The document discusses the development of a scholarship program kit for makerspaces in Georgia. It aims to increase student and educator access to makerspaces by attracting donors to fund scholarships. The kit will include principles, operations, and requirements that makerspaces can adapt to attract scholarship sponsors and increase community support. It will interface with makerspaces in Georgia during development to pilot the model and create a freely available kit for any makerspace to modify and use. The goal is to scale educational access to digital technologies and skills training through makerspace programs.

1. Makerspace Scholarship Program Kit Development Project
Project Background and Purpose
The Digital Georgia Program funded by the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration NTIA and managed by GTA funds and supports projects and resources to increase
Georgia’s participation in and benefit from the Digital Economy.
From the Digital Economy Planning project all of Georgia’s twelve planning regions identified workforce
skills development as a weakness and priority to be addressed to increase Georgia’s capacity to
participate in the Digital Economy. Workforce development begins in K12 education systems and
advances through higher education and in the workplace.
Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, Gamerspaces, Incubators and Accelerators represent a movement where
local community resources including citizens of all ages, government and private enterprise collaborate
and share resources to increase the use of technology, innovation, entrepreneurism by providing local
expertise, mentorships, training and development events. The results are education, workforce and
economic benefits to the local community’s citizens, business and government.
The Maker Movement is a globally expanding technological and creative learning trend underway that
accelerates the adoption of technology, workforce development, community development and
economic growth. Makerspaces are local grassroots groups/organizations that tap passions to explore,
create and share their knowledge and creativity to invent and build products, create businesses and
improve themselves and their communities.
Makerspaces provide access to both costly equipment that can be shared by members and the
knowledge and experience to local Makers. Makers have access to new digital tools and technology,
such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, and “smart” materials.
The Maker Movement creates affordable or even free versions of these inventions, while sharing tools
and ideas locally and online to create a vibrant, collaborative community of like minds for problem-
solving, innovating, business-building, creating, exploring and growing through doing.
Due to the emphasis on STEM and STEAM related skills, and the encouragement of curiosity and
initiative, the connection between the Maker Movement and education has become a national priority.
● The White House held a Makerfaire in June of this year that “celebrate[d] every maker — from
students learning STEM skills to entrepreneurs launching new businesses to innovators powering the
renaissance in American manufacturing.” See http://www.whitehouse.gov/maker-faire
● Cognizant, Intel, Maker Media, Pixar, Google and other leading companies created the
MakerEducation Initiative to “create more opportunities for all young people to develop confidence,
creativity, and interest in science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole through
making.” See http://makered.org/

2. Georgia has established itself as a leader in the Maker Movement.
● Makerspaces exist in at least a dozen Georgia communities: Albany, Alpharetta, Atlanta, Athens,
Augusta, Cumming, Dawsonville, Decatur, Lawrenceville, Macon, Rome, Savannah and Stone Mountain.
These spaces have been pioneered by citizens and local grassroots community support.
● Makerspaces are in the planning phase in other cities such as Brunswick, Columbus, Savannah, and
Warner Robins.
● 7hills Makerspace in Rome was named “One of the most interesting makerspaces in America” by
Make Magazine.
● There is demonstrated support and passion for Georgia Makers: a group of makers in Macon raised
more than $11,000 from their community through a crowdfunding effort. Decatur makers raised more
than $22,000 in a similar project.
● Georgia makers have participated in and led workshops at events throughout the state, including the
Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA’s) annual conference, the Digital Economy Summit and others.
● Makers from Georgia led a panel in San Francisco at the industry’s first “Makercon” event - the only
state represented at that conference.
● Macon Makers received a grant for $125,000 to host a national level maker faire in 2015.
● Makerspaces in Georgia have held hundreds of hackathons, training classes, meetups and more.
● Berry College in Rome has developed a “Creative Technologies” minor program, the first of its type in
the nation, within its Campbell School of Business. More than 70 students have gone through the
program, learning about design, 3D printing, fabrication, physical computing and more.
● Georgia Tech has held a Mini Maker Faire for the last four years. Thousands of attendees and
hundreds of exhibitors have come together to explore, share and learn about the maker movement.
Challenges
Our educational systems and large government organizations are challenged to keep pace with
technological advancements in computing, software development, 3D printing and Virtual Reality
among others. 3D printing advancements in printer technology, materials that can be printed and their
application throughout business sectors such as manufacturing and medical are creating opportunities
and threats for our educational system and industry. 3

