Changes
no edit summary
= <span id="docs-internal-guid-ba11c5fd-6112-61e9-41b8-7faa676920b9"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Funding:</span></span> =
<span id="docs-internal-guid-2f5e05c6-61ec-472b-3f3d-1663e0c1f032"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the greatest challenges in creating a makerspace is securing funding. Fortunately, there are many potential sources of funding available within your university and externally. An initial resource is seeking funding from project stakeholders (department chairs, deans, upper university administration, etc.). Your stakeholders will already be familiar with the project and may know of other sources of funding in addition to what they can give to the project. Looking beyond the university, corporate sponsorship is a potential source of funding. Before approaching any companies, get in contact with the person at your university who is responsible from getting money from industry. This is extremely important as universities often have deals in the works with companies which could fall through as a result. Getting permission from your university deans and upper administration is strongly recommended before pursuing this avenue for funding. Other options for funding include starting a Kickstarter campaign, requesting funding from Venturewell ([https://venturewell.org/ https://venturewell.org/]), having a fundraiser (if permitted by your university) or by holding workshops/events that have a small entrance fee. No matter the source of funds, always be transparent and have proof that the funds went towards the intended cause.</span></span>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-2f5e05c6-61f2-0b85-fb49-de4a5104ed66"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once initial funding has been obtained, it is important to consider how the makerspace can be sustainable. Over time, equipment will need to be fixed or replaced and consumables (3D printer filament, markers, prototyping supplies, etc.) will need to be purchased. It is important to plan for these costs ahead of time and either budget them into your initial funding proposal or have a source of funding established for when these funds are needed. Also, it is okay to start small and then acquire more equipment and resources based on demand and usage. While it may be impressive to have multiple 3D printers, this is only cost effective if there is demand for multiple of the same machine.</span></span>