GRANT WILLIAMS FAMILY FOUNDATION PRESENTS
3RD ANNUAL // APRIL 3, 2026
ABOUT
cat mission.txt
Hackathon-For-Good is an annual competition
where Charlotte-area middle schoolers team up
to build real apps that solve real problems.
# No experience required. Just curiosity.
Students pitch ideas, write code, and present
their projects to a panel of judges — competing
for a prize that goes beyond a trophy.
Year 1 winners → Charlotte Hornets game
Year 2 winners → NASA Kennedy Space Center
Year 3 winners → ???
# Presented by the Grant Williams Family Foundation
EVENT
DATE
April 3, 2026
3rd Annual Hackathon-For-Good
LOCATION
Johnson C. Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina
WHO CAN ATTEND
Middle School Students
Charlotte area schools welcome
FORMAT
Team-Based Hackathon
Pitch → Build → Present → Win
TOOLS
This year we're introducing Kiro — an AI-powered code editor that lets you describe what you want to build and watches it come to life. We call it vibe coding: you bring the idea, Kiro helps write the code.
STARTER KITS
Download your setup guide before hackathon day. Get your tools installed, your editor configured, and a starter project ready so you can hit the ground running.
drwxr-xr-x skills/web/
Web Starter Kit
HTML, CSS & JavaScript setup with Kiro. Build websites and web apps that work on any browser. Perfect for beginners.
VIEW / DOWNLOAD web-starter.mddrwxr-xr-x skills/mobile/
Mobile Starter Kit
Build a real mobile app using MIT App Inventor or Kiro + Expo. Works on Android and iPhone. No app store needed to test.
VIEW / DOWNLOAD mobile-starter.mdLEGACY
YEAR ONE — APRIL 2024
The First Hackathon-For-Good
20 middle schoolers from Walter G. Byers School and Providence Day School came together to pitch app ideas and build solutions for their communities. Winners celebrated with a Charlotte Hornets game alongside NBA player Grant Williams.
YEAR TWO — APRIL 2025
Families Forward Charlotte Wins NASA
Participation doubled to 50 students at UNC Charlotte's William States Lee College of Engineering. Team "Bumblebees" won with Families Forward Charlotte — a mobile app connecting families with community resources to combat intergenerational poverty. The team earned a trip to NASA Kennedy Space Center.
YEAR THREE — APRIL 3, 2026
[ CHAPTER LOADING_ ]
Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC.
What will this year's teams build? What problem will they solve?
That's up to you.
CONTACT
Grant Williams Family Foundation
Fiscally sponsored by the Edward Charles Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax ID: 26-4245043