Anthropic gives CodeCrew $1 million for Memphis AI training headquarters

The Northside Square facility will include classrooms, educator training space and an AI Workforce Development Lab for students and adult learners.

Anthropic’s $1 million gift will support CodeCrew’s planned technology education headquarters and expanded training capacity in Memphis

Anthropic has awarded Memphis nonprofit CodeCrew a $1 million gift to help fund a national technology education headquarters in North Memphis, expanding the organization’s capacity to deliver computer science, AI and workforce training.

The funding will support CodeCrew’s planned base at Northside Square, a development surrounded by a library, schools, affordable housing and a community center. CodeCrew says the facility will allow it to serve hundreds of learners at once and host national convenings, although the announcement does not provide a construction timetable or opening date.

Founded in 2015, CodeCrew works with students and adults from communities it describes as having untapped potential in the technology economy. Figures supplied by the nonprofit show that it has trained more than 16,000 learners and delivered over 500,000 hours of computer science education during the past decade.

Meka Egwuekwe, Co-Founder and CEO of CodeCrew, says: “We are deeply grateful for Anthropic’s investment in CodeCrew and the children and adults we serve. This gift moves us closer to the day when every student who walks through our doors will find a space that says, ‘I believe in you,’ and leaves equipped to shape the future of AI and technology.”

Expanding AI education in Memphis

Plans for the purpose-built space include an AI Workforce Development Lab, classrooms with immersive technology, educator training facilities, collaborative areas and community meeting space. CodeCrew says Anthropic’s contribution will triple its instructional capacity.

Writing on LinkedIn, Egwuekwe placed the funding within a wider effort to give Memphis residents a role in developing and using AI:

“This partnership is about far more than funding. It is about creating opportunities for young people, educators, and adults across Memphis to develop the skills, understanding, and confidence to shape the future of artificial intelligence rather than simply adapt to it.”

The City of Memphis supported the agreement. Egwuekwe credited Mayor Paul Young and his team with making connections and facilitating discussions between CodeCrew and Anthropic.

Marlene Williams, Anthropic’s Head of State & Local Government Relations for Southern States, describes the nonprofit as having “a clear vision for where it goes next,” adding: “We’re honored to support that work and the community it serves.”

Anthropic’s relationship with Memphis also includes a May 2026 agreement to use all capacity at Colossus 1, a supercomputer providing access to more than 300 megawatts of computing capacity.

City targets 5,000 workforce pathways

The CodeCrew gift arrives as the city seeks to connect AI infrastructure investment with employment and community programs.

In 2025, Young proposed Memphis’ first Community Benefits Ordinance, directing 25 percent of property tax revenue from AI data center facilities, potentially as much as $100 million over time, into nearby neighborhoods. His administration has set a separate goal of creating 5,000 workforce pathways by 2030.

“We want every major investment in Memphis to leave our city stronger than it found it, and Anthropic’s investment in CodeCrew does exactly that,” Young says. “For more than a decade, CodeCrew has opened doors for thousands of young people and adults by preparing them for careers in technology. This investment will expand that impact, strengthen our talent pipeline, and help us reach our goal of creating 5,000 meaningful workforce pathways by 2030 by connecting more Memphians to the high-paying jobs that are shaping our economy.”

CodeCrew says its Code School graduates generate an average economic impact of $70,000 per year each. The Northside Square headquarters is planned to bring its student programs, adult workforce training and educator development facilities together at one site.