on the page restricts membership by country.

Who actually takes part

The site's project showcase gives a concrete picture of the membership. Examples listed on the homepage include:

Two things stand out. First, the ages cluster inside the stated 13–18 band, including members at both the top (18) and lower-middle (15) of it. Second, participation is genuinely international — the examples span four countries, and the site describes itself as "the world's largest nonprofit movement of teenagers making cool projects."

The homepage also notes that "100,000 teens started exactly where you are," which is consistent with a large, globally distributed teen membership rather than a local club.

What if you are outside 13–18?

The site does not describe an alternative track for people older or younger than the stated range. If you are 12 or younger, or 19 and older, the homepage gives no indication that you can join directly.

That said, the site is public. The project showcases, the YouTube channel referenced on the homepage ("See more on our YouTube"), and the linked projects themselves are viewable by anyone. So someone outside the age range can still follow the work and use it as a model, even without joining.

How to check your own situation

1. Confirm you fall within 13–18. This is the one hard condition the site states.
2. If you do, the homepage's "Join!" prompt is the entry point — it sits alongside the age line.
3. If you are unsure whether a specific program (Milkyway, Blueprint, Daydream, or others named on the site) has its own additional conditions, check that program's page rather than assuming the general age rule is the whole story.

The short version

• Can join: teens aged 13–18, anywhere on Earth.
• Cannot join directly: anyone outside that range, based on what the site states.
• Not restricted by: country — members come from the US, France, the Philippines, the UK, and beyond.

If you are 13–18, you meet the stated requirement. If you are not, the site offers no direct membership path, though its projects and videos remain open to view.

Hack Club is a nonprofit movement for teenagers aged 13–18 who want to build things. If you join, you can make hardware and software projects, take part in themed events and challenges, and get small rewards like free stickers along the way. The site describes it as "the world's largest nonprofit movement of teenagers making cool projects," and it says 100,000 teens started exactly where you are now.

Build a project of your own

The core activity is making something. The homepage frames it as: "Imagine a world where you made this" and "We're here to help you build your first crazy thing." You don't need a finished idea to start — the examples below are all projects other teens built through Hack Club programs.

See what other teens have made

The site features real projects from members around the world, each with a "Try it out" link:

These span software and hardware, so the range of what you can build is broad.

Join events and challenges

The projects above were made for named Hack Club programs — Milkyway, Blueprint, and Daydream. These are the events or challenges where members build toward a theme and share what they make. The site also points to Stardance, described as "the largest free STEM event of the summer," and to more past work on Hack Club's YouTube channel.

Get free stickers

The site includes a "Get free stickers" prompt addressed "TO: you, a teenager anywhere on Earth." It's a small incentive, but it's one of the things you can claim as a member.

Who this is for

Hack Club is open to all teens aged 13–18. If you're in that range and want to build your first project or join a themed challenge, you can start by joining through the site.

Hack Club is a nonprofit organization where teenagers aged 13–18 build projects together. It describes itself as "the world's largest nonprofit movement of teenagers making cool projects," and it's run by teens, funded by donors, and supported by partners. If you're a teenager who wants to make something — software, hardware, or something in between — Hack Club is built for you. If you're outside that 13–18 age range, the core programs aren't aimed at you.

Who Hack Club is for

The eligibility line is explicit on the site: "For all teens aged 13–18." That's the audience for the main experience.

The homepage frames the whole thing around a simple idea — "Imagine a world where you made this" — and backs it up with real teen projects rather than abstract promises. The message to a new visitor is direct: "100,000 teens started exactly where you are. We're here to help you build your first crazy thing."

So the pitch isn't "learn to code" in the abstract. It's "make a specific cool thing, and we'll help you get there."

What teens actually build

The site shows a rotating gallery of projects made by real members, each with a name, age, country, project title, and the Hack Club program it was made for. Examples from the page:

Two things stand out. First, the projects span hardware and software — names like Brew75 and AngstromIO suggest electronics and tooling, not just websites. Second, the makers are spread across countries, so this isn't a single-region club.

Each project has a "Try it out" link, which means you can inspect what other teens built before deciding whether to join.

How it's structured

Hack Club describes itself with three roles working together:

• Run by teens — the people making and leading are in the same age group as the audience.
• Made possible by donors — it's a nonprofit, so funding comes from donations rather than user fees.
• Successful with partners — outside organizations support the work.

The site also points to a YouTube channel ("We've done this countless times before. See more on our YouTube") as a way to see past activity before committing.

What you get when you join

The homepage mentions a concrete onboarding perk: free stickers. The signup flow is framed as a letter — "HACK CLUB HQ, BURLINGTON, VT, TO: you, a teenager anywhere on Earth" — which reinforces that membership is open regardless of where you live.

Beyond stickers, the value proposition is the programs themselves (Milkyway, Blueprint, Daydream appear as named tracks) and the community of teens building alongside you.

What the site doesn't tell you

A few things you'd want to know before joining aren't covered in the available page content:

• Cost. The organization is a nonprofit supported by donors, but the page doesn't state whether any specific program, event, or kit has a fee. Don't assume everything is free — check the individual program page.
• Time commitment. No hours-per-week expectation is given.
• What happens after you sign up. The page shows a signup prompt and terms agreement, but not the steps that follow.

If any of those matter to your decision, look at the specific program (Milkyway, Blueprint, Daydream) or the YouTube channel before signing up.

Should you join?

Join if you're 13–18 and you want to build a real project with help and a community around you — especially if you've never finished a project before and want a structured push.

Look elsewhere if you're outside 13–18, or if you want a formal course with grades and a syllabus rather than a build-first community.

The clearest next step is to browse the project gallery on the homepage, click "Try it out" on one that interests you, and see whether that's the kind of thing you want to make.