3. South Korea, Georgia’s 4th largest trading partner is launching a national program to train 10 million
workers in 3D printing skills and knowledge. They are deploying 3D printers in all K12 schools
throughout the county. They are developing training curriculum to be used in K12 and workforce
development programs.
Until our educational organizations and programs are adapted, the Maker Movement and Makerspaces
in Georgia can provide a solution. The question is how can we scale the effort and integrate the benefits
with our education system. A few schools in Georgia have either purchased 3D printers or created a
school-based Makerspace. Public and private colleges and universities have purchased some 3D printers,
held Maker faires and developed curriculum to train students in technology. Others have formed
robotics clubs and held classes on 3D printing, design and other disciplines. Despite this activity,
promising young makers have had to rely on being fortunate enough to attend one of these schools.
There are various models of Makerspaces and they are expensive to establish, operate and maintain.
There is the cost of the space, shared equipment, utilities and Internet bandwidth to operate.
Makerspaces are being creative in finding sustainable funding sources by holding training programs,
events and expanding into shared workspaces and business incubation. In the initial phase of a
Makerspace they heavily reply on paid memberships which can put membership out of reach of many
students in K12 and college. The core paid members are there to utilize the Makerspace for their benefit
and not to manage students.
Special attention, training, and resources will be required to support students using Makerspace
resources. Typically minors require transportation, supervision, special training on equipment to reduce
liability, and general assistance that go well beyond a traditional Makerspace.
While schools can look for funding to establish their own makerspaces, the knowledge and expertise of
different equipment ranging from laser cutters, media production, 3D printers, Virtual Reality,
woodworking and audiovisual are typically not available from a staff member within a school and would
depend on community/parent participation or allocation of funding for staff. Schools that develop their
own makerspaces also miss out on one of the most important values Makerspaces provide: the personal
development that comes with accomplishing goals through diverse teams of people with a wide range of
life experience, education, and achievement.
Makers themselves have also been relatively independent and have often focused their outreach on
likeminded hobbyists and professionals rather than youth. While some have developed student
programs, many have not. Makerspaces need to grow their membership bases to be truly sustainable,
and student / teacher collaboration presents an excellent way to do this.
Finally, there has been no way for leading companies and organizations to contribute to and promote
the Maker Movement. In Georgia, the number one issue for technology based companies that the
Digital Georgia program has uncovered is finding skilled employees. Makerspaces present a platform to
inexpensively develop these skills and fill gaps left by traditional education.
This is an opportunity to create a model for supporting educator and student participation within the
community Makerspace in a repeatable, scalable and sustainable way.

4. Scholarship Program Kit Development Purposes
GTA will fund the development of a sponsored scholarship program and pilot of a model with key
principles, operational specifics, options and requirements that can be adapted to and used by any
Makerspace, Hackerspace, Gamerspace, Incubator or Accelerator Program. The project’s purpose is to
enable these organizations to attract scholarship donors for K12, College students and Educators to
participate in them. Key Project goals are to;
1. Attract individuals, companies and organizations to fund member sponsorships for K12 and College
students as well as Educator/Mentors to manage the student involvement.
2. Increase local student access to program facilities, digital technologies, digital knowledge and
expertise, training programs and events.
3. Expand community support for Programs as expand sustainable funding sources for Program
longevity, growth and impact to the local community and members.
Scholarship Program Development Scope
GTA will fund the development of a Makerspace Scholarship Program kit package that will be freely
available to any Makerspace to modify and use at their discretion. GTA and its contractor will interface
with the Makerspaces and like programs around Georgia that are involved in the process (see below)
and will have responsibility for the resulting program materials. Resources will coordinate where needed
with state government agencies (e.g. DOE, DCA, GTA), regional planners and developers (regional
commissions, development authorities), and private organizations (TAG, foundations, technology
companies).
GTA is funding Communications professional resources that will lead the development of branding and
marketing materials that can be used by any Makerspace at their discretion for the program, including
establishment of the platform for information sharing, logos, case studies, artwork, content creation,
press relations and development of the sponsorship kit.
GTA and funded project resources will engage Makerspace programs and their members around the
state to provide input to the development of the model framework and to build consensus in the
direction proposed. The framework is only as good as the results it generates. We expect to use leading
programs and Makerspace as necessary to reach educators and students as well as private sector
companies throughout the state to test and refine the framework concepts before final delivery.
GTA and contractor will develop and document the program model, model framework, requirements,
and options for a Sponsored Scholarship Program. The program deliverables include:
1. Document the purposes, principles, parameters and requirements of a sponsorship program to fund
memberships for K12, College students and Educators in participating Makerspaces.
2. Document the needs and requirements of a Makerspace to use the program and collaborate with
local education systems and educators. Document the needs and requirements of educational systems
and educators to participate in the program.

5. 3. Develop and Document how a participating Makerspace can integrate with local education systems
and educators to identify, qualify, select and manage the sponsored student members.
4. Provide repeatable tools, content and processes (a program kit) that can be used as is or modified by
makerspaces and educational systems who choose to offer Makerspace sponsorships/scholarships to K-
12, college students and educators in their communities.
5. Establish a platform for the collection of case studies and data related to Makerspace efforts and
results for use in the solicitation of corporate, governmental, and educational sponsorships.
6. Establish and document a sponsorship kit for potential sponsors that will include program description,
purposes and objectives, application process, qualifying process, roles and responsibilities of the
Makerspace organization, participating school system, educators and sponsored student. Document
expected outcomes and benefits to Makerspaces, Educational systems and Georgia as a whole.
7. Promote connections between the Maker Movement in Georgia and Georgia’s education system -
both at a state and local level. This will include participation by local schools in the selection and award
of scholarships and the introduction of new models and methods from the Maker Movement to
educators, teachers and administrators.
8. Utilize this network of makerspaces to test concepts for greater alignment and collaboration between
the schools, teachers, students, makerspaces, and the private sector throughout Georgia.
9. Develop metrics to define and value the benefit of increased collaboration among the parties.
.