GRANT WILLIAMS FAMILY FOUNDATION PRESENTS
3RD ANNUAL // APRIL 3, 2026
RESULTS
20 middle schoolers. 5 teams. One day to build something real. Here's what they shipped.
🏆 1ST PLACE — MacBook Neo
the_pond
The Pond
A student club platform where Charlotte-area students start, discover, and join school clubs — with group profiles, interactive maps, real-time chat, and an AI assistant.
Stack: React, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Redis
AI assistant: # not enabled in this demo
Live demo routed through the showcase.
[ OPEN DEMO → ]🥈 2ND PLACE — Hornets vs. Pistons Tickets
MoneyMasters
MoneyMasters
A teen financial literacy app with interactive budget tracking, savings goals, financial courses with mastery checks, and an AI advisor to guide smart money decisions.
Stack: React Native (Expo), Node.js, SQLite
AI advisor: # not enabled in this demo
Live demo routed through the showcase.
[ OPEN DEMO → ]HiveLink
HiveLink
A school connection platform for students to create groups, coordinate tasks, chat with teammates, and stay organized — built for how students actually work together.
Stack: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Live demo routed through the showcase.
[ OPEN DEMO → ]TimeAlly
TimeAlly
A study buddy app with AI-powered chat, to-do lists, calendar, timer, and personalized scheduling — designed to help students take control of their time.
Stack: React, Vite
AI chat: # not enabled in this demo
Live demo routed through the showcase.
[ OPEN DEMO → ]csf
Community Support Framework
A mental health resource finder that guides students through a self-check assessment, then surfaces matched crisis resources, local providers, and community support services.
Stack: React, Node.js / Express
Live demo routed through the showcase.
[ OPEN DEMO → ]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 → MacBook Neo
# Presented by the Grant Williams Family Foundation
LEGACY
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
20 Students Ship Real Apps at JCSU
20 students in teams of 4 built and presented projects at Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte NC — the most ambitious year yet, with AI-assisted development using Kiro.
1st place took home a MacBook Neo. 2nd place earned tickets to the final Charlotte Hornets vs. Detroit Pistons game for students and parents.
WHAT'S NEXT
cat roadmap.txt
Year 4 is coming.
# Date and location to be announced.
The mission doesn't stop here. Every year we reach more students,
raise the bar, and prove that Charlotte's next generation
of builders is already here.
Follow @thegwff for updates on the next Hackathon-For-Good.
CONTACT
Grant Williams Family Foundation
Fiscally sponsored by the Edward Charles Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax ID: 26-4245043