Sponsorship & Partnership

Why support Open Workshops?

Education and engagement with science, technology, and the arts is critical to building a capable, dynamic, and resilient society. While progress has been made in the past several decades, women, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian people are still underrepresented in the STEM workforce and are consistently paid less than their male and white counterparts. Diversity in these fields is critical; STEM careers build wealth in families and communities and build capabilities in local workforces that would otherwise be missing, and studies have consistently shown that a diverse workforce is more efficient, effective, and innovative.  Open Workshops aims to bridge this gap by supporting STEAM education and engagement across the entire community.

Statistics on diversity in STEM fields were obtained from https://beta.nsf.gov/news/diversity-and-stem-2023.

What programs does Open Workshops offer?

Open Workshops’ programs revolve around our makerspace, which is organized to be as accessible as possible in keeping with our guiding principles.  We aim to eliminate as many barriers to engagement as possible. Membership fees are kept low, with programs in place to ensure access to those who are unable to afford them; training and educational materials are made available for free online; and classes on STEAM topics are offered on nights and weekends to work around busy schedules. In time, our goal is to be able to bring STEAM workshops and events to the places where they’re needed most, rather than requiring the community to come to us.

Our makerspace offers a range of equipment, including CNC, 3D printing, and computer labs, but the exact equipment changes often. For a full list, please see our website. We also offer classes on STEAM topics, ranging from introductory classes for complete beginners to advanced courses for experienced makers, and community events centered around STEAM topics, such as lectures and movie nights.

Diversity and community are also guiding principles for Open Workshops; we want to foster a space where everyone feels welcome and invited to participate, regardless of their race, gender, age, or background. We recognize that addressing the disparity in representation in STEAM requires deliberate support for those underrepresented groups, and our programs are designed as such.

As you might expect, running a nonprofit organization with an explicit focus on accessibility is a challenging task. Many makerspaces need to charge monthly membership fees in excess of $100 a month in order to stay afloat. While that may be accessible for someone who already has a well-paying job in a STEM field, it’s often too high for college students, blue-collar families, seniors, and many other segments of the community. Our broad affordability is made possible through the generous support of individuals and organizations in our community who donate to Open Workshops.

How can your organization support Open Workshops?

There are several ways organizations that agree with our mission can support Open Workshops. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, monetary and in-kind donations to Open Workshops are tax-deductible as allowed by the IRS. If you wish to discuss any of these opportunities in more detail, please email donate@open-workshops.com - and thank you!

Sponsorship

Open Workshops has a range of sponsorship opportunities available. As a sponsor of Open Workshops, your organization will receive recognition on our sponsor wall and website. Depending on the type of sponsorship, sponsors may also receive acknowledgement on other marketing and educational materials, during classes, or in videos on our public channels.

Donations of equipment, supplies, or materials

As an active and vibrant makerspace, Open Workshops has a constant need for a broad range of equipment, supplies, and materials to support our programs. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to accept every donation, but most common goods are welcome. Donors of goods are eligible for many of the same benefits as direct sponsors (e.g. acknowledgement on our website), and if you’re donating goods with your brand name, you can know that members of the space will use those goods every day.

Employee or student benefit partnerships

Another way to support Open Workshops is to offer free or reduced-price memberships to your employees or students as a perk of employment or enrollment. We have several arrangements available for benefit programs, or we can work to design one to meet your needs. Note that benefit programs are generally not tax-deductible, as your organization receives a tangible benefit of equal value; but as a community partner, your organization will receive recognition on our sponsor wall.