Focus on Foundations has expanded its mission to include addressing the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about project FloodLAMP

Advancing STEM education through modern, mastery based curricula

Focus on foundations

is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our first major project is a new year-long 520 hour CTE (Career Technical Education) high school course.  The course starts with a rich, interdisciplinary, and highly unique project: building a universal 8-bit computer from scratch. Students learn foundational principles of electronics, physics, math, and computation in a very physical, hands-on way. Regardless of different levels of educational attainment and gaps in knowledge, all students can progress through building the project, providing key individual motivation and class camaraderie.

The 8-bit computer is my favorite project for school ever. I’m learning so, so much from it.

Brandon, 
High School Senior at SVCTE, May 2020

current programs

IMG_8103
Universal 8-Bit Computer from Scratch
Soldering a neopixel strip for a ESP32 Light Tower
Electronics and Computation CTE Course